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The Edutopia Poll
by Sara Bernard
In September 2006, the University of Connecticut's Department of Public Policy and the Intercollegiate Studies Institute issued a report called "The Coming Crisis in Citizenship" that pointed out an alarming lack of civic knowledge among students at the country's most elite universities.
The majority of incoming freshmen and college seniors surveyed scored barely higher than 50 percent on an exam covering basic concepts in American history, politics, and government. Some say that this speaks volumes to the dearth of civic education requirements in schools, at the K-12 levels as well as in college. Others argue that college students have simply not retained the information that they learned in high school, though this doesn't necessarily signify a lack of civic awareness. We're interested in your opinion.
I am currently a college
Submitted by Allyson Gauthier (not verified) on January 20, 2008 - 14:40.
I am currently a college freshman, and only recently have I come to understand even a fraction of the importance of civics in our country. With this being the case, I think it is so important to teach young children about the foundations of our country. They are growing up in a time where politics seem corrupt and an active citizentry is something that is rarely seen. It is never too early to begin molding children into the ideal citizens necessary to run our country, and I believe the job should fall jointly onto the shoulders of both the family and the school.
Some questions I pose include the following:
1. How should children be shown th importance of voting in a time when very few of their parents do it themselves?
2. How has the application of civics in education changed in recent years and what can teachers or future teachers do to improve its quality?
If I recall my Ed. History
Submitted by Roberta (not verified) on November 16, 2006 - 06:10.
If I recall my Ed. History 101, one of the purposes for public education was to make good, thinking citizens. I think public education has lost that as one of its fundamental purposes for public education. We need to help our students to think, compare, and research facts before they vote. Mock voting, having students participate in current events and so forth can all contribute to helping them become better voters. Even logic should be taught to students in order to learn how they can be duped into false premises.
We do need greater
Submitted by Chuck Fellows (not verified) on November 16, 2006 - 23:02.
We do need greater opportunties for our citizens to explore the processes of governance.
Throwing more resources at Civics education is the wrong strategy, and the root cause of such a dismal knowledge performance.
Use resources to build relevance and relationships into Civics education. Provide credit for active participation in the process of governing and make it a requirement for every Representative's and Senator's term in office.
Example - the purposes of government as described by the symbolism on the reverse side of a dollar bill.
im a high school graduate
Submitted by robert c anderson (not verified) on November 16, 2006 - 19:09.
im a high school graduate from a public school, who enjoyed civics, economics and history classes id like to say that i do agree with the fact that kids learn how to work together and have a well understood group civic mentality, but that doesnt really tell kids about goverment and polices and laws as much as teach us a sort of lord of the flies kind of way of lifestlye.and kids have slowly stopped caring about maintaining the laws and basicly every thing the u.s. constituion is. although i do think the us constition sould be severly looked over it is still fundementaly sound, and i think the past 50 years should be focused on more in school, although we've progessed so rapidly in the past 50 years teaching children about what has been acomplished does ad a strong sense of confusion. were dealing with a strong rift in change from the start of the industrial age were much of civic thoughts had not changed and now its kind of like decades have turned into centuries as far as change in "progessive america". in big picture sense with other countrys competeing in growth we have all turned into a bunch of whos betters, kind of teaching are kids that mentality, theres nothing wrong with pushing yourself to be better but with out proper teaching of civics and in a sense respect for all. its no wonder why our kids have these issues, caring about whats going on and there only way of peicing it all together is looking for them selves. and thats why every kid who i know really cares feels connected but so alone when it comes time to talking about it
When was the last time we
Submitted by Michelle Tamburini (not verified) on November 17, 2006 - 04:19.
When was the last time we taught Civics? I am 47, a veteran teacher of Spanish, and cannot remember the last time we taught this. I believe the infrastructure of the deterioration of behavior and/or values in moral and ethical thought regarding citizenship starts at home, the trunk of the educational tree, so to speak. With so many disconnected and disfunctional families, teachers and administrators are having increasingly more difficult issues with which to grapple in terms of student behavior at school, let alone in the communities in which many of us live.
I am the "detention teacher" at my high school. This has been an eye opening experience. I view it as an opportunity to try to make a difference in these young people who are in one form of trouble or other. I greet them with a smile, treat them with respect, and try to help them as best I can. My smile may be the only one they ever get in a day. Still, I am simply astonished by the vulgarities hurled at me on a daily basis.
We are almost at mid-year in our school calendar. I want to feel like a professional educator when I come to and leave school at the end of each day, expecting educational excellence and behavior from myself and my students. Most days I leave beleagured, worn out, beat down. I don't look forward to the next day. And yes, as hard as it is to admit, I am looking to leave the classroom. I must preserve my health and well being. Sadly, that 5% of students who really want to learn will not be getting the benefit of my experitise and experience in the coming years.
Respect is, and always has been my #1 credo and rule in my classroom. Sadly, the fruits of my labor and love are going elsewhere as soon as I can secure another job. I love education. I hate to leave it, and do so with guilt. But I cannot do this any longer. I sure hope there are those out there who can.
Michelle Tamburini,
El Dorado High School,
El Dorado, KS
My students are desperate to
Submitted by Ben Anderson (not verified) on November 16, 2006 - 22:00.
My students are desperate to understand the ideals on which this country was founded. They are desperate because they don't like being cynical about the intentions and actions of our leaders. These are kids whose first political realities involved Clinton and Lewinsky - for many of these kids, this set the foundation for their entire understanding of our political process. They crave conversations on "civic virtue" and "common good" because they understand something is wrong and they don't want to feel hopeless. I don't place full blame on schools for our kids not understanding basic civic ideas, but we need to compensate for a political system that under the critical eyes of teenagers is fundamentally broken. If we as teachers don't deal with this reality and adjust our teaching into a meaningful dialogue about these failures and what we need to do in order to fix them - our kids will see both our educational and political systems as meaningless.
Have you tried to register
Submitted by Sandra Holt (not verified) on November 16, 2006 - 02:35.
Have you tried to register anyone to vote lately? It will make you very sad to discover how little people know about the function of our country, states, and cities, and the peculiar reasons they give for not participating in democracy. They have not been taught to think that they can actually make a difference.
Congress for Dummies by David Silverberg is a great summer project for kids. Read the book, select an issue, and prepare to lobby. This is a wonderful and practical way to learn
how things work in a hands-on fashion, and far more interesting that any of the texts used in the classroom.
Having recently traveled to
Submitted by Scott Bowler (not verified) on November 16, 2006 - 04:24.
Having recently traveled to a few countries where not only is civics emphasized more than here, but where voting is mandatory, I was humbled. The people we visited with were not only knowledgeable about their own and world politics, but often passionately invoved in debate and action. In a country where more people voted for the latest "American Idol" than in recent elections, we have a real, pervasive, and damaging problem. We as a nation are degenerating into a place of "because I can" and "it feels good" instead of "I should do this because it's the right thing."
There are too many variables
Submitted by Joe Marshall (not verified) on November 14, 2006 - 19:55.
There are too many variables involved. I live and teach in a district where attendance is sporadic, parental involvement is there but lacking for those that are in the most need. Often at home, school and school work is a low priority. Yet I always do my best to teach ALL students.
Schools at all levels, by
Submitted by Ronald Paige (not verified) on November 15, 2006 - 14:52.
Schools at all levels, by institutionalizing segments of our environment into disciplines that students are then held individually accountable for have lost sight of what it means to be a whole person within a common society. Alas, it is not the student who is at fault for doing what we are holding him or her accountable for; it is the educational system that has lost sight of its holisitc civic mission.
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