Revise History Standards, Two Panels Advise

By Karen Diegmueller

Williamsburg, Va.

The voluntary national history standards that were enmeshed in controversy even before they were released last fall are not perfect, but they are not the fatally flawed documents their sharpest critics have contended they are, two independent review panels concluded last week.

"The proposed standards provide a reasonable set of expectations for learning and a solid basis for strengthening history teaching, but these standards need improvement," panel members said at a news conference in the old Capitol building here in a restored colonial village that evokes the traditional...