Are We Becoming Historical Amnesiacs?

Last week the Philadelphia Inquirer ran a story about a Pennsylvania woman's campaign to make Holocaust education mandatory in state public schools. As part of her crusade, she went to different colleges and asked students basic questions about the Holocaust and World War II. If you have ever seen Jay Leno's "Jaywalking," you can imagine how this turned out.

SPOILER ALERT: It does not appear that she went to Villanova, so I am going to assume she knew Nova students had all the answers.

The problems of history education in the United States are not new. But what is the solution? What responsibilities do educators have in developing citizens who know their own history? How do we prevent students from becoming historical amnesiacs?