[Net-Gold] Re: David Berliner on 'A Nation at Risk': Three Decades of Lies" #2 - ADDENDUM

[DAVID P. DILLARD]

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From: Richard Hake <rrh...@earthlink.net>
Date: Thu, Apr 25, 2013 at 4:09 PM
Subject: [Net-Gold] Re: David Berliner on 'A Nation at Risk': Three Decades of Lies" #2 - ADDENDUM
To: AER...@listserv.aera.net
Cc: Net-...@yahoogroups.com

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ABSTRACT: In a previous post, "Re: David Berliner on 'A Nation at
Risk': Three Decades of Lies #2" [Hake (2013)] at
<http://yhoo.it/10dPm4V>, I quoted Ken Bernstein's comment on Diane
Ravitch' blog at <http://bit.ly/13uNGbs> (slightly edited):
"Berliner was right in 'Manufactured Crisis' (Berliner & Biddle,
1995/1996 at <http://amzn.to/PGOfcT>) about the 'Nation at Risk'
report <http://bit.ly/ZJ8Tyi> of 30 years ago and is right today."

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Berliner & Biddle wrote: "[The Nation at Risk report] made many
claims about the 'failures' of American education, how those
'failures' were confirmed by 'evidence' and how this would damage the
nation. (Unfortunately, none of the supposedly supportive 'evidence'
actually appeared in 'A Nation at Risk' nor did this work provide
citations to tell Americans where that 'evidence' might be found.) .
. . . . . . . . When one actually examines the evidence, one
discovers that it simply will not support the fiction that America
has a generally failing system of education. This claim is nonsense.

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SO IS AMERICAN EDUCATION OK?? In "Should the Culture of University
Science Education Be Changed?" [Hake (2011) at
<http://bit.ly/iegznz>, I argued that it is *NOT*. For example in
"Rising Above the Gathering Storm, Revisited: Rapidly Approaching
Category 5" at <http://bit.ly/dtQhbS> it's stated that (see that
report for the references): (1) Sixty-nine percent of United States
public school students in fifth through eighth grade are taught
mathematics by a teacher without a degree or certificate in
mathematics [NCES (2003)]; (2) Ninety-three percent of United States
public school students in fifth through eighth grade are taught the
physical sciences by a teacher without a degree or certificate in the
physical sciences [NCES (2003)];(3) The United States ranks 27th
among developed nations in the proportion of college students
receiving undergraduate degrees in science or engineering [OECD
(2009a)]; (4) The United States ranks 20th in high school completion
rate among industrialized nations and 16th in college completion rate
[OECD (2009b)]; (5) The average American K-12 student spends four
hours a day in front of a TV [McDonough (2009)]; (6) Sixty-eight
percent of U.S. state prison inmates are high school drop-outs or
otherwise did not qualify for a diploma [Harlow (2003)].

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For one attempt to improve U.S. K-12 science education see "8+1
Science: A new concept in science education" [Michigan State (2012)]
at <http://bit.ly/Hz898n>.

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In the abstract of a previous post, "Re: David Berliner on 'A Nation
at Risk': Three Decades of Lies #2," I wrote (slightly edited):

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" 'Teacherken' (aka Ken Bernstein) commented on Diane Ravitch's blog
entry at <http://bit.ly/13uNGbs> (paraphrasing and adding a few
URL's): 'Berliner was right in 'Manufactured Crisis' (Berliner &
Biddle, 1995/1996 at <http://amzn.to/PGOfcT>) about the 'Nation at
Risk' report <http://bit.ly/ZJ8Tyi> of 30 years ago and is right
today."

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What did Berliner & Biddle say about of the "Nation at Risk" report?
On page 3 of the "Manufactured Crisis" they wrote [my insert at ". .
. . . .[[insert]]. . . . .":

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". . . in 1983, amid much fanfare, the White House released an
incendiary document highly critical of American Education. Entitled
'A Nation at Risk' [NCE]E (1983)] this work was prepared by a
prestigious committee. . . . .[[including David P. Gardner (Chair),
president University of Utah and President-Elect, University of
California; A. Bartlett Giamatti, president Yale University; Gerald
Holton, Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics and Professor of the
History of Science, Harvard University; & Glenn T. Seaborg,
University Professor of Chemistry and Nobel Laureate, University of
California]]. . . .. under the direction of Secretary of Education
Terrel Bell and endorsed in a speech by President Ronald Regan. It
made many claims about the 'failures' of American education, how
those 'failures' were confirmed by 'evidence' and how this would
damage the nation. (Unfortunately, none of the supposedly supportive
'evidence' actually appeared in 'A Nation at Risk' nor did this work
provide citations to tell Americans where that 'evidence' might be
found.)
"

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And on pages 5-6 Berliner & Biddle wrote [bracketed by lines
"B&B-B&B-B&B-. . . . ."]:

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B&B-B&B-B&B-B&B-B&B-B&B-B&B-B&B-B&B-B&B

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In Chapter 2, we counter the myths about achievement and aptitude
that have been spread by those who claim that American schools are in
deep trouble. These myths include the following:

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a. Student achievement in American primary schools has recently declined;

b. The performance of American college students has also fallen recently;

c. The intellectual abilities and abstract problem-solving skills of
America's young people have declined, although - paradoxically - it
is also believed that their intelligence and skills that indicate
'giftedness' are fixed and identifiable at an early age;

d. America's schools always come up short when compared with schools
in other countries, indicating that our educational procedures are
deficient and out educators are feckless.

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As shall be shown, *none* of these charges can be supported. When one
actually examines the evidence, one discovers that it simply will not
support the fiction that America has a generally failing system of
education. This claim is nonsense.

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B&B-B&B-B&B-B&B-B&B-B&B-B&B-B&B-B&B-B&B

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SO IS AMERICAN EDUCATION OK?

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In "The General Population's Ignorance of Science Related Societal
Issues: A Challenge for the University" [Hake (2000)] and "Should the
Culture of University Science Education Be Changed?" [Hake (2011)] I
argue that it is *NOT*. In the latter I wrote [bracketed by lines
"HHHHH. . . . .", see Hake (2011) for references other than "Rising
Above the Gathering Storm, Revisited: Rapidly Approaching Category 5"
[NAP (2010)]:

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HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

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FACTOIDS from "Rising Above the Gathering Storm, Revisited: Rapidly
Approaching Category 5" [National Academies (2010)]:

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1. Sixty-nine percent of United States public school students in
fifth through eighth grade are taught mathematics by a teacher
without a degree or certificate in mathematics [NCES (2003)].


2. Ninety-three percent of United States public school students in
fifth through eighth grade are taught the physical sciences by a
teacher without a degree or certificate in the physical sciences
[NCES (2003)].


3. The United States ranks 27th among developed nations in the
proportion of college students receiving undergraduate degrees in
science or engineering [OECD (2009a)].

4. The United States ranks 20th in high school completion rate among
industrialized nations and 16th in college completion rate [OECD
(2009b)].


5. The average American K-12 student spends four hours a day in front
of a TV [McDonough (2009)].


6. Sixty-eight percent of U.S. state prison inmates are high school
drop-outs or otherwise did not qualify for a diploma [Harlow (2003)].

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HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

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For one attempt to improve U.S. K-12 science education see "8+1
Science: A new concept in science education" [Michigan State (2012)].

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Richard Hake, Emeritus Professor of Physics, Indiana University
Links to Articles: <http://bit.ly/a6M5y0>
Links to Socratic Dialogue Inducing (SDI) Labs: <http://bit.ly/9nGd3M>
Academia: <http://bit.ly/a8ixxm>
Blog: <http://bit.ly/9yGsXh>
GooglePlus: <http://bit.ly/KwZ6mE>
Google Scholar: <http://bit.ly/Wz2FP3>
Twitter: <http://bit.ly/juvd52>
Facebook: <http://on.fb.me/XI7EKm>

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REFERENCES [URL's shortened by <http://bit.ly/> and accessed on 25 April 2013.

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Berliner, D.C. & B.J. Biddle 1996. "Manufactured Crisis: Myths,
Fraud, and the Attack on America's Public Schools" Basic Books, 2nd
edition, publisher's information at <http://bit.ly/O5M0wm>.
Amazon.com information at <http://amzn.to/PGOfcT>, note the
searchable "Look Inside" feature.

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Education Week. 2008. "A Nation At Risk: 25 Years Later," online at
<http://bit.ly/11nCjAD>.

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Hake, R.R. 2000. "The General Population's Ignorance of Science
Related Societal Issues: A Challenge for the University," AAPT
Announcer 30(2): 105; online as a 2.1 MB pdf at
<http://bit.ly/9LxKOL> . Based on an earlier libretto with the
leitmotiv: "The road to U.S. science literacy begins with effective
university science courses for pre-college teachers." The opera
dramatizes the fact that the failure of universities *throughout the
universe* to properly educate pre-college teachers is responsible for
our failure to observe any signs of either terrestrial or
extraterrestrial intelligence.
Hake, R.R. 2011. "Should the Culture of University Science Education
Be Changed?" invited talk, Southern California Section of the AAPT,
14 May 2011, Pierce College, Woodland Hills, CA; online as a 3.4 MB
pdf at <http://bit.ly/iegznz>.

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Hake, R.R. 2013. "Re: David Berliner on 'A Nation at Risk': Three
Decades of Lies #2" online on the OPEN Net-Gold archives at
<http://yhoo.it/10dPm4V>. Post of 24 Apr 2013 13:27:11-0700 to AERA-L
and Net-Gold. The abstract and link to the complete post are being
transmitted to several discussion lists and are on my blog
"Hake'sEdStuff" at <http://bit.ly/15MvLB0>.

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Michigan State. 2012. "8+1 Science: A new concept in science
education," online at <http://bit.ly/Hz898n>.

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NAP. 2010. National Academies Press, National Committee on Science,
Engineering, and Public Policy, "Rising Above the Gathering Storm,
Revisited: Rapidly Approaching Category 5," online at
<http://bit.ly/dtQhbS>.

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NCEE. 1983. National Commission on Excellence in Education, "A Nation
at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform," online as a 135 kB
pdf at <http://bit.ly/ZPsh9M>. The report states: "If an unfriendly
foreign power had attempted to impose on America the mediocre
educational performance that exists today, we might well have viewed
it as an act of war. As it stands, we have allowed this to happen to
ourselves. We have even squandered the gains in student achievement
made in the wake of the Sputnik challenge. Moreover, we have
dismantled essential support systems which helped make those gains
possible. We have, in effect, been committing an act of unthinking,
unilateral educational disarmament." See also USDE (2008) and
Education Week (2008).

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USDE. 2008. "A Nation Accountable: Twenty-five Years After A Nation
at Risk," online as a 967 kB pdf at <http://1.usa.gov/ZKM6lV>. The
Executive Summary states: "If we were 'at risk' in 1983, we are at
even greater risk now. The rising demands of our global economy,
together with demographic shifts, require that we educate more
students to higher levels than ever before. Yet, our education system
is not keeping pace with these growing demands. . . . . .
Fortunately, thanks to the recent standards and accountability
movement and the "No Child Left Behind Act," we are finally taking an
honest, comprehensive look at our schools. For the first time in our
country's history, we have reliable data to evaluate student
performance and address weaknesses in our schools."


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