WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — As the United States and Allied countries remember D-Day on its 80th anniversary, there are many young Americans who may not even know what happened on that fateful day.
In fact, the most recent results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, otherwise known as the Nation’s Report Card, revealed that 40% of eighth graders tested below the NAEP’s Basic level in understanding U.S. history in 2022.
Lack of basic history knowledge
This means that 40% of the young students tested lack the basic proficiency and knowledge in history — they can’t identify simple historical dates or concepts from the founding of the U.S. to the Civil War to D-Day.
Students are unable to recite what an event was, when it happened or why it even mattered.
U.S. history scores on the assessment had generally increased between 1994 and 2014, but have been declining since 2014.
Not just the kids
The same assessment report showed more than 70% of adult Americans fail a basic civic literacy quiz on topics like the three branches of government, the number of Supreme Court justices and other basic functions of America’s democracy.
Only half of adults could correctly name the branch of government in which bills become laws — the legislative branch.
It’s not just history either. Patriotism has diminished as well, according to a Wall Street Journal-NORC poll.
About 38% of respondents said patriotism was very important to them, which is down from 70% in the same poll from 1998.