When my 8-year-old began asking questions about the world, I realized that there was a lack of guidance for parents in teaching their children about being active, engaged citizens.
This gap is even more evident in my college classroom, where many of my students do not know how to vote, have not read the Constitution, and are unaware of the state and local political offices responsible for many of our quality-of-life decisions.
As a parent and a professor at Stevens Institute of Technology, I have seen firsthand how crucial civic knowledge is to young people – and how it is lacking. This is not just a problem in my area; it is a national challenge that we can no longer ignore.
Despite the abundance of information available to us, a significant number of Americans struggle to grasp the basics of our political system. National assessments show that civic knowledge has not improved since 1998, with only 23 percent of eighth graders performing at or above the “proficient” level.
Civic education in schools often falls short. Scores on Advanced Placement government tests consistently rank among the lowest across all AP subjects.
The urgency of this issue is amplified by our current political climate. A majority of people, regardless of party affiliation, believe that the country is heading in the “wrong direction.” Without treating civic know-how as a fundamental skill, we will continue to feel bewildered and disillusioned.
With the upcoming national elections – and all elections to come – we need to prioritize civic education. Solutions must be integrated into everyday life, both at home and in school.
While higher education institutions like Stevens can contribute to this education in early adulthood, as a nation, we need to start much earlier.
There are numerous obstacles facing K-12 schools when it comes to teaching civics. After the No Child Left Behind Act, social studies and civics were deprioritized in favor of reading and math.
Social studies and civics teachers often receive the least support and are frequently required to take on coaching or administrative roles in addition to their teaching responsibilities.
Government classes, usually offered in the senior year of high school, come too late for students to develop a strong understanding, and state laws increasingly restrict political activities and discussions of various sociopolitical topics in schools.
For example, Florida recently enacted a law that effectively prevents third-party voter registration organizations from working in high schools and on college campuses. Additionally, concerns about parental complaints lead teachers to limit political conversations in the classroom.
This lack of emphasis on civics instruction must change. No one enjoys playing a game without knowing the rules, and it is simply unfair for a child to go through 13 years of schooling only to graduate without understanding the political system they are entering.
That is why I wrote “How to Raise a Citizen (And Why It’s Up to You to Do It).” Parents need to play a key role and support the integration of civics at every grade level, starting early and building on concepts just as we do with other subjects.
Imagine if parents took on this role by discussing government and politics at the dinner table, encouraging their children to ask questions, and showing them how to get involved in community and local government activities.
This way, we would have more young adults who understand the system they will soon inherit.
Parents and educational leaders can do more in this area. For young children, we should focus on building vocabulary and awareness of governmental structures.
This will involve reallocating school time to social studies and civics. Students need repeated exposure to new words and ideas to develop a working understanding, so the earlier the introduction, the better.
Lessons in Civics
The Hechinger Report and Retro Report partnered to produce work about how students are participating in civic life and how they are being taught the significance of that activity.
Children should study the primary documents of the U.S. to understand the basics of our system and begin to learn about primary elections, which are often only briefly covered in most school settings.
Visual models can help students make connections; lessons can include diagramming how a bill becomes a law, modeling checks and balances, and discussing the overlapping and distinct powers in our federalist system.
We can also help children understand specific civic issues connected to their local communities.
Middle schoolers and high schoolers can handle broader concepts and ideas. Young people at this age can and do engage in community involvement; parents and schools should foster these efforts.
High school should be all about turning theory into action. Experts agree that a high-quality civic education requires “action civics,” in which students learn by doing rather than just reading. Simulations of elections, legislative hearings, and courtroom activities are examples of active learning shown to be impactful and memorable.
Research shows that teaching civics through active learning is related to increased civic participation. If we want our students to get the most out of their education, we must prepare them to understand and engage with our political system.
Dedicated efforts to increase educational focus on civics will enhance student self-efficacy and ensure the vitality of our democratic traditions.
With the election on the horizon, now is the perfect time to start these conversations and integrate civic education into our daily lives.
This reprioritization has to happen day in and day out, during presidential election years and all others. By committing to this, we can raise a generation of informed, active citizens ready to take on the challenges of our democracy.
Let’s give our kids the tools they need to understand and participate in the world around them – starting now.
Lindsey Cormack is an associate professor at the Stevens Institute of Technology and author of “How to Raise a Citizen (And Why It’s Up to You to Do It).”
Contact the opinion editor at [email protected].
This story about civics education was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for Hechinger’s weekly newsletter.
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