Why Civic Education Needs a Boost

The next U.S. president won't be selected for more than a year, but election season is already in full swing. With it comes a timely -- if not urgent -- opportunity to help students become more engaged citizens.

We have some catching up to do when it comes to preparing the next generation of voters to take an active role in their democracy. A new report on the status of civic education points to a startling lack of understanding, among adults and youth alike, about the nuts and bolts of government. Fewer than half of Americans can name the three branches of government. Only a third of eighth-graders can explain why the Declaration of Independence was written. Fewer than one in five high school seniors can tell how democracy is strengthened by citizen participation. These are among the statistics cited by Guardian of Democracy: The Civic Mission of Schools, released this month by the Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools (download a copy).

What's more, Americans living on a media diet of talk radio and Internet rumors risk forgetting how to engage in respectful dialogue or critically evaluate half-truths. As the report points out, "The only way to escape from these vicious cycles is to educate citizens to think critically and demand facts and evidence from the media and their elected officials." It's not enough, apparently, to watch Saturday Night Live parodies of the candidate debates.

Despite a gloomy introduction, the report offers reason for hope. Civic education not only prepares students for their future as citizens, but also offers opportunities for them to develop and apply the critical-thinking skills they'll need for college and careers. The report suggests that learning about civics promotes a positive school culture and may even lead to higher graduation rates. "High-quality civic learning teaches the importance of community (both within the school and more broadly), respectful dialogue about controversial issues, creative problem solving, collaboration, teamwork, and the importance of diversity," according to the authors. Acknowledging that more research is needed, they suggest that civic learning "can be a vital tool to help move America's most at-risk students toward graduation."

Classroom-Ready Resources

Many good resources are available to help you use election season as a springboard for deep and engaging learning. Here are a few examples:

Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, an advocate for civic education, offers this observation in Guardian of Democracy: "Knowledge about our government is not handed down through the gene pool. Every generation has to learn it, and we have some work to do."

How will you share this important knowledge with your students? How do they respond to projects that ask them to put citizenship to good use? Please contribute your ideas.