Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!gatech!bloom-beacon!mit-eddie!uw-beaver!teknowledge-vaxc!wlieberm
From: wlieberm@teknowledge-vaxc.ARPA (William Lieberman)
Newsgroups: comp.edu
Subject: Re: CAN WE KNOW SO LITTLE?    Old: Re: Lawsuits (and countersuits)
Summary: Reply to Hugh LaMaster about USA ranking
Keywords: ignorance, geography, education, learning, teachers,US,USA,foreign
Message-ID: <24171@teknowledge-vaxc.ARPA>
Date: 1 Aug 88 18:49:56 GMT
References: <12230@agate.BERKELEY.EDU> <12260@agate.BERKELEY.EDU> <24100@teknowledge-vaxc.ARPA> <160@usenix.UUCP> <12664@ames.arc.nasa.gov>
Reply-To: wlieberm@teknowledge-vaxc.UUCP (William Lieberman)
Organization: Teknowledge, Inc., Palo Alto CA
Lines: 16

I read somewhere today that the geography survey we have been discussing:
the USA placed only ahead of Italy and Mexico. There were around 10 or 11
countries surveyed (the usual Western industrialized countries. [Is Mexico
industrialized?])

55% of Americans surveyed could not find Central America on a map! (This
is so impossible sounding, I wonder if by the phrase "Central America",
many Americans interpret this ambiguously to mean "Middle America."-In
other words I don't know about the scientific soundness of the survey
method - but it doesn't matter. All of us know the truth is disturbing)

Of course, Hugh is right when he says that there is a lot of needless
ignorance everywhere, and I accept his fundamental point.


Bill-- 
wlieberm@teknowledge-vaxc.ARPA