<P> In 1983, the National Commission on Excellence in Education released a report titled A Nation at Risk . Soon afterward, conservatives were calling for an increase in academic rigor including an increase in the number of school days per year, longer school days and higher testing standards . English scholar E.D. Hirsch made an influential attack on progressive education, advocating an emphasis on "cultural literacy"--the facts, phrases, and texts that Hirsch asserted are essential for decoding basic texts and maintaining communication . Hirsch's ideas remain influential in conservative circles into the 21st century. Hirsch's ideas have been controversial because as Edwards argues: </P> <Dl> <Dd> Opponents from the political left generally accuse Hirsch of elitism . Worse yet in their minds, Hirsch's assertion might lead to a rejection of toleration, pluralism, and relativism . On the political right, Hirsch has been assailed as totalitarian, for his idea lends itself to turning over curriculum selection to federal authorities and thereby eliminating the time - honored American tradition of locally controlled schools . </Dd> </Dl> <Dd> Opponents from the political left generally accuse Hirsch of elitism . Worse yet in their minds, Hirsch's assertion might lead to a rejection of toleration, pluralism, and relativism . On the political right, Hirsch has been assailed as totalitarian, for his idea lends itself to turning over curriculum selection to federal authorities and thereby eliminating the time - honored American tradition of locally controlled schools . </Dd> <P> By 1990, the United States spent 2 per cent of its budget on education, compared with 30 per cent on support for the elderly . </P>

When did high school become mandatory in the united states