The editorial [pay wall] below, which appears in today's issue of The Wall Street Journal, makes the case that an understanding of history creates a better potential employee.  (Emphasis added.)

The Education Our Economy Needs

Norm Augustine

We lag in science, but students’ historical illiteracy hurts our politics and our businesses.

In the spirit of the new school year, here’s a quiz for readers: In which of the following subjects is the performance of American 12th-graders the worst? a) science, b) economics, c) history, or d) math? 

With all the talk of America’s very real weaknesses in the STEM subjects (science, technology, English and math), you might be surprised to learn that the answer—according to the federal government’s National Assessment of Educational Progress—is neither science nor math.  And despite what might be suggested by the number of underwater home loans, high-school seniors actually fare best in economics. 

Which leaves history as the answer, the subject in which students perform the most poorly.  It’s a result that puts American employers and America’s freedoms in a worrisome spot.

But should a C grade in history matter to the C-suite?  After all, if a leader can make the numbers, does it really matter if he or she can recite the birthdates of all the presidents?

Well, it’s not primarily the memorized facts that have current and former CEOs like me concerned.  It’s the other things that subjects like history impart: critical thinking, research skills, and the ability to communicate clearly and cogently.  Such skills are certainly important for those at the top, but in today’s economy they are fundamental to performance at nearly every level. A failing grade in history suggests that students are not only failing to comprehend our nation’s story and that of our world, but also failing to develop skills that are crucial to employment across sectors. 

Having traveled in 109 countries in this global economy, I have developed a considerable appreciation for the importance of knowing a country’s history and politics.  The good news is that a candidate who demonstrates capabilities in critical thinking, creative problem-solving and communication has a far greater chance of being employed today than his or her counterpart without those skills. 

The better news is these are not skills that only a graduate education or a stint at McKinsey can confer.  They are competencies that our public elementary and high schools can and should be developing through subjects like history.  Far more than simply simply conveying the story of a country or civilization, an education in history can create critical thinkers who can digest, analyze and synthesize information and articulate their findings.  These are skills needed across a broad range of subjects and disciplines. 

In fact, students who are exposed to more modern methods of history education—where critical thinking and research are emphasized—tend to perform better in math and science.  As a case in point, students who participate in National History Day—actually a year-long program that gets students in grades 6-12 doing historical research—consistently outperform their peers on state standardized tests, not only in social studies but in science and math as well. 

In my position as CEO of a firm employing over 80,000 engineers, I can testify that most were excellent engineers—but the factor that most distinguished those who advanced in the organization was the ability to think broadly and read and write clearly. 

Now is a time to re-establish history’s importance in American education.  We need to take this opportunity to ensure that today’s history teachers are teaching in a more enlightened fashion, going beyond rote memorization and requiring students to conduct original research, develop a viewpoint and defend it.  If the American economy is to recover from the Great Recession—and I believe it can—it will be because of a ready supply of workers with the critical thinking, creative problem-solving, technological and communications skills needed to fuel productivity and growth.  The subject of history is an important part of that foundation.

Mr. Augustine, a former Under Secretary of the Army, is the retired Chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin.

Updated April 17, 2016: They've now banned ladders. Thanks to John Bell for the update.

It was on this date in 1775 that that alarm was sounded in towns west of Boston.  And tomorrow, historians from around the country will gather in Milwaukee for the annual Organization of American Historians / National Council on Public History conference.  (We don't know whether the residents of Milwaukee have also been warned, but we hope to receive a warmer welcome than did the Regulars who marched to Lexington and on to Concord those many years ago.)

In fact, the ride of Revere and Dawes, and the reenactments that take place every year were two things that inspired the creation of The History List. 

You can spot one notable item in this photo from the 2009 reenactment: A ladder.  Who knew you needed to bring a ladder to see over the heads of those who arrived before dawn to get a place on the perimeter of Lexington Green?  Answer: Anyone who had attended before.  One of the goals of The History List is not just to help people find interesting history-related events, exhibits, and sites, but to also provide tips on how to get the most out of them.

See the update from 2016 at the top of this post.

If you're attending the conference, I hope you join me for this "dine around" Friday night: "Putting the 'Public' in 'Public History:' Strategies and ideas for getting more people into historical museums, sites, and landmarks."

It's for anyone involved with an historic site or museum, or with a history-related event, this is an opportunity to share your ideas and learn from others about how you attract a crowd: What worked, what didn't, and what you're considering doing in the future.  Based on the interests of the group, we may consider the role of social media, free versus paid media, working jointly with other organizations, and branding or rebranding your event.

And we're headed a few blocks from the hotel to the King & I Thai Restaurant at 830 North Old World 3rd Street.  They have a large selection of Thai dishes, including several vegetarian choices, and the full menu is online.

We've arranged for separate checks, and the reviewers on Yelp give it 4 out of 5 stars.  You must sign up in advance; I'm told that space is limited. 

Looking forward to meeting you in Milwaukee.

If you want to read about a couple of event or site promotion ideas in advance, there are two here: One promoted a new cable channel and could be adapted to our history-related events.  The other is a marketing campaign involving daily video created by The Freedom Trail Foundation.  (Video of both in the posts.)

One of the biggest challenges we face is generating interest and excitement despite tight and sometimes shrinking budgets.

Here's an original, innovative, compelling, and on-strategy way that TNT, the American media channel, launched in Belgium.  It's very easy to see how someone might use this same approach--perhaps toned down a bit--to bring people face to face with history and raise interest in an upcoming event or exhibit.

And note the extraordinary social media reach, with 20+ million views on YouTube since its April 11 introduction.

Updated April 2013: A similar approach, though for a very different institution:

From the note explaining the video: 

The slogan "Our Heroes are Back'" is used to announce that, after an absence of one decade, all major pieces in the Rijksmuseum's collection are back where they belong. This is what happens when they suddenly emerge in an unsuspecting shopping mall somewhere in The Netherlands. With the support of main sponsor ING, entrance to the museum is free on the 13th of April from 12:00 to 00:00.

Updated: October 31, 2014: Another creative breakthrough from the Rijksmuseum, this time with a navigation aid.

As explained in an article in Fast Co Design:

The Netherlands’ Rijksmuseum has 100 rooms, housing more than 8,000 paintings and art pieces. . . . 

To help out confused museum-goers, Marjin van Oosten, a Dutch graphic designer based in New York, created the Paper Pathfinder for the Rijksmuseum. It pops up from compact 2-D form into a miniature 3-D paper model of the museum building, giving you an instant, visceral sense of the layout of the space. It requires no tape or operating instructions, and you can fold it back into its 2-D form and stow it in your bag or pocket when not in use. The Paper Pathfinder has just won a Dutch Design Award at Dutch Design Week.

Update: March 29: Great turnout tonight.  Nice to meet new folks and see friends from many different technology communities.  The video, with slides, is below.  (Slides only: History 2.0: Make History - Save History.)  Feedback always welcome.

Update: May 4: Selected as a featured presentation by Slideshare.

This talk builds on ideas originally presented April 17, 2010 at Boston BarCamp 5.  Thanks to those who provided early feedback on tonight's presentation, especially long-time friends and colleagues Victor Brilon and Darius Abbassi, and Janet and Neil Licht, who both understand deeply the challenges faced by small historical societies.