When respected national surveys – such as those done for the Annenberg Institute – reveal an alarming ignorance in the United States about the basic concepts of our government, something is seriously wrong.
How else can we respond to results that only show about one in three Americans can identify the three branches of government. The indicators get even worse when citizens are asked about the seminal scaffolding of government, including what the First Amendment means and the role of the Supreme Court.
After keeping the peace, education is the most important function of state and local government. As far back as 1846, Horace Mann said that “education must be sufficient to qualify each citizen for the civic and social duties he will be called to discharge.”
The education of new generations varies widely in the U.S. In general, children of the wealthy and well-educated do better on standardized tests than those from poor families. But in the 21st Century, there is a yawning gap in knowledge about civics and basic American history among way too many students.
There are many reasons for this. Those of a certain age will recall civics and basic notions of government being prominently taught in junior high and high school. Yet, over the years that changed. Some experts trace this to the 1960s, when the Vietnam and the Civil Rights Movement made teaching government contentious.
Others say the switch in emphasis to more intensive science, math and technology courses left civics behind. This we know –in a society that evaluates teachers on their students’ test scores, teachers are going to be under pressure to shape their classes to subjects tested.
It’s smart for the educational establishment to push classes that prepare students for the jobs of a new economy. Yet our society rarely questions what is being lost or neglected in a public school regime that ignores the building blocks of our democracy.
In our divisive times, is it proper to graduate only employable math and computer geeks who have scant knowledge of what voting is all about, what a city council does or what the rights and responsibilities of citizenship entail?
Massachusetts educators and lawmakers recognized the parlous state of civics education. A year ago, Beacon Hill enacted a law requiring civics and history teaching from the earliest grades through high school. The standards also require a full year civics course in grade 8, including media literacy studies.
Smith Hill has yet to follow suit. But the Rhode Island Center for Justice has filed a lawsuit in federal court to force public schools to provide civics training. The state has asked the court to dismiss the suit, but lawyers for the justice center expect the court to schedule a hearing for later this fall.
Back in 2014, the National Assessment of Educational Progress showed that just 23 percent of American eighth graders scored proficient or better in civics and that just 18 percent met standards for U.S. History.
Civics and history education doesn’t have to be anchored to a dull recitation of ancient facts. Under the guidance of informed teachers, students can learn critical thinking that enhances their view of humanity. Studying history is a refuge from what the critic Irving Howe called the “provincialism of the present” and the infatuation with fads.
Rhode Island is a fertile state in which to plant a revival of history studies. It’s a compact state with a long tradition of documenting and preserving historically significant sites. It would take but a modest investment to ensure that students get to experience such crucial venues as the Slater Mill, the immigrant experience portrayed at the Museum of Work and Culture or the legacy of the colonial slave trade in Newport.
Maybe it’s time to go even further and adopt an idea advanced by former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis. He said that passing a civics test should be a graduation requirement.
Our nation requires immigrants who become naturalized citizens to pass a citizenship test. Should we expect any less from high school grads?
Scott MacKay’s commentary can be heard every Monday morning at 6:45 and 8:45 and at 5:44 in the afternoon.
