A Nation At Risk

In 1983, Michael Jackson’s Thriller went to #1, M.A.S.H. was shown for the last time, at the Academy Awards, “Ghandi”, Ben Kingsley and Meryl Streep won, and President Reagan signed a $165 billion bail out for Social Security. Speaking of President Reagan, he had instructed Secretary of Education, Mr. Terrel Howard (T.H.) Bell to build the National Commission of Excellence on Education commission. The commission, led by Chairman David Gardner, had 18 months to interrogate, research, interview survey and uses any other valid means necessary to figure out what was not working with the American education system and how were we going to fix it. On April 26, 1983, President Reagan was presented A Nation at Risk, the public report to the nation and to the Secretary of Education of their concerns and findings.
The Commission’s focus was on five key areas: content, standards and expectations of students, teacher quality, time, and leadership/fiscal support. According to the Department of Education’s A Nation Accountable (April 2008)…
CONTENT - In 1983, a rigorous course of study was understood as a minimum of 4 years of English, 3 years of Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies and ½ year of Computers.
In 1983, approx. 16-17% of high school students took this rigorous course of study. By 2005, that percentage increased to 65%. That still leaves almost 1/3 of all high school students not studying a rigorous course of study. Why? In my school district, the course of study is 4 years of English, H/PE, 3 years of Math, Science and Social Studies, and one year of a World Language, Technology, Fine Arts and 21 Century skills (practical arts).
My grade: C (I think we need 4 years of Math and Science if we want to catch up)

STANDARDS AND EXPECTATIONS - In 1983, the public was limited on what they knew about student performance. In 1989, George H.W. Bush got the ball rolling with implementing nationwide K-12 performance goals by 2000 (Goals 2000). Bill Clinton picked up where he left off by Congress passing Improving America’s School Act (1994) and George W. Bush and a bi-partisan agreement brought us No Child Left Behind (NCLB) in 2001, where by 2014, 100% of all students will be proficient in Language Arts Literacy and Mathematics. Today, all states are testing in grades 3-8, and once in high school.
My grade: B (Testing does show areas for curriculum evaluation and keeps parents, students and schools more aware of their strengths and weaknesses)
TIME -In 1983, American students spent fewer hours and days in school than many other industrialized countries. In 2010, this data not much different. A typical school year then and now is approximately 180 days, 6 hours a day. The amounts of effective academic instruction during those hours have been in question and remain in question today.
My grade: D- (In my opinion, longer hours and days are a must at this point. We have allowed other nations to move ahead of our children. I realize salaries and union contracts would be affected, but without more time English, Math and Science class, our children are going to continue to fall behind.