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Reports on the an archaeological program for students at the Science, Technology and Research High School in New York city designed to educate them about the high school students on the same scene in the past. Discovery of artifacts by the students; Indications of history, culture and student life in the past; Students involved in the project.

American students are less proficient in their nation's history than in any other subject, according to results of a nationwide test released on Tuesday, with most fourth graders unable to say why Abraham Lincoln was an important figure and few high school seniors able to identify China as the North Korean ally that fought American troops during the Korean War. Over all, 20 percent of fourth graders, 17 percent of eighth graders and 12 percent of high school seniors demonstrated proficiency on the exam, the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Federal officials said they were encouraged by a slight increase in eighth-grade scores since the last history test, in 2006. But even those gains offered little to celebrate because, for example, fewer than a third of eighth graders could answer even a ''seemingly easy question'' asking them to identify an important advantage American forces had over the British during the Revolution, the government's statement on the results said. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the results of the U.S. National Assessment of Educational Progress 2006 tests. According to the federal tests conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics, students in 4th, 8th and 12th grades have performed better in history, compared to the results of such tests conducted in 2001. However, majority of the high school seniors continued performing poorly. Of all, fourth graders performed better in history.

Focuses on the efforts of David Barton on rebutting what he considers as distortions of holiday in textbooks and public celebrations in the U.S. Battles over the teaching of evolution and depictions of American history in textbooks; Duty of mankind to acknowledge the almighty God and be thankful of him; Views of the American Jewish Committee on the portrayal of holidays.

Reports that the federal Department of Education has awarded $2 million to the City University's Gotham Center for New York History to promote the teaching of New York City history. Purpose of the grant; Plan to used the money for the incorporation of municipal history into existing social studies programs and for teacher's training in summer institutes.

Focuses on the proposed partnership of the History Channel and the New York City school system regarding the development of a curriculum for teaching history.

Discusses the national debate about the role of slavery in United States history, as of 2001. Statement that although the South lost the Civil War, it won a victory in terms of the diminishment of slavery's central role in the war and in U.S. history; How this message of denial was spread by textbooks, historians, and political leaders for many years; Comment that historians are only beginning to grasp the complex interdependency of a society enmeshed in slavery; Debate over reparations.

Offers a look at the application of the Facing History and Ourselves program in the education curriculum in New York City, New York. Moral education in schools; Criticisms of the program; Moral issues associated with history; Details on the program.

Focuses on the history class handled by teachers Robert Crouch and Paul McManus at Somerset High School in Massachusetts. Teaching strategy of both teachers; Curriculum introduced for American history.

Reports how the teachers in the United States are taking advantage of the air strikes by North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) i0n Kosovo. Effort to link current events with history; Questions of students about the military action; Importance of the events to classroom lessons about ethnic conflict.

Discusses the discipline known as `counterfactual history' which has developed in the United States. Description of the discipline; How the discipline is used to understand the facts of past historic events; Reference to the books, `Virtual History: Alternatives and Counterfacts,' and `Counterfactual Thought Experiments in World Politics.'

Opinion. Comments on the methods of teaching history in United States schools. Release of history guidebooks, `National Standards for United States History: Exploring the American Experience,' and `World History: Exploring Paths to the Present'; Details of the same; Observers' comments on the same.

Focuses on the Griot Institute at Intermediate School 246 in Crown Heights, and its program of making sixth graders adept at being oral historians. Details. INSET: Words of wisdom..

Opinion. Focuses on the relevance of the subject of history to the American students. Details of author's personal experience with the subject.

Describes the mixed response of history teachers and students of New York on recommendations of a task force at National Center for History in the Schools at the University of California, Los Angeles on bringing out the contributions of Americans who were underemphasized in the past. Lynne V. Cheney, former chairwomen of the National Endowment for the Humanities on the same.

Reports on the release of new standards for teaching world history in the United States. Curriculum details; Nature of standards; Discussion on standards; Coordination of world-history projects. INSET: Excerpts: Change in world history curriculum..

Focuses on proposed standards for teaching history to American schoolchildren. Detailed treatment of the Declaration of Independence and the role of George Washington; Continuing emphasis on the role of science, mathematics, medicine and technology; Omission of wordings found to be objectionable.