Nation at Risk
April 1983 (Bailey Hamilton)
"Open letter to the American people"
In April of 1983 the National Commission on Excellence in Education released a report to the American people that, "the educational foundations of our society are presently being eroded by a rising tide of mediocrity that threatens our very future as a Nation and a people".
Members of the board in 1983 are pictured to the right.
Held a strong impact on American education
The Nation at Risk report called for "elected officials, educators, parents, and students to reform a public school system it described as 'in urgent need of improvement'".
Subjects falling behind...
Changes put in place
Changes put in place...
All students wanting to earn a high school diploma had to have the five new basics. (4 English credits, 3 math, 3 science, 3 social studies, 2 foreign languages, 1/2 computer science) Seven hour long school days were also put in place. Tried pushing students to do their best in elementary and secondary school instead of just at the high school level.