The Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a non-profit organization focused on education policy, recently released a report on each state’s United States history standards. The results were not good. Only seven states earned an “A” or “A-” while 28 states earned a “D” or an “F.” Connecticut is one of the states receiving a failing grade.
The report blasts Connecticut’s standards, saying they “offer isolated historical scraps which are devoid of context, explanation, or meaning. And even these arbitrary thematic shards are merely ‘suggested’ to teachers, not required.”
Another problem with the standards is that “the emphasis throughout…is on social studies skills and concepts rather than on specific historical content.”
An appendix to the report compares the 2011 grades with 2003 grades. Connecticut received a “D” in 2003 and was one of 10 states whose grade dropped.
