That video of Harvard students failing the 1964 Louisiana literacy exam is funny—until you realize that the hypocrisy behind the poll test is alive and well today.

The Vault is Slate’s new history blog. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter @slatevault, and find us on Tumblr. Find out more about what this space is all about here. Update, 7.3: Read more ...

You may have read by now that U.S. fourth-graders who participated in an international test known as PIRLS just dropped in the rankings. PIRLS stands for the Progress in International Reading ...