ASCD Revisits A NATION at RISK (Update: Policy Points)

VIEW MOBILE/WEB VERSION HERE   |  April 30, 2013    APRIL 30, 2013 ASCD’s Look Back at A Nation at Risk Thirty years ago this month, the National Commission on Excellence in Education released A Nation at Risk, its seminal report on the state of U.S. education. Since then,A Nation at Risk has become shorthand for pessimists who wish to describe a declining education system and the urgent need for reform. But was the report accurate in its depiction of a “rising tide of mediocrity?” And should education reformers have relied on A Nation at Risk to the extent that they have? ASCD’s newest Policy Points (PDF) takes a closer look at the report, its recommendations, and what has transpired since then. The publication examines whether the report’s dire predictions about the country’s education failings and the implications for U.S. economic stability and international status came to fruition. Policy Points also looks at the commission’s specific recommendations related to rigorous standards and curricula, teacher preparation and respect, testing, and social-emotional learning. The issue shares progress, or lack thereof, on the recommendations from A Nation at Risk and highlights changes in thinking since the commission released its report. Read Policy Points (PDF). Read A Nation at Risk (PDF) and draw your own conclusions. Visit the Policy Points archive for a look at other timely education topics, including state teacher evaluation systems. 1703 North Beauregard Street, Alexandria, VA 22311 © 2013 ASCD. All Rights Reserved. Visit our website www.ascd.org/policy Contact Us