Dumbing Down of America

Stories

9 Stories

November 2008
- Meh, Add It to the Dictionary
  
  Daily Telegraph (UK) | Nov 17, 08 10:07 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - The 30th-anniversary edition of the authoritative Collins English Dictionary will include a new entry suggested by readers: the interjection "meh." An expression of indifference or boredom, it’s believed to have originated in North America. Its spelling was codified on an episode of The Simpsons , the Telegraph reports, in which an apathetic Lisa shouted, “We said meh! M-E-H, meh!” More »
October 2008
- With Harvard's Help, Good Grades Pay Off in Chicago
  
  Chicago Tribune | Oct 17, 08 1:55 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Chicago public high schools are paying students for good grades under a program funded partly by Harvard University, the Tribune reports. Freshmen get $50 for A’s, $35 for B’s and $20 for C’s, with half their earnings held until they graduate. Some 20 other Chicago-area schools, encompassing about 1,650 students, are participating in the program, which also relies on private donations. More »
- Sorry, Fellow Conservatives, Palin Doesn't Cut It: Noonan
  
  Wall Street Journal | Oct 17, 08 11:20 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - For seven weeks, Peggy Noonan has really, really tried to find Sarah Palin worthy of the role she's running for. She's scrutinized every appearance for signs the Alaska governor could turn out to be the next Harry Truman. Unfortunately, she writes in the Wall Street Journal , "there is little sign that she has the tools, the equipment, the knowledge or the philosophical grounding one hopes for, and expects, in a holder of high office," and it's time for the right to admit it. More »
- Most Americans Lack Basic Political Knowledge: Survey
  
  LiveScience | Oct 16, 08 3:36 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Only 18% of Americans can correctly name the current secretary of state, Britain’s prime minister and which party controls the US House, a LiveScience survey finds. Among the survey’s 3,612-person sample, more than half correctly said that the Democrats have a majority in the House, while 42% correctly identified Condoleezza Rice. Less than 30% said Gordon Brown is current UK prime minister. More »
- Backstage Tour Lays Bare Springer Nation
  
  Chicago Tribune | Oct 1, 08 5:19 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A backstage tour of The Jerry Springer Show reveals "fundamental truths about the human condition," Kevin Pang writes in the Chicago Tribune . Philanderers and home-wreckers vetted by the show receive star treatment for a day, and insist their tales are true—for the most part. It's "all legit," one said, after producers coached him on how to tell his story. More »
September 2008
- 5 Myths About Those Civic-Minded, Deeply Informed Voters
  
  Washington Post | Sep 8, 08
  
  One thing both Democrats and Republicans agreed about in their vastly different conventions: The American voter will not only decide but decide wisely. But does the electorate really know what it's talking about? Plenty of things are hurting American democracy -- gridlock, negative campaigning, special interests -- but one factor lies at the root of all the others, and nobody dares to discuss it. American voters, who are hiring the people who'll run a superpower democracy, are grossly ignorant.
August 2008
- Colleges Make iGadgets Part of Course Load
  
  New York Times | Aug 21, 08 1:10 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Some US universities have started handing out free iPhones and Internet-enabled iPods to students, the New York Times reports. The institutions view the gadgets as tools for online research, student polling, and as-yet undeveloped educational applications, while Apple gets an in with a new generation with consumers. Professors with easily distracted students stand to lose out, however. More »
February 2008
- The Dumbing Of America - washingtonpost.com
  
  Washington Post | Feb 17, 08
  
  There is no quick cure for the epidemic of arrogant anti-rationalism and anti-intellectualism that has infected America.
March 2007
- Patrick J. Buchanan :: Townhall.com :: Dumbing-Down of America
  
  Townhall.com | Mar 6, 07
  
  DUMBING-DOWN OF AMERICAA National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) test of 12th-grade achievement was given to what the New York Times called a "representative sample of 21,000 high school seniors attending 900 public and private schools from January to March 2005."What did the tests reveal? * Since 1990, the share of students lacking even basic reading skills has risen by a third, from 20 percent to 27 percent. * Only 35 percent of high school seniors have reached a "proficient" level in reading, down from 40 percent. * Only 16 percent of black and 20 percent of Hispanic students...