Mixed Report Card

摘要

National math and science scores had inched upward. This year's average Scholastic Achievement Test results reached levels not seen since the early '70s. Education Secretary Richard Riley was so pleased he recently declared that schools were "on the right track." Then last week the bubble burst. The results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) history exam were in, and the news was grim. Despite nearly a decade of stiffer requirements, only four out of 10 high-school seniors demonstrated a rudimentary knowledge of American history. Most fourth graders couldn't ex- plain why the Pilgrims came to the New World. "It's clear, as the song says, students don't know much about history," wrote Riley in a statement.