ABSTRACT
In 1983 Ronald Reagan appointed a commission to examine the state of education in the United States. The commission came back with a scathing critique entitled “A Nation at Risk.” The report stated in part, “Our Nation is at risk. 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.” The critique of education in America, showed that test scores were dropping significantly and that many other countries, some far below the United States in national income, were making remarkable progress in preparing their students for the demands of an ever-increasing global economy. The report was designed to shock the country into taking bold steps to improve education and address what many policy analysts felt was the most important public issue facing the country.1
