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//Nation at Risk// was a document produced by a blue ribbon commission in 1983 to show the American public the flaws in our education program. This document showed how American education was being surpassed by other countries. It also cited some scary statistics. For example, 13 percent of 17 year olds in the United States are functionally [|illiterate], also that most students do not possess higher order intellectual skills. Most people felt that the nation has lost sight of key educational goals and are not preparing students for the [|future].

Reflection:
Overall, the class agreed with what the article was trying to say and that we need to refocus our attention on education in our country. A number of people said that even though they agreed with what was in the article, they thought that the tone was a little strong and made people nervous and more cynical about the state of U.S. education system. There was a clear focus on the need for improvements to reading, writing, and math in our schools today and there was a mention to include more health classes into schools because of the importance to a student’s life; health classes include information about nutrition, contraceptives and safe sex, stress management, and physical activity, all of which have an impact on education. Even though the class as a whole talked about the need to fix education, there was still a general sense of uncertainty as to how to fix the problems. There was some talk about the constant need for teachers to be trained and retrained in order to meet the needs of an ever growing and changing population of students. There was also some discussion, both positive and negative, in regards to the use of [|technology]. On the whole, most if not all of us agreed that using technology is a positive experience and students can learn a great deal from using it correctly – on the flip side, some people mentioned that technology has also caused problems with students’ abilities to read, write, and to think for themselves which has, lately, caused more harm than good. In summary, we need to make[| changes] to our education system in the United States. Our teachers must be better educated; students and teachers need to put more effort and care into their work; and we need to form a curriculum that includes all types of classes so that we produce a knowledgeable and well-rounded student body. We also need to find a strong and appropriate way to use technology in the classroom so that we can get students ready to live and work in a fast paced, technology filled job market. We have a long way to go, but we need to work together and diligently to get there.

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Filbert
A "Nation at Risk" is a document written in 1983 that came as a wake-up calls to most American citizens. It outlined the nation progress (very little) in education and also its downfalls (a lot). Standardized test scores were going down. The literacy rate was going down. Students were graduating high school, they just weren't learning anything. "Nation at Risk" put all of the statistics in a tidy little package for parents and politicians and students and workers and every US citizen to read (if they could). It was a no nonsense document. Meant to scare the crap out of a nation, which is exactly what it did.

R Oh, this sounds eerily familiar to what we've been hearing lately about our current education system. I really enjoyed reading "Nation at Risk". I think the language used was perfect. I little lecture, a little statement, a little demanding. It was like a slap on the face. Getting in trouble by our parents and us as readers just bowing our heads in shame. But...I wasn't alive when this came out. If someone had written it yesterday, I would still bow my head in shame. But what do we do? As a pre-professional, I can't imagine one teachers not doing everything within their power to make sure kids are learning. How do you teach better when you're teaching the best you can? Is more money from the government really going to help? Maybe it will lower our class size, hire more teachers, and buy more books. But then what? "Nation at Risk" is oddly vague about its plan to revitalize education. It says "you're not doing good enough. do better!" but how?

I also thought that this quote was pretty fantastic:

The people of the United States need to know that individuals in our society who do not possess the levels of skill, literacy, and training essential to this new era will be effectively disenfranchised, not simply from the material rewards that accompany competent performance, but also from the chance to participate fully in our national life.

What exactly does this mean? Are we going to kill off all of the illiterate people in the country? = =

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Jay Allshouse
The //Nation at Risk// was a document produced by a blue-ribbon commission in 1983 that was designed to point out the problems with the American education system. The document outlines facts and figures about the sorry state of American education; it mentions that only about one-fifth of American students could write a persuasive essay or could solve a math problem that had multiple steps. The report also states how 13 percent of students are functionally illiterate; combine that number with the fact there are 23 million American adults who were functionally illiterate and had difficulty with reading and writing. The report points out the reasons why America needs to place more emphasis on the education system; this is based on the fact our failing students need to compete with students from around the world – the report even goes as far as saying the education problems are a threat to national security and would be considered “an act of war if your education system was placed upon us by another nation”. The report was meant to inform the American people of the problems; outline the issues of mediocrity, and ways to fix the problem. It would lead to more funding for education and prevented Ronald Reagan from abolishing the Department of Education and cutting federal funds.

I would say that the //Nation at Risk// is quite accurate with what it had to say and it is pretty stunning to read some of these stats about how bad the system was or still might be. I would say that it does have the possibility of lumping ALL schools together, which is wrong, but the general notion that the schools are in bad shape and opinions of education have been changing would be pretty accurate. I liked the quote in there about what education means when it says:

“we find that for too many people education means doing the minimum work necessary for the moment, then coasting through life on what may have been learned in its first quarter. But this should not surprise us because we tend to express our educational standards and expectations largely in terms of ‘minimum requirements’”.

I agree with this sentiment then and I definitely agree with it now. I think that too many students and parents take education for granted. Many students try to the least amount of work humanly possible to skate by with a passing grade. In my history classes now I have classmates who refuse to do the reading and barely show to class and are happy with the grade they got because they didn’t have to do the work. To me, that idea is foreign because I want to do the best I can, and I want to get the good grades because to me it’s a symbol of pride. We live in a world were increasingly more and more students are picked on for being smart and doing their work – how terrible is that when the hard worker is made fun of? There needs to be a fundamental shift in our education system. We need to place more importance on education, on doing your work to the best of your abilities, and we need to pay teachers more in order to keep the best and brightest minds in the field. We need to place education as a issue of national importance and maybe it should stand side by side with the war on terror in order to get more funding; because as the report says, our failing system is a threat to our national security, very much like how terrorism is today.

Anna
//Nation at Risk// was a document created to show American people the flaws of our education program. Concerned with how other countries were “catching up” to our education program and even surpassing it, led telling the American people about “the mediocre educational performance that exists today.” The document showed statics supporting their case, including that 13 percent of all 17-year olds in the U.S. can be considered functionally illiterate. These 17 year olds also do not “posses the ‘higher order’ of intellectual skills-only one fifth can write a persuasive essay.” This document did save the education program from Reagan’s education platform, which consisted of “supporting private schools through vouchers and tuition tax credits, reducing federal education spending and abolishing the federal U.S. Education Department.” Now only a small number of students attend private schools, the funding for education has grown from $16 billion to $72 billion and the education department is still intact. 25 years later, there is still debate about whether the //Nation at Risk// document helped or hurt the education system.

I would definitely say that this document did state a lot of correct things that were going on in the educational system. However, I think they wrote this document in such a way that cause hysterical responses, like Paul Houston said. There should have been a better way to let the people know that our education system was failing and a response to how we should fix it. We are still working on fixing the system and we have a long way to go before we get it right. I do think this document made teachers that were barely coasting by get in the game and figure out how to make their classrooms better. Hopefully we have started to learn from this document. I don’t want to be a teacher that lets her students coast by and barely pass my class. I want to set high expectation that all students can reach. I want to mold brilliant minds and teach them how to be productive members of society.

Lizzie
//Nation at Risk// was given in 1983 as a thrust towards aiming Americans in the right direction, yet again, for education. President Ronald Reagan, during a White House ceremony took possession of this “report” supposedly detailing the educational decline of America. Ragan discussed the mediocrity in the educational foundation of America. In this year of education, the realization that others are matching are surpassing the United States in education, came as a harsh reality. More and more, the country was performing an “act of unthinking, unilateral education disarmament”. We, as a nation, had forgotten the basic purpose of school. The demands of the school are too high for the students to reach and therefore setting them up for complete failure. America’s position in the world, as an educational leader, was no longer secure. “Knowledge, learning, information, and skilled intelligence are the new raw materials of international commerce and are today spreading throughout the world as vigorously as miracle drugs, synthetic fertilizers, and blue jeans did earlier. If only to keep and improve on the slim competitive edge we still retain in world markets, we must dedicate ourselves to the reform of our educational system for the benefit of all--old and young alike, affluent and poor, majority and minority. Learning is the indispensable investment required for success in the ‘information age’ we are entering.” Giving people the opportunity and ability to empower and educate themselves will help to not only better themselves but the community and the nation. A decline in all aspects of education is upon us with students becoming “scientifically and technologically illiterate”. We must fix this problem without over emphasizing so much so that we end up hurting ourselves yet again. There is hope, if the nation can commit to doing better and implement the ideas suggested for change then we can find ourselves knocking at the door of excellence. Finding and securing equity and quality, developing the talents of all to their fullest potential will allow us to eliminate the “minimum requirements” developed in past times that enable failure. Through an education reform we can create a “Learning Society” and secure our nation with education.

As an alternative, the second article read was //‘Nation at Risk’: The best thing or the worst thing for education?// This article focused on the responses to the previous Nation at Risk and whether or not it was effective in helping change the education system. During 1983 there was an obvious outcry for a change with education, and something needed to be done. But it isn’t so clear as to how effective the original article/report was in doing just that. With bold statements, statistics, and claims to the decline of the nation in educational skills, scores, and success it turned a lot of people towards the negative rather than the positive, which it was intended to do. In order for someone to be a part of the reform they were inherently a part of the solution, which lead many to see it as an all or nothing response. Many saw the 1983 claims as overstatements of the problems with education. There were many teachers who shouldn't have been teaching then and now, but the difference is whether or not the change from then to now was significant to please not only governmental peoples but the citizens of America within the schools. Ultimately, there was no doubt that the education system changed, but we still have a long way to go to even match the goals and ambitions set forth in 1983.

Jason Malbon
Abstract A basic theme in //Nation at Risk// is that the rest of the world had finally caught up with us. Complacency and lack of understanding of the demands of the modern working world led to subpar education for our citizens. Japan and North Korea were examples of modern efficiency and provided the measuring stick for success in education. After all, it took a new sort of brilliant mind to design the most efficient steel mill in the world. It took discipline and professionalism coming only from a great education to build the best-designed cars in the world. In short the world was passing us by. It wasn’t enough that we were America and therefore the best. We were taken to task and losing. The article was ahead of its time in one particular aspect. The call for setting high standards and expectations for all students was clearly stated. Twenty-five years later, the same can be said. We need to challenge students to achieve at a high level within their capabilities. Reflection Teachers need to be constantly trained and retrained to keep up with a rapidly changing world. What do our kids need to be ready for when they finish school? The answer is we don’t always know since the target keeps moving. It can still be said that a liberal arts sort of education may still provide the best answer. What is taught within the liberal arts spectrum will hopefully change with the times. That means technology, and communicating through technology. It follows that if teachers need to be fluent in technology in order to teach, then students must learn technology to become successful. Teachers can provide the models of what the world is demanding in terms of new skills and knowledge. Ultimately, as teachers we need to be slightly ahead of the technological curb just so our students can simply keep up. = =

Kimberly
//Nation at Risk// states that America is falling behind educationally to the rest of the world. It points out that people in our country at this time do not have the necessary skills to compete in the global economy. These are due to the shortfalls in our educational system. Some indicators of this are that students are not doing as well on standardized tests as they did 26 years ago. In short the educational system was not compensating for the rapid advances happening in technology and the sciences. Schools are focus too much on rudimentary skills instead of deeper thinking. 25 years later //Nation at Risk// is still being analyzed. Regan wanted to stop cutting the education budget and educational spending has risen dramatically. It also helped the educational system by improving teachers and schools. However, changes still need to be made.

I think that there are a lot of things that are said in Nation at Risk that still needed to be worked on. For example, some school still focus on just rudimentary skills, students are almost like robots and just repeat answers back to the teacher. There needs to be more focus on literacy and deeper thinking in all subject areas. Literacy itself is also still on the decline. The more use of the internet, students are actually reading less and have a hard time pulling out deeper issues of the text. Technology is still ever increasing. To be an effective teacher we need to understand technology and know how to use it. We also need to have a deep understanding of how our students use technology in their everyday lives. Teachers themselves are being held more accountable but it is a slow process. Many older teachers hold to old values and thus become ineffective.

Rachel Lamblin
These articles reflect on a report on education done by a commission in the early 1980’s. The study found that American students do not test as well compared to students their age in other countries. Test scores of American students were even lower than of American students twenty-six years ago. The commission reported “ For the first time in the history of our country, the educational skills of one generation will not surpass, will not equal, will not even approach, those of their parents. “ The report detailed the dire circumstances of the educational system and its goal was to create reform. This report eventually inspired the No Children Left Behind movement, although the success of this program is debatable. Many praise A Nation at Risk because “the tough talk was just what the doctor ordered.” I agree that we are a nation at risk. There is a major problem with the educational system and something needs to be done. The lack of importance placed on education saddens me, and unfortunately this is (in my opinion) often the fault of parents. Students who are not motivated to do well at home are not going to try as hard in schools. I believe that teachers must hold students to higher standards and expect more from them. But if a student goes home and isn’t encouraged to complete his/her schoolwork, a teacher cannot be 100% effective. I think schools should adopt an individualized “survival of the fittest” mentality. This means students would be encouraged to meet their own highest potential. Less than that would not be tolerated. What I disagree with is that schools should offer more math and science classes and less “ undemanding and superfluous” classes. I completely believe that all students should receive more health education. Health classes cover nutrition, contraceptives and safe sex, stress management, and physical activity, all of which have an impact on education. Studies show that students who eat breakfast and are active test higher and have fewer absences. A student who gets pregnant is going to have to miss school and stress management teaches students how to handle an intense workload. For this reason and many others, health needs to be a cornerstone of education.

Kayla Coombs
The article "Nation at Risk" is speaking to the growing concern that while the Nation had once been one that led the way in technological and scientific innovations, commerce and industry around the world, we are now being surpassed by other Nations, and our the success of the education system has been declining. Some of the indicators of risk include that about 23 million adults in America are functionally illiterate; the average achievement of high school students on most standardized tests is now lower than it was when Sputnik was launched 26 years ago; and the average tested achievement of students graduating from college is also lower. One useful quote from the article was one connecting what needs to happen in order to change the current situation: "Learning is the indispensable investment required for success in the "information age" we are entering." By educating the citizens and increasing such aspects like literacy, we can increase our success in schools, industry, and all other elements of the American life. The second article mostly talks about how to convey this message, and whether or not "Nation at Risk" was the best way to go about it. Maybe it was considered an overstatement, maybe we needed to make the changes it suggested, but ultimately it was deemed appropriate.

When reading about some of the indicators of risk, particularly with the tested achievement of students graduating from college being lower, I couldn't help but be reminded of my past experiences with high school graduates when I was younger. They all seemed so smart, so much more intelligent and scholarly than I ever was, and now I feel like I wasn't too far off. Graduating from college this year seems kind of scary to me in the sense that I don't feel excessively prepared for the world outside of college. On the subject of achievement tests, I have never quite excelled at these, and I have certainly not gotten better since being at college. However, back to the main point of the article, I think that "Nation at Risk" said what needed to be said. Perhaps a different tone could have been used, but based on factual evidence and a base interpretation of it, this article simply showed people the problem and provided ways to assess it and alter its course.

Marcy
Abstract The article, “A Nation at Risk, 1983,” states simply that the education of our young people is not what it used to be and that times have changed. The world has now changed to a global economy. The United States can no longer be at the forefront of industry simply because it has the most raw material resources. The new kind of resource is the people. The economy has changed from a goods economy to a service economy. It is no longer enough to have a few elite scientists to keep a country on top. Schools are concerned more about reaching the minimum requirement instead of putting the bar at the maximum requirement and letting students reach for that. The article also suggests that we promote as an important aspect of our culture the idea of lifelong learning. We have the institutions and museums to accomplish this goal we just need a shift in societal thinking. We have the ability to be better but the standardized test scores shows stead decline. The attitude of the public is that education is still one of the most important aspects of our lives as American citizens and what our tax dollars should be spent on. Education should be at the top of the nation’s agenda. In the follow up article published 25 years later, it interviewed the writer and another influential teacher. The writer firmly believes that the article helped inspire the change needed at just the right time. The book was published as Reagan was attempting to cut federal funding for public education and privatize schools. Nowadays more money is being spent on education and more qualified teachers are in the schools. The other teacher that was interviewed said the book went too far and it was an unnecessary and sensationalized attack on the condition of public education. Reflection The first article was quite harsh on the condition of high school graduates. Besides startling numbers of students unable to do simple tasks as complicated math problems and writing a persuasive essay, the overall impression was that graduates were not ready for college or the work force. The main goal of education is to ready its graduates to meet the world and achieve relative success. Obviously that goal was not being met according to the article. I have no doubt some teachers felt threatened and abused by it. It is not a pleasant thing to read that other people have researched and called you out on not doing your job effectively. Change did occur and I suppose things are better now. I do know that more rigorous tests/ requirements for certification are imposed and not just anyone can be a teacher. This is not a bad change in my mind because I would not want a loosely qualified doctor to be making decision about my well being, health, and future. Just as important, a loosely qualified teacher could negatively affect a student’s achievement, goals, and future. Things may look different 25 years from now.


 * McKell Barnes**

Our nation is at risk. This article was interesting to read because they depicted the overwhelming fact that America's education is descending. According to the article the overall performance or lack thereof, has allowed other countries to catch up to and even surpass us in what is thought to be one of the greatest educational systems. Students graduating from high school are not graduating with the skills necessary that prepare them for success. Test scores have lowered greatly and America is no longer considered to be the forefront in education. This is a problem, with the opportunities we have provided as a nation to have a successful education system, we are not meeting those standards. How can we improve? I agree with the article, yet I also believe that with time we will start to see some positive changes. We have begun to recognize our poor performance and hopefully this will push the educational system to do a better job. Clearly what we've been doing lately has not been working. The traditional style is out the door, it can no longer be used as the fundamental teaching method. As a future teacher, it starts with me. I, as well as the rest of the future teachers, need to make a commitment to help make the change our nation needs. We are well-equipped to do so.

Cara
In 1983, //The Nation at Risk// was published/released. //The Nation at Risk// pointed out how poor the education system was in America at the time and it emphasized the importance of improving the education system in America. The article included a list of statistics related to the weakness of education in the United States. One of the more astonishing statistics that the article pointed out was that 23 million Americans were illiterate at the time. Other countries were beginning to catch up with the United States and in order for the United States to not fall behind (let alone remain “number one”) education needed to be taken more seriously and an educational reform was needed. Twenty-five years later a report was released showing that it is uncertain whether the education system has seen significant improvement since //The Nation at Risk// was published

I understand why there is some criticism that //The Nation at Risk// was too “harsh.” At the same time, the article seemed more like tough love to me. There were, and still are, problems with education in America and it should be taken seriously. Different methods should be experimented with. Teachers must be certain that they are sending their students positive messages about school. The teachers are not the only factor, however. Students might be losing their drive to succeed due to other reasons. Young Americans should be shown that education is important and //why// education is important to not only themselves but their families and communities.

John
Nation at Risk expresses concern with America's position in the world of education. Too many schools are far below testing standards, according to nation-wide surveys. The general attitude of the teaching community is one of frustration, paired with a crippling "dimming of personal expectations." The address provides examples for success such as "commitment" "dedication" and "public awareness." The idea that education is the path to greatness for a nation is prevalent throughout the address. The document serves to raise awareness of the issue of America's mediocrity, and it calls the educators, community, and students to make a change in the direction public education is heading. The response article from 25 years later, while criticizing the Nation at Risk address for being too harsh in their condemnation and lenient in their statistical presentation, mostly agrees that the nation is still falling behind, and that, were it not for this address, we might be much farther behind in educational reform than we are now.

Nation at Risk seems to be at once a noble call to arms for America's education system, as well as a gross generalization of and focus on every American school's shortcomings. The address is dripping with that nauseous brand of patriotism, that proverbial stick-in-the-mud national attitude that won't have America being anything other than a perpetual forerunner in every aspect of civilization. While the country has made leaps and bounds in education reform, it seems as though at some point it dropped the ball, and other countries mastered many of our methods and began testing higher. Nation at Risk deserves much more criticism, but it is a close call whether or not its benefits outweigh its frustrating origins. The country would not have been aware that it had fallen by the wayside had it not been for the research that was conducted for the article, and even if its numbers were skewed, the point is moot. The 25 years later article picked up on this issue, and quickly realized that more good than harm was done in this case. America got a wake up call, and the programs and institutions that were founded in order to answer to this address were well worth whatever sort of blind supersession brought it forth.