Class
Article
College
College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Abstract
This research analyzes American historical education within the United States by looking at standardized test scores, inconsistencies in information being taught, and irregularities in reported data in order to understand the state of U.S. History education within the United States. This research begins by exploring the different reasons for teaching American history and next analyzes what is being taught. By looking at U.S. History textbooks from 1876 to 2010 in the context of American Civil War teachings, research indicates that students across generations are learning different information about the same historical events. Next, the research looks at trends in students’ knowledge of U.S. history by looking at the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reports. By exploring these reports and other government documents, the evaluation of U.S. history test scores appear irregular and sparse, thus, making it difficult to perform a consistent analyzes of the trends in students’ knowledge of U.S. history. However, research concludes that small improvements have been made in the scores of students over the past few decades. Overall, research suggests that the state of American historical education within the Unites States is one filled with inconsistencies, leading one to conclude that perhaps history is the “forgotten subject” in the schools of the United States.
Start Date
4-8-2020 2:00 PM
End Date
4-8-2020 3:00 PM
The State of American Historical Education: The Forgotten Subject
This research analyzes American historical education within the United States by looking at standardized test scores, inconsistencies in information being taught, and irregularities in reported data in order to understand the state of U.S. History education within the United States. This research begins by exploring the different reasons for teaching American history and next analyzes what is being taught. By looking at U.S. History textbooks from 1876 to 2010 in the context of American Civil War teachings, research indicates that students across generations are learning different information about the same historical events. Next, the research looks at trends in students’ knowledge of U.S. history by looking at the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reports. By exploring these reports and other government documents, the evaluation of U.S. history test scores appear irregular and sparse, thus, making it difficult to perform a consistent analyzes of the trends in students’ knowledge of U.S. history. However, research concludes that small improvements have been made in the scores of students over the past few decades. Overall, research suggests that the state of American historical education within the Unites States is one filled with inconsistencies, leading one to conclude that perhaps history is the “forgotten subject” in the schools of the United States.