06646. BACK TO BASICS IN AMERICAN EDUCATION. This paper argues that trends in back to basics in the American educational system are based on the premise that all students should have both a basic knowledge or the three R's, and a common understanding of a broader pool of knowledge. This trend is seen in part as a reaction to "the loss of content" that accompanied education reforms of the 1960s and 70s. 6 pages, 0 footnotes, 0 bibliographic sources.