By Bill Ames
AUSTIN Texas (Texas Insider Report) In mid-October Texas Insider published my commentary Advanced Placement U.S. history (APUSH) Provides Contempt for America in Texas High Schools: College Board Partners with Leftist Academia. The article exposes how 
liberal academia having gained total control of student indoctrination in Americas colleges and universities has now set its sights on accomplishing the same agenda in our high schools.
The vehicle for the high school takeover is the College Boards U. S. history (APUSH) framework. The College Board provides the framework parameters its liberal college professor allies provide leftist course content. The result is a U.S. history course that rather than educating students about important historical events majors in alleged U.S. oppression imperialism exploitation victimization and racism.
What is the cost of this indoctrination to Americas students?
The answer lies in the October 15 release of the 2014-2015 What Will They Learn? report by the American Council of Trustees & Alumni (ACTA). The study reviewed curricula of 1098 colleges and universities across the country.
The study determined that many core subjects: Economics foreign language U. S. history and government literature math composition and science are in many cases no longer required at many colleges and universities.
Since the focus of last weeks Texas Insider commentary was U. S. history our focus here will continue
on that subject.
Only 18 of the 1098 surveyed colleges and universities require students to complete a course in U. S. history.
According to the survey…..
- In Texas major universities Rice SMU TCU and smaller Abilene Christian do not require a U. S. history course.
- In California none of the four largest schools require the course: Stanford California-Berkeley UCLA and University of Southern California.
- Of the eight Ivy League schools only Columbia University requires a U. S. history course. Interestingly in Minnesota the leading state for recruiting ISIS terrorists not one of the 28 campuses surveyed requires a course in U. S. history.
How have college and university students reacted to the lack of basic historical facts being taught in our schools?
In their 2011 book Academically Adrift Richard Arum (sociology and education professor at New York University) and Josipa Roksa (associate professor sociology and education at the University of Virginia) reported that over one-third of students complete college without achieving any gains in learning or critical thinking skills. They also found that many undergraduates were drifting through college without a clear sense of purpose."
Their new book Aspiring Adults Adrift revisits nearly 1000 of those same undergraduates to assess how theyve done since graduation. Turns out they are still adrift….
Aspiring Adults Adrift reveals
A large proportion of that group are having difficulty:In another analysis an ACTA 2011 survey revealed that 49 of Americans dont think college students are getting their moneys worth and that 70 believe colleges should require basic classes in core subjects.1.) finding jobs… 25 reported that they were living at home with their parents two years after graduation
2.) Assuming financial self-responsibility… (12 had part-time jobs 30 were working full-time while earning less than $30000 per year with 15 earning less than $20000 per year) and
3.) Even developing stable romantic relationships… (age of marriage has risen six years from the 1970s)."
Among adults between 25 and 34 80 wanted the core subjects. Worst of all 87 of employers believe that our colleges must raise the quality of student education in order for the United States to remain competitive globally.
Few colleges require a real liberal arts education.
It is troubling that U. S. history and other core subjects are largely no longer required subjects at most colleges and universities.
Rather at least regarding U. S. history it appears there is a move to push (APUSH) U. S. history down to the high school level using the unacceptable APUSH framework developed by a biased College Board with course content provided by liberal college professors.
As a result the majority of college graduates wont know the length of a congressional term what the Emancipation Proclamation was which Revolutionary War general led the American troops at Yorktown or the significance of Operation Overlord and D-Day.
And American employers will continue to conclude that graduates are not equipped to compete in the global workforce.
The deficiencies of liberal academia provide further evidence that the College Board APUSH framework must be reformed. Students must be able to learn about their country so that when they graduate they are ready to enter the workforce and eager to participate in the great American experiment.
Bill Ames is an education activist and author who lives in Dallas Texas. His book TEXAS TROUNCES THE LEFTS WAR ON HISTORY" (WNAenterprises.com) tells the story of his experience in 
developing Texas U. S. history standard in 2009-2010. In 2013 he reviewed CSCOPE U. S. history lessons as part of the State Board of Educations Ad Hoc Committee Project and is now involved with the new College Board AP U.S. history framework.
He welcomes reader comments at billames@prodigy.net
