Can You Find the Pacific Ocean on a Map of the World?

Forrest M. Mims III

This series of columns has resulted in many comments and letters by readers of this newspaper and The Citizen Scientist.

Most writers have expressed concern about the status of education in the U.S. Some have requested more columns about this topic.

A few writers have questioned my comparison of 1890 and 1895 eighth grade exams with what students need to know today.

Overlooking those century old exams that would stump many of today’s students–and adults--does not resolve the education crisis. That’s because various international exams during the past decade clearly show that U.S. students do not measure up to students from most other industrialized countries.

Formal studies also show that the young adults emerging from today’s high schools and colleges often fail to measure up to previous generations in terms of basic general knowledge. Many of those students who are not learning what their predecessors once did are entering the work force unprepared to compete with their counterparts from other countries. The implications are very significant for the future of the U.S., the country that sent men to the Moon and pioneered many of the the technological innovations behind modern biochemistry, communications and computing.

In 2002 the National Geographic Society commissioned the Roper organization to survey the geographic knowledge of 3,000 18- to 24-year-olds in Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Sweden, Great Britain and the United States.

The U.S. and Mexico scored at the very bottom!

When shown a map, 56 percent of 18- to 24-year-old Americans could not find India, and 85 percent could not find Afghanistan, Iraq, or Israel. Nearly 30 percent could not even find the Pacific Ocean!

Are computers to blame for this dismal performance? No. Those who reported using the Internet within the 30 days prior to the test scored 65 percent higher than those who did not.

Are school teachers to be blamed for this dismal performance? No. How can we blame teachers when geography is no longer taught in many States?

What can be done to fix the education crisis in America? Send your comments to "Backscatter." Place "Education Crisis" in the subject line and include your first and last name.

Forrest M. Mims III and his science are featured online at www.forrestmims.org and www.sunandsky.org.