’’’’中’國’ A Nation at Risk我國’’’教’基礎目’正’’’平’’’潮’’’’它’’著我們國’’民族’未’’ ’’’’末’’’’’’’次’’次’’成’’’’’國學生’數學’’’’’’學’領域’測驗成’’’遺憾’1983’教’’化’國’Ⅸ’’’’’’’’’’’’中’國’’’報’’引’公眾對教’問’’’未有’關’’’羅’’’’’’統’倡議’’由教’部’’’爾’貝爾任’’該’Ⅸ’用文件證’’學’’準’降’’’’提高教學質’’必’’’該’Ⅸ’’調’結’’’國’視’播’’’報’’’’’’’’’’該’Ⅸ’’報’’’’’’’立’機關’當’學’’董’採’措’改’學’’’’ 我們’國’’’’’中’我們’商’’’’’’學’技’革’方面’’’’’議’領’’’正’’’’’’’’’’’’’’報’僅僅’及’’’問’有關’’’原’’方面中’’個’’它關’’’國’’’’’’’禮儀’我們’’國’民報’’我們有’由’我們’’中’學歷’’’’’’’成’及對’國’’國’民’福’’’’’’’’’豪’’’’方面我國’’’教’基礎目’正’’’平’’’潮’’’’它’’著我們國’’民族’未’’’’’’當’’難’’像’’’’’’’生’’’’國’正趕’’’’我們國’’教’成’’ 倘’’’’有敵’’’國’’試圖’今天’’著’平’’教’實’’’’’國身’’我們’把’視’戰’’動’而’實’’我們’’允’’種’’’生’我們’’身’’我們’’對蘇’衛’’天’’戰’’’’而’’’學生們’成’’’’重’’’我們’’除’’’’成’成’’’’基本支撐體’’我們實際’’做’’輕’’’單方面’教’裁’’動’ 我們’’’及’教’機’’’忘’’學’教’’基本目’’忘’’’’’’目’’必需’高期望值’’’’’’’報’’圖導’對我們’教’體’實’’本’’改革’’圖’’國’’’國’圍內對高質’’’中’學’’擔’’務’ ’’我們’對我國’中’學’’學提’’’’’矛’’’’’’考’我們’’棄’對’’學’’擔’’務’不’’’驚’’我們’學’’’請’’解’’’’’’單’不’’不’解’’個’’’’’’’問’’我們應’解’對中’學’’學’’種’’’’迫’學’’’’’’’’’教’方面’’價’’’ 歷’對’手’閒’不’’’’’’有’’’’擔心’國’’’’’’’’我國資源豐’’’民’有永不’竭’熱情’’’我們’對而言’’’那’文’’國’’不’’問’’攪’’’那個’’早’’’不’’’’’不啻’個’’’’我們’’’’著’心堅’’’’有’’動’’’’’’’’我們不’’產’而’’’實驗’’街區’’’論’產生’’’’’們’奪國際’’’市場’’國’’’’’’’’’’寥寥數’’’’培’’’’’’’高’’’’’今’種情’不’’’’ ’’不僅’’日本’比’國’生產’車’’’’高’日本’’’’’’’方面’’’’補’’’’不僅’’’朝’’最’’’’’’’生產’’最高’鋼’’’’’’稱雄’’’’國機’’’正’’國’’’’’’還’’’’’’’趨勢標’著’’有’’’’’’’’重’分’’正’早’’候’’’’藥’化’’’’褲’’今’識’學問’資’’技’情報’樣蓬蓬’’’傳’’’’’’我們欲’’’’’’’’市場’’’’’’’’’勢’我們’應’改革我們’教’體’而奮鬥’’’’’’體’民’’’輕’’老’’’’’’’’’’數’’少數’’’’’’’’我們正跨’’"資’’’"中’’識’’’成’必不’少’投資’ 我們關切’問’遠遠’’’’’商’’’疇’它’’’我們’’’組織緊’結’’’’’’識’’’’精’’’’’國’民必須’白’我們’’中那’不’備’’’’’必不’少’技’’平’文化教’’平’’’’不僅’剝奪高’’’’’’報’’而’’’剝奪完’參’我們國’生’’機’’’用高’準’教’對’個’由民’’’’’對培’’種’’’文化’必’’’’’個’’元論’個’’由而’豪’國’中’’’’’ ’’讓國’’’職’’公民們應該’對複雜’問’’成’識’而’’’’’’不’’’情’中’’證據’’矛’’不完整’條件’’成’識’教’有’’’成’種’識’正’托馬斯’傑斐遜’’’’’’’著’’言中’’’’’
首’’’’’陸’’’’’’’諾’’’’’之中’不分種族’階’’’濟’’’’’有’獲’最’限’’’’個’智’’精’’’’機’’’’’’’’諾’’著’’’引導’’’’有’’’憑藉’’’’’都’有’望做’’重’’’’有’據’’’’’’’’’’’’職’’’馭’’’生’’’而不僅’’們’’’’’’’’’’’’本身’務’ Our nation is at risk. Our once unchallenged preeminence in commerce, industry, science, and technological innovation is being overtaken by competitors throughout the world. This report is concerned with only one of the many causes and dimensions of the problem, but it is the one that undergirds American prosperity, security, and civility. We report to the American people that while we can take justifiable pride in what our schools and colleges have historically accomplished and contributed to the United States and the well-being of its people, 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. What was unimaginable a generation ago has begun to occur―others are matching and surpassing our educational attainments. 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. We have even squandered the gains in student achievement made in the wake of the Sputnik challenge. Moreover, we have dismantled essential support systems which helped make those gains possible. We have, in effect. been committing an act of unthinking, unilateral educational disarmament. Our society and its educational institutions seem to have lost sight of the basic purposes of schooling, and of the high expectations and disciplined effort needed to attain them. This report, the result of 18 months of study, seeks to generate reform of our educational system in fundamental ways and to renew the Nation's commitment to schools and colleges of high quality throughout the length and breadth of "our land. That we have compromised this commitment is, upon reflection, hardly surprising, given the multitude of often conflicting demands we have placed on our Nation's schools and colleges. They are routinely called on to provide solutions to personal, social, and political problems that the home and other institutions either will not or cannot resolve. We must understand that these demands on our schools and colleges often exact an educational cost as well as a financial one.... History is not kind to idlers. The time is long past when America's destiny was assured simply by an abundance of national resources and inexhaustible human enthusiasm, and by our relative isolation from the malignant problems of older civilizations. The world is indeed one global village. We live among determined, well-educated, and strongly motivated competitors. We com- pete with them for international standing and markets, not only with products but also with the ideas of our laboratories and neighborhood workshops. America's position in the world may once have been reasonably secure with only a few exceptionally well-trained men and women. It is no longer. The risk is not only that the Japanese make automobiles more efficiently than Americans and have government subsidies for development and export. It is not just that the South Koreans recently built the world's most efficient steel mill, or that American machine tools, once the pride of the world, are being displaced by German products. It is also that these developments signify a redistribution of trained capability throughout the globe. Knowledge, learning, information, and skilled intelligence are the new raw materials of international commerce and are today spreading throughout the world as vigorously as miracle drugs, synthetic fertilizers, and blue jeans did earlier. If only to keep and improve on the slim competitive edge we still retain in world markets, we must dedicate ourselves to the reform of our educational system for the benefit of all― old and young alike, affluent and poor. majority and minority. Learning is the indispensable investment required for success in the "information age" we are entering. Our concern, however, goes well beyond matters such as industry and commerce. It also includes the intellectual, moral, and spiritual strengths of our people which knit together the very fabric of our society. The people of the United States need to know that individuals in our society who do not possess the levels of skill, literacy, and training essential to this new era will be effectively disenfranchised, not simply from the material rewards that accompany competent performance, but also from the chance to participate fully in our national life. A high level of shared education is essential to a free, democratic society and to the fostering of a common culture, especially in a country that prides itself on pluralism and individual freedom. For our country to function, citizens must be able to reach some common understandings on complex issues, often on short notice and on the basis of conflicting or incomplete evidence. Education helps form these common understandings, a point Thomas Jefferson made long ago in his justly famous dictum: I know no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them but to inform their discretion. Part of what is at risk is the promise first made on this continent: All, regardless of race or class or economic status, are entitled to a fair chance and to the tools for developing their individual powers of mind and spirit to the utmost. This promise means that all children by virtue of their own efforts, competently guided, can hope to attain the mature and informed judgment needed to secure gainful employment and to manage their own lives, thereby serving not only their own interests but also the progress of society itself. . . . ’ |