NY Post; Letters to the Editor
Vanishing history "It should come as no surprise that the current generation of American students don’t know our nation’s history (“U. don’t know jack,” July 17).
"This trend has been underway for years, with colleges and public schools dismissing history studies as irrelevant. Equally disturbing, the seminal conflict of World War II that gave rise to today’s troubled geopolitical borders is often given little more than one class period in an entire school year. Previous surveys revealed that many students couldn’t even identify who the Allied leaders were. It is dangerous for a nation to forget its heritage."
Lawrence Kadish, Old Bethpage
About half of Americans say public K-12 education is going in the wrong direction | Pew Research Center . . . "We asked adults who say the public education system is going in the wrong direction why that might be. About half or more say the following are major reasons:
- Schools not spending enough time on core academic subjects, like reading, math, science and social studies (69%)
- Teachers bringing their personal political and social views into the classroom (54%)
- Schools not having the funding and resources they need (52%)
About a quarter (26%) say a major reason is that parents have too much influence in decisions about what schools are teaching.
How views vary by party
Americans in each party point to different reasons why public education is headed in the wrong direction.
Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say major reasons are:
- A lack of focus on core academic subjects (79% vs. 55%)
- Teachers bringing their personal views into the classroom (76% vs. 23%)
In turn, Democrats are more likely than Republicans to point to:
- Insufficient school funding and resources (78% vs. 33%)
- Parents having too much say in what schools are teaching (46% vs. 13%)" . . .
