The Need To Teach Civics, History and Government
Freedoms Forum Institute provides an exciting new way for young Americans to gain information and a sense of self-empowerment. Participants are asked to research constitutional and contemporary issues, investigate their own consciences about those issues, give voice to their concerns, and then organize themselves and move into thecommunity to affect positive change. Jeff Jacoby, Columnist for the Boston Globe cited in an article that the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) reports 14,000 randomly selected college seniors scored 53% ona 60 question multiple-choice test on U.S. history, government, foreign affairs and economics. More than half the students did not know the most basic questions such as being able to identify the source of the phrase, “We hold these truths tobe self-evident, that all men are created equal.” The correct answer: the Declaration of Independence.
The Problem:
For many years, we had a problem with youth voting, or, more precisely, not voting. Older Americans' voting rates held relatively steady at about 70 percent in presidential elections, while
voting rates for those under 30 steadily declined - from about 55 percent in 1972 to 40 percent in 2000.
It’s great that older Americans vote in such high numbers - democracy workswhen individuals vote their interests. 
When groups don't participate, their interests get lost. Social Security is untouchable because senior citizens vote; but no one talks about the youth unemployment rate, which is 18 percent; it is 3.7percent for adults 35 and older.
But so far in the 2008 primary season, youth turnout has risen in almostevery state (California saw a 4 percent increase), even tripling in Iowa, Georgia, Missouri and Oklahoma and quadrupling in Tennessee. Although these rates could be higher - youth turnout is still well below 50 percent in the primaries - at least we're moving in the right direction. Or are we?
- Only about half of Americans attend college during their young adult years, and as many as one-third do not even complete high school. Analysis of exit polls from the primaries by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Education reveals that 79 percent of young voters on Super Tuesday attended college. This trend was also evident in youth turnout rates: Of eligible young people with college experience, 1 in 4 voted on Super Tuesday, compared with just 1 in 14 of the non-college youth.
- In this country, it has been the job of the public schools to prepare young people for citizenship because a commitment to voting can be developed well before a person has the right to vote. Schools - as research demonstrates - can do a great deal to develop this and other commitments to civic participation.
- The problem is that schools are not providing these opportunities equally. As part of the California Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools, we analyzed surveys of more than 2,500 California high school seniors and a nationally representative sample of ninth-graders. We found that access to opportunities for learning about politics and citizenship depend on a student's wealth, academic skills and race.
The low participation rates of young people who didn't attend college means that little attention will be paid to their priorities and perspectives on everything from the war in Iraq to who should get rebates as part of the economic stimulus package. Indeed, the young people most likely to be affected by the war in Iraq or a downturn in the economy are often politically silent. But has anyone taught them to speak?
Studies show that when students have the opportunity to learn civic responsibility, their commitment to voting increases regardless of race, ethnicity or family background. Discussions of current events, interacting with civic leaders, engaging in simulations of civic processes, and learning about and taking action to resolve community problems all foster students' commitment and capacity for participation.
Students whose families are wealthy are up to twice as likely as those whose families have average incomes to learn how laws are made and how Congress works, for example. They are more than 1 1/2 times as likely to report having political debates and panel discussions. African American students are less likely than white students to have civic-focused government classes, participatory civic lessons. Latino students, too, report fewer of these opportunities. This shows that schools are perpetuating inequality when they could be rectifying it. If we are to truly educate kids, we cannot rely solely on the reading and math skills emphasized in the climate of No Child Left Behind. We must teach the skills young people need to become engaged, active and effective citizens.
Joseph Kahne, Peter Levine
San Francisco Chronicle
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Joseph Kahne is research director of the Civic Engagement Research Group (civicsurvey.org) and dean of the School of Education at Mills College. Peter Levine is director of the Center for Information and Research on Civic Education (civicyouth.org) at the University of Maryland. Contact us at insight@sfchronicle.com.
The Solution:
So what can be done? Make civic learning opportunities part of the curriculum that all students receive, especially at schools serving low-income students. The resources it would take to implement such changes are small compared to the payoff: a dynamic, vital democracy, and engaged citizens reflecting the wealth of American diversity. The cost of inaction is great - democracy for some is not democracy at all.
At Freedoms Forum Institute, we're contributing to the solution by providing financial support to Forum for Democracy, a 21st-century forum where students can participate in, and learn about, our country's civic institutions. Find out how Forum for Democracy is helping students across America earn college credits while participating in their communities.