Education Research Report: Both social media use and First Amendment appreciation are growing among high school students

Education Research Report: Both social media use and First Amendment appreciation are growing among high school students:

Both social media use and First Amendment appreciation are growing among high school students

by Jonathan Kantrowitz

While social media have been blamed for teen ills from narcissism to cyberbullying, a new study offers an inspiring perspective: as social media use has grown in the United States, so has students’ appreciation for the First Amendment. The national study was released to coincide with the celebration of Constitution Day.

The Future of the First Amendment study found:

Both social media use and First Amendment appreciation are growing among high school students. More than three-quarters of students use social media several times a week to get news and information. Meanwhile, the percentage of students who believe “the First Amendment goes too far” in protecting the rights of citizens has dropped to a quarter (24 percent) in 2011 from nearly half (45 percent) in 2006.

There is a clear, positive relationship between social media use and appreciation of the First Amendment. Fully

Average Performance of U.S. Students Relative to International Peers on the Most Recent International Assessments in Reading, Mathematics, and Science

by Jonathan Kantrowitz

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The most recent U.S. results on international assessments of reading, mathematics, and science literacy are those from the 2006 PIRLS (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study), the 2007 TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study), and the 2009 PISA (Program for International Student Assessment).

The following analysis used the International Data Explorer, a web-based data tool on the NCES website that allows users to produce their own statistical analyses online, to compare the average scores of U.S. students in