This stunning report reveals 81% of seniors from the top 55 U.S. colleges and universities failed a high school level history exam; even worse, that none of the institutions surveyed requires a course in American history, and three-quarters require no history at all. The report inspired Congress to pass a joint resolution calling for a national response and the Education Leadership Council to adopt a resolution to address America’s historical amnesia. Over 800 news stories reported on the study.
ACTA in the NewsCivic Education
Legislation being considered by Tennessee lawmakers would require all undergraduate students to take classes on American history and government. The more than 80 public and independent higher education institutions in Tennessee collectively serve approximately 360,000 students. Michael Poliakoff, president of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, testified in March about House Bill 291. He sees it as a […]
ACTA in the NewsGeneral Education
If college students have a clear-eyed view of the battle in which the nation is now engaged, we’d wager it doesn’t have a lot to do with what they’re learning at school. A survey just out from the American Council of Trustees and Alumni reveals just how little history students are asked to study today […]
ACTA in the NewsGeneral Education
A question for you before you set off your fireworks: Who was the American general at Yorktown? You have four guesses: William Tecumseh Sherman, Ulysses S. Grant, Douglas MacArthur or George Washington. When that question was asked late last year of 556 randomly chosen seniors at 55 top-rated colleges and universities, one out of three […]
ACTA in the NewsGeneral Education
Listen up, class. We hate to spoil your holiday weekend, but an alarming new survey of American history knowledge 2/3–released just days before Independence Day, no less 2/3–suggests that the nation is in desperate need of summer school. The report, sponsored by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, a Washington-based nonprofit group that promotes […]
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