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

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.