Survey Finds HS Students Do Not Understand the Importance of Pearl Harbor

Dec 16, 2024

1 min

Newsday talked to Professor of Education Alan Singer about a recent survey of Long Island high school students that found little more than half knew the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor launched the United States into World War II.

The article said that historians and educators agree the touchstone event must be remembered, honored and learned from.

“While FDR said Dec. 7, 1941, was ‘a date which will live in infamy,’ every generation has a date that will live in infamy,” Dr. Singer said. “When I was in school in the 1960s, World War II was fought by my father’s generation. Now, it is an event related to this generation’s great-grandfathers — and it’s been eclipsed by other events.”

He added that though the New York State Department of Education dedicates just a few paragraphs in the ninth- and 10th-grade social studies curriculum to the World War I-World War II era and just a sentence on Pearl Harbor in the guidelines for 11th- and 12th-graders, teachers must continue to connect the dots between historic touchstones, to explain why Pearl Harbor remains important.

Connect with:

Alan J. Singer

Professor of Teaching, Learning and Technology

Alan Singer specializes in social studies education and United States history.

Social Studies EducationUnited States HistoryHistory of SlaveryTeaching race. ethnicity and class

Find Experts

Jul 28, 2026

1 min

Deaths, resignations in Congress test narrow majority

United Press International (UPI wire service) interviewed Meena Bose, Hofstra University professor of political science, executive dean of the Public Policy and Public Service program, the Kalikow Chair in Presidential Studies and director of the Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency, about the death of Senator Lindsey Graham and President Donald Trump‘s choice of the late Senator’s sister Darline Graham Nordone, to succeed him. Until the midterm elections, Nordone will hold that position in an honorary capacity. There are four active vacancies on Capitol Hill with Nordone filling Graham’s seat. “The issue here is really that there have been vacancies and resignations and that the margin is so narrow for party control, particularly in the House of Representatives,” Dr. Bose told UPI. “The number of resignations or decisions not to run for re-election is indicative of questions about why people want to serve in office or indicative of a question of are people hesitant to serve in public office, and if so, why?”

Jul 20, 2026

1 min

Poor Air Quality Moves Summer Activities Indoors

Jase Bernhardt, associate professor of geology, environment, and sustainability, was interviewed by WCBS-TV News about the poor air quality across parts of the United States, caused by smoke from Canadian wildfires. These conditions have prompted many summer camps to bring activities indoors. “Children are more vulnerable to low air quality because their lungs are still developing,” said Dr. Bernhardt. “They have to breathe in more air to replenish their body and kids are likely to be more active outside.”

Jul 20, 2026

2 min

A New Tick Is Moving In on Long Island — And Changing the Landscape for Lyme Disease

There's a new tick establishing itself across the region, and it's not the one most people are used to watching for. The Asian longhorned tick, first detected in the U.S. in 2017, has been steadily expanding its range along the East Coast — including into the backyards, parks, and preserves of Long Island. Unlike the blacklegged tick most associated with Lyme disease, this invasive species reproduces asexually, meaning a single tick can start an entire population, and it's showing up in numbers that are hard to ignore. Russell Burke, professor of biology at Hofstra University, has spent more than a decade studying the ecology of Lyme disease on a continental scale — including how tick host diversity affects disease risk across the eastern U.S. That work has now expanded to track a newer arrival: the Asian longhorned tick, and how its invasion and spread is reshaping the tick communities long dominated by the blacklegged tick, the primary vector of Lyme disease. What he can speak to: How the Asian longhorned tick got to the U.S., and why its ability to reproduce without mating makes it uniquely fast at colonizing new areas What the tick's expansion means for the local ecology of ticks on Long Island, and how it may be competing with or displacing established blacklegged tick populations Why the Asian longhorned tick is not currently considered a significant carrier of Lyme disease itself, but why its presence still raises concerns for public health and agriculture What residents, hikers, and pet owners should know about identifying and avoiding exposure to this new tick species The broader pattern of invasive species establishing themselves on Long Island, and what that signals about changing ecosystems Connect with: Russell Burke Professor of Biology Dr. Burke's current research involves diamondback terrapins at Jamaica Bay, wood turtles in northern NJ, ticks and Lyme disease, and the coyote invasion of Long Island. Key Topics: Ecology · Conservation Biology · Herpetology · Urban Ecosystems Reach Professor Burke through the Contact button on his profile below.