European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 14, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Hew Vuk tort bal p Are Somoff ref Imars overtook no proposal a to mafr4rn0ffcan 9gttools better Roth Erthan tougher need to know focus on teaching concepts  new York times sports on what american students Don t know always gel lop Billing. A duals overlooking what they themselves Don l know urge schools to get Lough. Lost in the process Are proposals to make schools Teller rather than Lougher. Two experts who Are dismayed about this situation Are Diane Havlich and Chester e. Finn jr., co authors of the recent Book what do our 17-year-Olrjs know Ravitch is a professor of his Lory and education at teachers College Columbia University. Finn. Herco Shulhof. A assistant Secretary of the Una left slates department of education for educational research and improvement. The both made headlines for exposing what Young people Don t know. Bui Ravitch said she did not believe bad news should be allowed to overshadow prescriptions for How to make things bettor. The Book charged that millions of students get poor instruction in history and literature. These conclusions Weie based on a federally financed test administered by the National assessment of educational Progress critics consider such tests simplistic and their results often misleading. These critics suggest Tor example thai the finding that 30 percent of the students could nol rde Norfy Emily Dickinson As the american Poel who lived in Solitude and wrote frequently about death is less remarkable than he fact that 70 percent got it right How Many corporate executives lawyers or doctors would answer correctly or How significant is a right or wrong answer to the question which of the following characterizes United Stales foreign policy during the Early i900 a a. Fifty four forty or  b. The Good neighbor policy. C. The business of America is business " d. Speak softly and carry a big  Only Sli guilty More than 30 percent chose d correctly but one might ask How much this proves about their general knowledge of history. Although the Book relies on results of this test Ravitch said she was unhappy about the emphasis placed on it by the news Media and some academic commentators. I Don t like to Sec it is report turned into a game of trivial Pursuit she said. People seem to think we approve of the test. We Dnn l like multiple Choice  nor do Tho authors advocate the kind of Rita learning they believe can produce Success on such tests she said. Har concern was echoed at a meeting of now York scale s English Council. Some in gosh teachers worried that school boards would demand that students to drilled o give Correct answers to the assessment s questions or to identify Tho names places and theories listed in cultural Leracy what every american re reefs in know a recent Best Selling Book . We Are inc resold in teaching concepts not in role teaming Ravitch stressed. The problem she said is How do you get people to focus on the need Lor change we recommended a minimum of two years of world history she said but this got Little attention. Fewer than Hail of All school districts a present require even a  she cited the now California curriculum mandating three Yeara of world history As an example of Progress. The authors also recommend teaching history and literature in the Early gear Jos. There is a body of evidence that Young children can learn history such As local history family history biography of famous people Sho said it s Only Boring stuff that turns kids off she said. She cited As Boring text books for Young children that Tell them banal things they already know such As cities have streets. Streets have  children would no be bored by history the Book said if they could learn about the past through exciting and True stories of men and women and through portrayals of human struggle Triumph and  the Book said children should be introduced to the love of literature Early in their lives through mythology Lairy Talas legends and biography. Ravitch rejects the View that children from poor Homes cannot absorb literature and history i Don l believe thai Nail the population is not interested in Seft improvement Sho said. Instead of stressing what our kids Don t know the question is whether we can gel some discussion going not just throw up our hands about How to do things better. Otherwise we re just protecting the status  the Ravel cd finn Book cited important findings that should be in the minds of people interested in creating More effective schools. Sixty five percent of Black 17-year-Olds who performed in the lop Range in history had benefited trom pro school education. This is a Clear Challenge to provide More Early childhood education. More than twice As Many boys 23 percent As girls 10.6 percent said they never read books that were nol assigned. Boys must be challenged to catch up. Contrary to the belief thai Young people raised on television and videos turn away irom literature 73.4 percent read to friends or family members from books they Lind exciting or read books based on plays movies or television programs they have watched. Children today Are not any stupider than those of the past. Ravitch said. These youngsters she said Are not the cause of their own ignorance " Erma Bombeck it is written somewhere possibly in the parenting Bill of rights that All children Are created equal and Don t you forget ill kids have male computer bodies with disks that store information on every gift Ivor or punishment Ever accorded them at any Given time. I hey can push a Button and punch it up for you to Bear witness to. For example if his brother got a Walch on his i Fly birthday and he did t get one until he was 6 Viz. Heaven Holp you or if a sibling got the Maraschino Cherry in Hie of a t cocktail six months ago and you promised him the Maraschino Cherry the next time you had fruit cocktail Don t even think of making a mistake. Thuy member who had to do dishes the last time Ycu had spa Ghelli who lost the Knob of the to set so years Arjo. Who got pumped for easing Ifie jog when he was t teasing the dog and who had to Wear the girl boots the last Lime i snowed and that is Why parents get paranoid at Christmas. And that is also Why we View holidays with All the sentiment of an accountant. They made us that Way. Here s How it works. It a Parent buys each of her kids a Seal or and one sweater is $10 cheaper than the other one she will equal in by buying a shirt to give with the cheaper one. You can t buy a Srot for to. So she spends $20 and adds a shoehorn for the other one As a stocking slut or Only the kid does t own a pair of hard shoes so she has to buy a pair of shoos things Are out of whack again so she goes for a Money clip Lor the other one to even things up then she realizes the kid does t have any Money either so she Puls a Check in an envelope but wail1 she s now Short a blocking stuffer for one and an envelope to put in the tree Lor the other one. So she buys soap on a string for the blocking and a subscription to to guide to put in an envelope on the tree hold it now. One has More boxes to open than the other so it s Back to the stores again. It s like a bad haircut a snip Here and a snip there it never comes out even i want to Tell Mysell that our kids have outgrown the need to be reassured that they Are loved equally but Ihen we All sit Down at a dinner and when i Cut the cake rulers come out of Tho Pockels and vigorous trading begins that s Why there is no doubt in my mind that some Day in our u Luro Well All to sitting around Romo Bering the Good limes we be had As a family and someone Wip punch up a disk to reveal the cams Mas fits brother got a shoehorn and a pair of shoes logo Wilh it while he got a to guide subs Coplion when to did t even own n to set Page 16 the stars and stripes monday december id 1987