History? It’s Greek to U.S. Students : Education: Testing of thousands of pupils yields ‘really dismal results,’ a federal official says. Their knowledge of civics also is found to be deficient.

Only half of eighth-graders tested knew that the United States is a representative democracy, and only 38% knew that Congress makes laws, according to test results released Monday by the Department of Education.

The 1988 history and civics tests of students in the fourth, eighth and 12th grades demonstrated “really dismal results” concerning students’ ability in many areas, according to Chester E. Finn, chairman of the National Assessment Governing Board. He said that the students exhibited only spotty knowledge of the balance of powers among the branches of government, the development of civil rights policies and constitutional protection of freedoms.

“Millions of people outside our own borders possess a keener sense of the importance of these things than do our own sons and daughters,” added Finn, whose board is part of the Department of Education.

“This is disappointing,” said Christopher T. Cross, assistant secretary for educational research, at a press conference that included a panel of education experts and activists.

“At a time when people across Eastern Europe are embracing the principles of democracy, our own (12th-graders)--who stand less than a year away from voting booths--have as a group a tenuous grasp of institutions and ideals that make freedom possible,” Cross said.

He noted that, during the height of the 1988 presidential race, when the survey was taken, less than 40% of seniors knew that candidates are chosen at national conventions.

Other highlights and lowlights of the surveys:

--Less than half of eighth-graders know that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. endorsed nonviolence.

--More than half of fourth-graders knew the names of Columbus’ three vessels. However, only 36% knew why the explorer sailed to America in the first place.

--Although 84% of eighth-graders knew how Abraham Lincoln died, only a quarter knew that his main goal in the Civil War was to preserve the union.

--Almost all 12th-graders knew that it is illegal not to pay taxes, but less than two-thirds knew it is legal to organize a recall election, take part in a boycott or hunger strike or impeach legislators.

Students particularly faltered when they had to go beyond the confines of multiple-choice answers. Few students could write thoughtfully and completely on historical and political topics, the studies found.

For example, although about 89% of eighth-graders and 94% of 12th-graders correctly identified Ronald Reagan as President in 1988, only 7% and 19%, respectively, could write “well-developed responses” on the chief executive’s powers, the civics study found.

Both studies were part of the Department of Education’s continuing series of “National Report Cards” on academic performance. The Educational Testing Service of Princeton, N. J., tested 16,000 students in about 1,000 public and private schools for history achievement and another 11,000 students for their knowledge of civics.

Although these surveys do not recommend policy changes to correct the apparent decline in learning, survey officials laid blame largely on teaching methods.

Finn singled out for praise changes in the California schools’ social studies programs implemented by the state Board of Education in 1987, which he called “a heroic job.” California schools now place greater and earlier emphasis on world and U.S. history classes than do other states.

School systems should order a “top-to-bottom overhaul” of poorly focused social studies programs, he said, emphasizing civics, history and geography.

WHAT STUDENTS KNOW--AND DON’T KNOW--ABOUT AMERICA

The following scores are based on multiple-choice tests of 16,000 12th-graders in about 1,000 public and private schools nationwide:

Idea or subject to be identified: Percentage correct: HISTORY NATIONWIDE MALE FEMALE WHITE BLACK LATINO Western trail (highest score) 94.9 94.2 95.5 95.9 91.2 93.5 Rights of slaves 83.9 83.3 84.4 87.4 70.3 76.6 First atomic bomb 79.8 84.1 76.0 83.2 63.6 67.7 Japanese-American internment during WWII 58.9 68.8 50.7 61.8 44.4 49.0 “Give me liberty or give me death.” 53.4 55.3 51.7 56.7 45.0 41.8 Teddy Roosevelt 42.8 48.0 37.8 45.6 29.4 38.2 Opening words, Dec. of Independence 37.8 38.5 37.2 39.6 29.9 25.8 Area acquired in Mexican War 32.0 35.2 29.1 29.6 36.3 42.3 Intent of Emancipation Proclamation 28.0 27.1 29.1 27.6 29.9 26.3 Leaders of women’s movement 25.4 26.9 24.1 27.1 17.1 23.9 Reconstruction (lowest score) 20.3 23.0 17.9 21.1 18.2 17.2 CIVICS Right to a lawyer (highest) 97.6 96.0 99.0 98.4 96.8 91.8 Name the President 93.7 91.3 95.9 94.4 90.8 92.9 Voting age is 18 92.4 88.3 96.1 93.4 90.1 86.4 U.S. courts cannot declare war 78.2 80.0 76.4 79.3 72.8 72.8 Brown vs. Board of Education 68.1 67.4 68.7 69.8 64.0 60.0 NRA activity known as lobbying 61.1 63.6 58.8 66.6 40.8 40.7 Difference between U.S. and U.S.S.R. 60.8 63.2 58.4 62.7 45.2 60.9 Congress can double income tax 38.7 41.8 35.8 40.5 33.2 28.4 Candidate gets 100% of electoral votes 28.8 33.8 24.1 32.0 16.5 15.2 County sheriff is in executive branch 27.1 28.5 25.9 28.5 21.4 22.7 Supreme Court majority can strike down laws 14.5 19.4 10.0 15.3 10.2 8.8

Source: U.S. Department of Education surveys