( CNN ) -- It 's vital that young Americans learn the history of our amazing nation . Being an American requires knowing what it means to be an American . It 's the fabric that binds us together and helps us understand who we are . Today , unfortunately , many of our students are failing to learn American history , including our founding principles and values . And they 're failing to learn why America remains an exceptional nation . For two generations , we 've watched our nation 's memory of the past slip away . The problem of historic amnesia is widespread , as evidenced by alarming results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress , which tests students in grades four , eight and 12 in several broad subject areas every few years . Among the survey 's most frightening findings is our students ' lack of knowledge in U.S. history . Just 20 % of fourth-graders , 17 % of eighth-graders and 12 % of 12th-graders were at grade-level proficiency in American history in the 2010 exams . This lack of knowledge goes to the very basics . Only one in three fourth-graders could identify the purpose of the Declaration of Independence . Less than half understood why George Washington was an important American leader . And a majority of fourth-graders did n't know why the Pilgrims left England . These are frightening statistics , indicating that our children lack an understanding of our nation 's history and the traits that have made America great . As the author of three children 's books on American history , I 've visited many classrooms across the country to share the adventures of Ellis the Elephant , my time-traveling pachyderm , with children ages 4 to 8 . I 've found most young students to be energetic , enthusiastic and eager to learn . We can get children engaged in learning at an early age if we as adults have enthusiasm for learning as well . Our history includes wonderful role models . In writing `` Yankee Doodle Dandy '' ( published this week , in which Ellis the Elephant discovers the American Revolution ) , I was reminded that the brave men and women who fought to win our freedom were surprisingly young . Thomas Jefferson was 33 . James Madison was 25 . James Monroe was just 18 , barely older than a high-school graduate . And yet these patriotic heroes were engaged in profound , often dangerous work . They were models of sacrifice , civic-mindedness and determination . With education surveys showing dismal results , we must find creative ways to teach our children American history . In `` Yankee Doodle Dandy '' and the Ellis the Elephant series , my goal is to highlight the wonderful achievements of our country , to arouse a love for America and to communicate why America is indeed a special nation . Like children 's books , educational video games , too , have enormous potential to make history come alive . And we are only beginning to see the potential of online systems like Khan Academy to revolutionize learning . There are many ways to improve the challenged state of education , but parents , teachers and mentors must pursue them eagerly . It was 232 years ago this month , on October 19 , 1781 , that the British surrendered to George Washington 's Continental Army at Yorktown . This pivotal moment concluded an eight-year war in which thousands of brave men and women gave their lives to win the freedom we enjoy today . Yet we are for the first time in our history beginning to lose sight of our founders ' sacrifice and wisdom . We must fight historical amnesia to ensure that future generations continue to appreciate the greatness of our nation . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Callista Gingrich .
Callista Gingrich : Tests show a failure to teach students American history . She says few fourth-graders understand significance of George Washington . Most children eager to learn and will respond if adults are enthusiastic about history , she says .