Three out of 4 U.S. students lack a basic understanding of democracy, of how the U.S. political system works and what it means to be a citizen of this country, according to national test scores released Wednesday.
That equals a failing grade in civics.
Fewer than half the country's eighth-graders were able to identify the purpose of the Bill of Rights on the 2010 National Assessment of Educational Progress. Most high school seniors couldn't identify a power granted to Congress by the Constitution or define the term "melting pot." Relatively few fourth-graders understood the concept of majority rule, as expected for their grade level.
The findings came from the national test, given every four years to thousands of the nation's fourth-, eighth- and 12th-graders.
Scores for high school seniors dropped to a 24 percent proficiency rate from 27 percent four years earlier. Eighth-graders held steady at 22 percent. Fourth-graders posted their highest civics scores since 1998, 27 percent proficient in the subject, up three percentage points from the 2006 tests.
Predictable result seen
Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor said the results from the Nation's Report Card show the predictable result of decades of neglect to civics education.
"These students will inherit our democracy, and we must empower them to preserve it and continue to perfect our union," said O'Connor, a supporter of civics education. "Knowledge of our system of government is not handed down through the gene pool."
Indeed, fewer than half of U.S. adults can name the three branches of government - executive, legislative and judicial, according to national surveys.
There is a "civics recession," with public education increasingly focused on creating workers rather than citizens, Charles Quigley, executive director of the Center for Civic Education, said in a statement.
Keeping the republic alive
"We are all familiar with the anecdote about the woman who asked Benjamin Franklin as he left the Constitutional Convention what kind of government he and the other framers had created," Quigley said. "He replied, 'A republic, if you can keep it.' "
At Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton, at least, students plan to keep it.
A team of 12th-graders took second place at the national We the People competition in Washington, D.C., this week, an event sponsored by the Center for Civic Education.
The students demonstrated critical thinking skills related to the U.S. Constitution and the role of citizens in our democracy.
They know how to create societal change, said their teacher and team coach, Kelvon Clegg.
"They all are a part of the government, and they know that," Clegg said. "No one can trick you and take it away from you."
After a year on her school's We the People team, student Molly Travis is more curious about her country and its place in the world and is keeping tabs on current events.
"Having the knowledge behind it, how government is supposed to work ... it allows you to be more part of the process and feel more connected to it," the 18-year-old said. "It's really taught me to be more involved."
The national assessment included 7,100 fourth-graders, 9,600 eighth-graders and 9,900 12th-graders. Most attended public schools, but some private school students also were included. State scores were not available.
The exam included multiple-choice questions as well as some that required students to fill in the blanks.
Education officials across the country have complained that the test questions don't always align with what's being taught at each grade level because curriculum varies state to state.
The national civics exam for fourth-graders, for example, includes questions on the purpose of international treaties - a subject first addressed in California's second-grade classrooms.
Civics emphasis waning
But the real problem is that policymakers aren't treating civics as seriously as they should, said Stephen Zack, president of the American Bar Association.
"The C - for civics - is just as crucial to our future as a nation as are the three R's," he said in a statement.
Funding is being directed to boost reading, writing and arithmetic, but civics is being treated with the same lack of respect as art, music and physical education, Zack noted.
Educators at San Francisco's Lowell High School are fighting that trend.
The school's 12th-grade American democracy courses focus on the basics but also offer students the opportunity to focus on their own interests. Topics might include court cases challenging laws or election-year processes.
"Part of the democratic process is to be well informed," said Alice Kwong-Ballard, who chairs Lowell's social studies department. "I am disappointed at how easily people are persuaded by (political) campaigns. We try to teach the kids to really read and understand."
Civics assessment
These questions were used in the 2006 assessment. The correct answer and percentage of students who answered correctly is included. Questions in the 2010 assessment have not been released.
Eighth-grade question:
What do all constitutional governments have?
A. Legal limits on political power.
B. A president as the head of government.
C. A bill of rights.
D. Separation of church and state.
(Answer: A - 51 percent got it right.)
12th-grade question:
Federalism: A way of organizing a nation so that two or more levels of government have authority over the same land and people.
Which fact about American government reflects the above definition of federalism?
A. Power is divided among legislative, executive and judicial branches.
B. Private organizations in the United States do much of the work that is performed by local governments in other countries.
C. Citizens in the United States are subject to both state and federal laws.
D. Citizens in the United States have a right to protection from intrusion into their private affairs.
(Answer: C - 43 percent got it right.)
Source: National Assessment of Educational Progress
The Nation's Report Card
This question was used in the 2006 assessment. Questions in the 2010 assessment have not been released.
Fourth-grade question:
Nations sometimes try to take what they need, even if it belongs to another country. Sometimes they do this by starting a war. What is a better way for a country to get what it needs?
A. Pretend it does not want it so the other country will sell it at a low price.
B. Make a treaty or an agreement with the other country for what it needs.
C. Ask the United Nations to force the other country to give it what it needs.
D. Ask the Supreme Court to decide what the other country should do.
(Answer B - 70 percent got it right.)
Test yourself: Answer eighth- and 12th-grade questions. A10
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment