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

Dec 16, 2024

1 min

Alan J. Singer

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

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
Powered by

You might also like...

Check out some other posts from Hofstra University

Julian Ku Discusses China-Taiwan Tensions in The New York Times featured image

1 min

Julian Ku Discusses China-Taiwan Tensions in The New York Times

Hofstra Law Professor Julian Ku offers insight into rising geopolitical tensions between China and Taiwan in a recent New York Times feature. The article, “Inside the Secret Mission to Fly Taiwan’s President to Africa,” examined how several countries reportedly denied airspace access for Lai’s aircraft amid pressure from Beijing. A scholar of international law and U.S. foreign relations law, Professor Ku framed the episode as part of a broader strategic effort by China to constrain Taiwan through legal and regulatory means rather than direct confrontation.

LI’s Rising Costs and Housing Market Pose Challenges featured image

1 min

LI’s Rising Costs and Housing Market Pose Challenges

Lawrence Levy, associate vice president and executive dean of the National Center for Suburban Studies, talked to Newsday and News 12 Long Island about the region’s economic challenges and housing market. For an article on the high cost of living, Levy explained that Long Island’s many layers of government, including 124 school districts, and residents’ expectations of quality services — from police protection and garbage pickup to senior programs — drive high property taxes. “In other areas of the country, statewide broad-based taxes pay for a lot of services that we rely on the property tax to pay for, such as public education,” he said, adding that about two-thirds of a Long Islander’s tax bill goes to fund public schools.

TV News Talent Looks to Build Their Brand on Nontraditional Platforms featured image

1 min

TV News Talent Looks to Build Their Brand on Nontraditional Platforms

Mark Lukasiewicz, dean of The Lawrence Herbert School of Communication, was interviewed by The Hollywood Reporter for the article “With TV News In Free Fall, Anchors Try Breaking Away,” about the trend of TV news veterans leaving the declining world of linear media to build businesses and their brand on social media, podcasts, and other platforms.

View all posts