I have come across a number of commentators lamenting about civics education being squeezed out of the school curriculum in the U.S., which they believe has contributed to increasing disunity/division in the country.
So, what happened? And if a weaker shared understanding of civics exists among Americans today, what should be done about it?
I have lived outside the U.S. for some time now and haven’t followed educational developments so closely. Growing up in the 1980s, IIRC I think my sense of civic responsibility was shaped through role modelling by adults/leaders in the community, the ongoing Cold War (i.e., i think people back then were more attuned to differences in political/economic systems) and what I saw on TV (including Schoolhouse Rock clips!) rather than through classroom teaching.
MA doesn’t require civics but does require a year of US History by law in high school. Maybe, tangentially, some civics is taught there.
I used to ask my students what high school subjects were mandated by state LAW (not dept. of Educ. guidelines, etc., but actually laws passed by legislature),
It blew their mind when I told them it was US History and Phys. Ed! They were shocked that math and english weren’t mandated by law!
Illinois just added a civics requirement to public HS curriculum 2 or 3 years ago. It can be satisfied by taking a semester course, or by certain upper level courses like AP Govt.
California’s Dept of Ed requires civics for graduation. Also, California publics have a-g admissions requirements, one of which is a civics course. I’m surprised other states don’t require this. I do personally think all schools should require a full four years of history (including civics and economics), as well, but I digress.
In Michigan, a .5 credit civics/government course is required for graduation: “The course shall include the form and functions of the federal, state, and local governments and shall stress the rights and responsibilities of citizens. A diploma shall not be issued by a high school to a pupil who has not successfully completed this course.” The same requirement was in place eons ago, when I was in high school.
The high school that I attended long ago required one semester of civics then, and still does now. However, now students have the option of taking AP US government instead of regular civics.
The “a” requirement (history and social studies) for UC and CSU frosh admission specifies a year of US history or a semester of US history plus a semester of US government (civics), in addition to history or social studies electives to make a total of two years: University of California Counselors
Many thanks for your responses. So, the educational system might not be the principal issue, unless there are significant shortcomings in what’s taught in these courses (too cursory, slanted, etc.).
Oh, you’re right about that. I didn’t pay much attention to that finer distinction given my girls have 3 years of history, plus civics and econ. Regardless, civics is required by the CDE. I suppose the a-g is done that way for OOS students?
Honestly, I do think the educational system is a principal issue, but it’s not because of a lack of civics education (which apparently is the case in some states). IMO, the crux of the problems we are having is the severe decline in the quality of K-12 education in general nationwide. But that’s a whole different discussion.
“Civics and Economics” is a standard 8th grade course in our PA district. I don’t remember taking a Civics class growing up in NJ (back in the Paleolithic days).
It is very unfortunate that both the young and old have virtually no understanding of our constitutional systems of government. Even worse considering that all of the source documents are available for free on the internet. I think that that is part of the reason for the current divide, and the deliberate splintering of the country for political gain by all parties.
Both of my kids took AP Gov. (they did not attend the same HS), and I was under the impression that Gov (AP or regular) was required - I could be mistaken (we live in Northern Virginia.
I do not recall taking any civics/gov classes in HS. I am an avid reader though and read nonfiction as well as fiction. I also read multiple newspapers and get news from multiple sources. I have observed that the people I know ( a very diverse group- different education levels, differing levels of income, rural/urban, etc) who chose to be better informed are much more aware and have better critical thinking skills no matter what their background.
All 9th graders take a civics course in our CO district. They receive a pocket U.S. Constitution as part of their class materials. Both U.S. History and World History are also required for graduation.
People tend to forget info that they don’t use regularly. Many, many people were taught in school how the government works; they were also taught how to identify iambic pentameter and how to solve a quadratic equation. If they had no reason to use this knowledge regularly, they might well have forgotten it. That doesn’t mean that the education system failed to teach it or is no longer teaching it.