A behaviorist's response to the report of the national commission on excellence in education.
We already own the answers to school failure; start demonstrating them instead of waiting for invites.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Pratt (1985) wrote a position paper. It answered the famous Nation at Risk report. That report said U.S. schools were failing.
The author listed five big fixes the nation wanted. He matched each fix to tools behavior analysts already had. No new data were collected.
What they found
The paper claims we do not need new programs. We need to sell the ones we have. Precision teaching, direct instruction, and data-based decision making already work.
The author says behavior analysts should walk into schools and offer these ready-made packages.
How this fits with other research
Leaf (2025) is a 40-year update. It shows the same gap still exists, but now in trainer quality, not school quality. Leaf says coursework and supervision must change. Pratt (1985) only said "use what we have."
Shepley et al. (2019) extends the idea into preschool. They blend ABA with early-childhood policy. This gives one real model for the school entry point B wanted.
Fantino (1981) came first. It maps behavior analysis moving into many fields. B narrows that map to K-12 education and adds a sales plan.
Why it matters
You can copy the pitch list today: fluency charts, class-wide peer tutoring, and daily timed probes. Walk into any struggling school and demo one. The paper reminds us that marketing proven tools is part of our job, not just building new ones.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The National Commission on Excellence in Education was charged with the responsibility for examining the quality of education in America. Its report, "A Nation at Risk" (1983), contained a set of alarming facts about the status of American education. These were followed by a set of five major recommendations for improving the situation. They related to (1) content, (2) standards and expectations, (3) time, (4) teaching, and (5) leadership and support. The present paper examines each of the set of recommendations from a behavior analytic perspective. It notes what the field of behavior analysis can say on the subject now; what it potentially might address and remediate at this time; what it might explore and predict; and in general what it can do to make a difference. Behavior analysis has made many important discoveries that should be communicated to educators and the public, and it has tools and concepts for further contributing toward the improvement of education.
The Behavior analyst, 1985 · doi:10.1007/BF03391910