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Ana Post
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NCSS Calls for Change as the Nation's Report Card Predicts Trouble Ahead for the Next Generation of Citizens and a Healthy Democracy

Silver Spring, Maryland, May 16, 2007 - The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) and its more than 25,000 members are concerned, but not surprised, by the findings that America's 4th, 8th and 12th graders know only very slightly more than they did about history and civics today than in the 1990s. Two reports, The Nation's Report Card: U.S. History 2006 and The Nation's Report Card: Civics 2006, released today and published by the National Center for Education Statistics, reveal important and troubling data about the achievement of U.S. students on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in history and civics.

Upon hearing the scores, NCSS President Peggy Altoff said, "As schools work to prepare students for their roles as citizens and, ultimately, to preserve the health of democracy in this country, all of us should be concerned about these results. Social studies is the integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence. And while the NAEP currently has no test for social studies achievement, the importance of history and civics to the discipline is immeasurable."

The United States depends on a well-informed and civic-minded population to sustain its democratic traditions. If 53% of 12th graders are leaving high school with "below basic" knowledge of US history, and just 27% are deemed proficient in civics, clearly, our democracy is in peril.

Educators teaching the core disciplines that make up social studies-civics/government, economics, geography and history-can remedy this crisis if these disciplines are restored to their rightful place as an essential component of the K-12 curriculum. "An understanding of how history shapes the present informs responsible civic involvement, and these unacceptable results indicate that the No Child Left Behind Act's focus on achievement in math and reading is having the unintended consequence of producing students who are not adequately prepared for the responsibilities of being informed and active citizens," said Altoff.

In this day and age of data driving education policy decisions, NCSS members argue that NAEP assessments in these areas must continue and expand. Further, in order to better inform policy discussion, they must be administered regularly and the results be accompanied by state comparative data and sub-scores, as is currently the practice in reading, math and science.

"These results cry for more data. We need to know the extent to which the results are based on well-developed curriculum for the core social studies disciplines-questions that cannot be answered on the basis of a sample of over 25,000 students who took just a portion of these assessments," said Altoff. "It is time for a level playing field across disciplines. Educators must value each discipline taught in the school building. It is clear they are all connected and important to personal success and national strength."

These reports are published by the National Center for Education Statistics of the U.S. Department of Education, and include The Nation's Report Card: U.S. History 2006 and The Nation's Report Card: Civics 2006. The findings detail national results for fourth-, eighth-, and 12th-graders, based on a random sampling of 29,000 students. More information can be found at http://nationsreportcard.gov/.

Founded in 1921, the National Council for Social Studies has grown into the largest association in the country for social studies professionals, with 25,000 members in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and 69 foreign countries. Membership includes K - 16 classroom teachers, curriculum supervisors and specialists, curriculum writers and designers, and teacher educators. The NCSS serves as an umbrella organization for K - 16 teachers of civics, history, geography, economics, political science, sociology, psychology, anthropology, and law related education. Social Studies is the integrated study of social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence. Visit the NCSS website at http://www.socialstudies.org.

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