Policymakers Fail Test on Civics: Jason Caros

February 04, 2007
DAYTONA BEACH NEWS-JOURNAL
By JASON CAROS FLORIDA VOICE

One of the highest and most valuable objects to which the influence of a school can be made conducive consists in training our children in self-government.
-- Horace Mann

For a number of years now educators across America have been engaged in a concentrated effort to improve student reading proficiency, and rightly so. Reading is a gateway to the acquisition of knowledge and attainment of student success. Educators and policymakers must continue to focus their efforts in this area; however, they must simultaneously work in earnest to bolster another type of student literacy -- civic literacy.

Civics refers to the preparation students receive in order to understand and appreciate the important rights and responsibilities they have as citizens of the United States. Civic instruction has been, since the beginning of our history, an educational priority as recorded by George Washington in his final State of the Union address in 1796: "A primary object . . . should be the education of our youth in the science of government. In a republic, what species of knowledge can be equally important? And what duty more pressing . . . than communicating it to those who are guardians of the liberties of the country?"

Is civics a priority today? Civic preparation should be fostered throughout a student's education and in a variety of classes but the predominant place for this instruction is in the area of social studies where students learn history, civics and government, geography and economics.

In a recent survey report produced by The Florida Association of Social Studies Supervisors and prepared by Dr. Patrick Coggins of Stetson University, approximately 1,800 elementary teachers from around the state were polled about Social Studies instruction and it was found that 68 percent teach social studies for two hours or less per week and only 2.5 percent teach social studies five hours per week (compare this to 7.5 hours of weekly required reading instruction). What does this mean for the "experiment in democracy" we call The United States?

De-emphasizing civics and history at the elementary level has important ramifications. Civics instruction in the elementary grades involves essential foundational learning. In order for students to acquire the civic skills and dispositions commensurate with a responsible citizenry they must first absorb essential civic knowledge. If neglected in the elementary grades, civic education begins at the secondary level in a remedial manner, often times preventing students from completing the step-by-step process that should culminate in high school with students engaging in more advanced civic discourse and activity.

This lack of instruction and learning contributes to the general civic ignorance and apathy prevalent in our culture today. It is obvious to anyone who has eyes that many Americans have no clue about the most fundamental historical knowledge or principles our nation was founded on. Connected to this is the fact that civic participation is strikingly low. For example, in the results of the most recent national assessment of U.S. students on history and civics, via a test called the National Assessment of Educational Progress, it was found that 73 percent of fourth-graders could not identify the Constitution from among four choices as "the document that contains the basic rules used to run the United States government." Ninety-four percent of students in eighth grade could not give two reasons why it can be useful for a country to have a constitution; and 91 percent of students in grade 12 were unable to explain two ways that democratic society benefits from citizens actively participating in the political process.

In a 2005 University of Central Florida survey of more than 1,600 central Floridians, two-thirds of respondents could not name our state's two U.S. senators, both of whom reside in Central Florida, and Florida's voter turnout for the 2006 general election was a disappointing 46.8 percent, about 20 percent less than the average between 1954 and 2004.

When looking at statistics of youth participation in voting at the national level, one will find that voting among 18- to 24-year-olds has decreased 12 percentage points since the 1970s, and in comparison to the rest of the industrialized and democratic world, the United States has the lowest voter turnout of all nations.

It should go without saying that civic education is at the heart of democratic instructional endeavors. The reality is, though, that civics needs resuscitation at the elementary level and therapy at the secondary level. We have many wonderful teachers at all levels fighting the good fight, but there are too many gaps in our current system.

In a bipartisan effort to help improve civic education in Florida, former U.S. Sen. Bob Graham and former U.S. Rep. Lou Frey recently presented Gov. Charlie Crist, state legislators, members of the Department of Education and educational organizations with a report entitled, "Enlisting a New Generation of Florida Citizens." It is my sincere hope that this report will lead to constructive dialogue and action that will strengthen civic education in our state. Florida's future depends on it.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?
"Enlisting a New Generation of Florida Citizens," a joint report from the Lou Frey Institute at the University of Central Florida and the Bob Graham Center at the University of Florida, offers recommendation, listed below, for making civic education a priority . Tell us what you think. Write to Ideas/Civics, The Daytona Beach News-Journal, P.O. Box 2831, Daytona Beach, FL., 32120-2831; fax 386-258-1577, or e-mail letters@news-jrnl.com (place "civics" in the subject line):

· Make civic education an integral part of our public school curriculum: Florida's current learning standards treat civics as an afterthought. We must utilize the scheduled 2007 revision of the Sunshine State Standards in Social Studies to update and strengthen those guidelines so that schools give students all of the skills they need to be effective citizens.

· Test civics on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test: Florida currently examines students on reading, writing, mathematics, and science --in short, every core academic subject but civics and social studies. Without assessment and accountability, civics will remain under-emphasized. We must add civics knowledge and skills to the subjects tested on the FCAT.

· Encourage and support teaching of civics in Florida's K-12 schools: Students will not be transformed into active citizens without teachers who are properly trained and empowered. We must make civics instruction an essential part of teacher education at Florida's colleges and universities and help teachers already in the classroom enhance their civics teaching skills and methods.

· Lead the nation in textbook improvement: Because of its strength in the textbook market, Florida has both an opportunity and a responsibility to improve instructional materials in civics as well as other core subjects. Educational policymakers must make use of Florida's unique influence to update academic standards, build instructional coalitions with other states, and review our own textbook selection process so that students in the state and across the country have the right learning tools.

· Establish a strategic center for Florida citizenship: Civics education is currently championed by a diffuse and independent array of students, parents, educators, elected officials, public policy centers and advocacy organizations. We must establish and fund a center to support and help coordinate these efforts, monitor Florida's civic health, and keep us on track to produce educated and effective citizens.

Caros is president of the Florida Association of Social Studies Supervisors (www.fasss.org) and K-12 Social Studies Curriculum Specialist for Volusia County Schools. He contributed to the development of "Enlisting a New Generation of Florida Citizens," a report led by Bob Graham and Lou Frey.