An Open Letter to the American People: A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform, April 27, 1983
"Our nation is at risk. Our once unchallenged preeminence in commerce, industry, science, and technological innovation is being overtaken by competitors throughout the world. We 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.
If an unfriendly foreign power had attempted to impose on America the mediocre educational performance that exists today, we might well have viewed it as an act of war. As it stands, we have allowed this to happen to ourselves."
"A Nation at Risk" was the report produced by an 18-member panel appointed by Secretary of Education Terrel H. Bell to examine the American educational system and to recommend reforms. They began their work in August, 1981, and published their report on April 27, 1983. If you are interested in seeing the report and its recommendations, you can read it here. Otherwise, you can download it for free here.
It is a fact that little or no progress has been made to reform or improve our public education system since this report was issued. We will use this page to publish links, as they become available, to a variety of reading assessment reports. These reports document the track record of reading instruction in our country. We will also include links to selected historical results for the purpose of comparison. Whenever possible, we will not only include links to national results but also to states, counties, and school districts if they are available. You will see that we are still "a nation at risk."