Given these startling statistics, one would assume that American educators would be working feverishly to find new ways to improve civics courses. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Only nine states and the District of Columbia require a full year of civics education as a requirement for high school graduation. Thirty-one states require students enroll in only one half-year course.
As a former public high school teacher, one who taught courses in both American government and U.S. history, I have firsthand experience in the civics classroom crisis. Like many who have taught these courses before, I believe it is virtually impossible to provide children with the civics education they need in an eight-week civics “crash course.” It’s simply not enough time to dive into this important and complex subject. Civics, at the very least, should be a full-year course, and students should be offered opportunities to take additional, more advanced civics courses as well.
Second, civics standards need a total overhaul. It’s not enough to teach kids how bills become laws, they need to know more about their rights as Americans and understand the history behind the constitutional protections they have been provided. The United States is an exceptional place, but most students are being taught the opposite is true. Yes, some truly terrible things have happened in America — just as they have in all countries — but the United States’ commitment to personal freedom has made America the most powerful, wealthy, successful nation the world has ever seen. Students need to understand these ideas. Civics isn’t about laws, it’s about rights and personal freedom.
Third, state standards are too narrowly focused on knowledge attainment. States typically don’t offer students any form of experiential learning as part of their civics standards. No wonder youth participation in politics is abysmally low. If schools want to improve civics scores, they should teach children why civics is important, and the best way to do that is by getting them directly involved with the lawmaking process through internships, volunteer opportunities, and field trips to local and state government buildings, including state capitols.
Fourth, and perhaps most important, students and parents should be given access to universal education savings accounts, which allow kids to go to any school their parents like. This would permit parents who care about civics to have the option of enrolling their children in schools that teach the values they are most concerned with.
Although these solutions will not solve the civics crisis overnight, they would be a step in the right direction. But in order for any of this to occur, teachers and parents need the freedom and flexibility to accomplish these goals — flexibility they have been denied by bureaucrats and some disinterested politicians who have proven repeatedly they don’t care about improving civics.
Achieving progress requires a completely different approach.