No single cause was identified for what ailed American secondary education. Similarly, there was no one solution. The U.S. Department of Education established a national commission to examine the question. In 1983 the commission made several recommendations: lengthen the school day and year, formulate a new core curriculum for all students (four years of English; three years each of math, science, and social studies; a half-year of computer science), and raise the standards of performance in each subject. As a result, many schools have tightened their requirements, and test scores for American children have been rising.
In 1989 President George Bush and the governors of all 50 states gave the movement to reform American education a new impetus when they set six goals to be achieved by the year 2000:
That all children will start school ready to learn.
That 90 percent of all high school students will graduate.
That all students will achieve competence in core subjects at certain key points in their progress.
That American students will be first in the world in math and science achievement.
That every American adult will be literate and have the skills to function as a citizen and a worker.
That all schools will be free of drugs and violence and offer a disciplined environment that is conducive to learning.
