[MrNeutron1962]

Really, those must have been some talented High School Students in the 50's. How were their computer and bio-tech skills?

By picking the right metrics I can make todays college grads look dumber that 1900's seventh graders. So just how many ounces should one feed his plow horse?

[RLK]

I have a flash for you. Ph. D.s in the liberal arts won't do much better.

[Bluntpoint]

The 1950's were alot diffent than today. We had just won the Revolutionary war against Poland. The great crash of 1959 had not occurred. President Adams, one the best Asian American Presidents we ever had, had placed a priority on education in his adminstration. Computers were all that DOS stuff.

This study is apples and pineapples.

[Congressman Billybob]

The link to the questions doesn't work. Can you put up a good link? Once I read the questions, I'll know whether this is the subject I want to attack in my next UPI column. I've already got in hand a copy of McGuffy's Reader to show how much general knowledge standards have fallen since 1900.

Please keep me posted.

Congressman Billybob

Click for latest column on UPI, "Junk Science - Harvard and Beyond" (Not yet on UPI wire, nor FR.)

Click for latest book, "to Restore Trust in America"

[Landru]

Do ya think??

Of course, never before in history has a crop of youngsters thought they knew more either though, too.

...oh the irony. :o)

[chilepepper]

This is hogwash. Todays college seniors know how opressive the whiteman is, all about african history, marxist gramscian dialetic, not to mention gay and lesbian philosophy and how evil corporations caused global warming. An of course, they are well versed in how to be good citizens of the United Nations...

[DonQ]

I'd like to point out that in the 1950s, being a high school graduate was almost as much an accomplishment as being a college grad today. Back in the 1950s (and earlier) an enormous number of teens dropped out of high school without graduating, so those who were graduates had definitely accomplished something. Nowadays, we've encouraged kids to finish high school and even enter college by greasing the track for them and generally closing down options available to drop-outs.

[jimtorr]

Geez, from some of the replies I guess I have to lower my expectations for the general intelligence of the average freeper. This is all general information that I learned by the sixth grade, in 1960.

A founder of our nation said that a well educated citizen was essential for the survival of our republic. Well, given the recent colledge graduates that i've been re-educating at my company, our republic may be in trouble.

Our young new-hires all have excellent technical knowledge and skills. Some of them, though, have only the vaugest notion of American history and government. Many of them don't know where Oregon is.

[dawn53]

In our state when you homeschool a child, he has to take a nationally standardized test at the end of the year.

These tests give you a grade equivalent, but also an age equivalent. The age equivalent can be interpreted as, "If an average student of "such and such" an age took this test, he'd score the same as you."

When my 14 year old's score reflected that he had the general knowlege of a 30 year old, I knew they must have slacked off on teaching this sort of thing.

My kid is not a genius, but he has a well-rounded knowlege of history, science, geography, and all these were included in the general knowlege section.

I, personally, don't put all the blame on the schools and curriculum. I think parents have quit talking to their children. And alot of knowlege can be passed on in simple conversation. In everyday conversation, you mention a place, an author, a fact of history, and the child asks about it, then you explain it.

And to those who say knowing how to use computer programs is more valuable than a knowlege of history, it has well been said that those who don't know history are destined to repeat it.

[TrueBeliever9]

Thanks for the FIND! I have been saying this for years. Students are graduating from college with degrees - but they aren't educated. The schools in the 50s were the best - the liberal/socialists have taken public schools as far from the successful model as possible.

[Iowa Granny]

Well, I personally think this article strongly resembles a huge pile of Meadow Muffins.

I know that today's college seniors know far more than the H.S. class of '64. I have a college senior at my house. He has knowledge that didn't exist in 1964 when I was a H.S. Senior.

Perhaps the Class of '50 was exceptionally dense.

[Clara Lou]

The reason those 50s highschool grads knew so much is that
1) they valued education;
2) the teachers were actually permitted to hold them responsible for assignments. There were consequences if things didn't get done.
3) there was little or no mouthing off from kids in the classroom.
4) kids were expected to dress in a manner appropriate for the learning environment-- no short shorts, no belly buttons showing, no sagging, etc.

I could go on and on. [I teach middle school.]

[PJ-Comix]

A few years ago I knew a stripper who was taking college courses on the side (this happens more than you think here in Ft. Lauderdale). One day she came over to my place in tears because she was assigned to write a paper on Croatia. I asked her what the problem was and she told me that she looked all over the map of Africa but couldn't find Croatia.

[Neologic]

From the questions/discussion:

"More than three in five college seniors – including majorities in all sub-groups, except education majors (49%) – know that Madrid is the capital of Spain."

"What great scientist do you associate with the Theory of Relativity?...
Education majors (29%) were the most likely to give an incorrect answer."

If our education majors are the dumbest of the lot, is there any surprise that students' performance is declining?

[montag813]

Balch attributed the stagnation of performance on general knowledge questions to several factors, including a decreased emphasis on general knowledge in high school

Oh...I give up...what exactly is the purpose of high school?

[ikka]

In 1994 I went to a well-respected, smallish, liberal arts college that was ranked quite well in US News & World Reports; that was affiliated with a relatively conservative Christian denomination. I had grown up in Canada and this was my first contact with American students (I went to college when I was in my early 20s).

I can say without hesitation that many of them should never have been admitted. Of the ones that were there, I would say that only half were educated well enough to attend. I used to joke that many of them should be in college, but only as janitorial help.

I recently did some consulting with a company that had hired a father (mid 50s, graduated 1963 or 1964 from HS) and son (graduated high school 1993 or so). I mentioned "Manila" as a place - Dad knew I meant "Manila, Philippines"; son asked "what's Manila?"

[Dialup Llama]

>The average of correct responses for modern college seniors on a series of questions assessing "general cultural knowledge"

Meaning they know more about gays and Eminem.

[PISANO]

Doesn't say much for this country's posterity does it?

[Theodore R.]

I am certain that this article is accurate. I think the high school "diploma" of today is equivalent to eighth grade in 1962, and a college "degree" today is equivalent to 12th grade diploma in 1962. People warned the liberals that all the federal aid and social engineering would ruin the public schools, but few would listen, including, sadly to say, many "open-minded" Republicans like former Senators Hugh Scott (PA), John Sherman Cooper (KY), Jacob K. Javits (NY), and Charles H. Percy (IL).

[stainlessbanner]

I'll bet today's kids are worse off in the area of morals.