Max Cleland: “this nation was rocked by the publication, in 1983, of the landmark report, A Nation at Risk. The findings were…”

“this nation was rocked by the publication, in 1983, of the landmark report, A Nation at Risk. The findings were devastating: Our educational system was being ``eroded by a rising tide of mediocrity that threatens our future as a nation and a people.'' That report went on to say that if ``an unfriendly foreign power'' had tried to impose on America our ``mediocre educational performance,'' we might well have viewed it ``as an act of war.'' A Nation at Risk sounded a wake-up call to our educators, parents, businesses, community leaders and officials at all levels of government. Since its publication in 1983, a number of states have strengthened their commitment to educational improvements. Many tightened high school graduation requirements. They pushed for more achievement testing for students and higher standards for teachers. As a result of these efforts, we have seen improvement. Our dropout rate is down, and student achievement is up. Performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, NAEP, has increased, particularly in the key subjects of reading, math, and science. Yet still, in America, 2,800 high school students drop out every single day. Each school year, more than 45,000 under-prepared teachers, teachers who have not even been trained in the subjects they are teaching, enter the classroom. Clearly, this is not acceptable.…”