Grade 8 students' US history scores have never been lower

Report: In recent years, woke iconoclasts and revisionists have sought to erase and rewrite American history, tearing down statues and altering the facts surrounding America's founding. The erosion of national remembrance and shared memory has not, however, been limited to the columns of liberal newspapers and town squares.

A new report indicates teachers and schools might also share responsibility for cultivating a society growing increasingly ignorant of its proud past.

On Wednesday, the National Assessment of Educational Progress — the largest continuing and nationally representative assessment of American students' knowledge and capability in math, reading, science, and writing — released its 2022 assessment, also called the "Nation's Report Card."

While history scores on the assessment have been dropping for over a decade, they are now at the lowest they have been since the NAEP began monitoring in 1994.

According to the NAEP, the average U.S. history score at eighth grade decreased by 5 points compared to 2018 and by 9 points as compared to 2014.

This slump was observed across all U.S. history themes, including democracy, culture, technology, and world role.

The students were tested on their knowledge of key names, dates, and places, as well as historic ideas and movements.

Axios reported that extra to students' average history scores slipping, civics scores dropped for the first time in 25 years.

"What we’ve learned in these subjects is part of the fabric of who we are as Americans. They are essential subjects," said Peggy Carr, commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics. "They are a critical part of a well-rounded education."

"If we can agree that it’s important that students know the history of this great country, how we got here, and how they can engage in a democratic process, then these results I’m about to share with you are concerning," added Carr. "These results are a national concern."

Biden Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona partly blamed the pandemic, during which schools were shuttered for prolonged periods of time.

Cardona said in a statement that this data "further affirms the profound impact the pandemic had on student learning in subjects beyond math and reading."

Students were kept out of classrooms at the urging of teachers' unions.

In an appearance on "The Story" in September, former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos called out American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, saying the ATF and its president "should own up to the mistakes that they’ve made and the way that they have harmed kids, harmed families across the country, and yet all she is doing is blaming everyone else."

Teachers' unions across the nation blocked reopenings, some going so far as to seek repeat closures.

Kerry McDonald, writing for the Foundation for Economic Education, noted that even when ordered back to work, certain unions compelled their members to refuse.

While these teacher-sought closures have been linked to a significant spike in mental illness, suicide, and obesity, as well as with students' diminished immune systems, they have also been cited as hampering kids' academic development.

NY Post columnist Karol Markowicz echoed DeVos' criticism of Weingarten for students' falling test scores, but suggested to Fox Business Network's "Varney & Co." that Weingarten and the unions bear only one-third of the blame. What caused the learning loss was "a trifecta of the teachers' unions with people like Randi Weingarten leading the way, the Democratic Party, and the liberal media that covered for them."

Despite educators' apparent failure and hand in keeping kids out of school, Cardona stressed that "now is not the time for politicians to try to extract double-digit cuts to education funding, nor is it the time to limit what students learn in U.S. history and civics classes. We need to provide every student with rich opportunities to learn about America’s history and understand the U.S. Constitution and how our system of government works."