Teach us our rights: Implement civics education in the classroom

I was raised by two Syrian immigrants who had, like millions before them, come to the U.S. in pursuit of the American Dream. 

America was exactly as Ronald Reagan described it — a beacon of hope — with a grandeur that no other nation can quite rival. My parents learned the intricacies of the U.S. and all it had to offer — from my mother’s right to vote to my father’s right to own a business. I learned to appreciate these rights and liberties from my parents, not from the classroom. Unfortunately, many other student do not learn the rights with which they are endowed as citizens.

According to a 2010 civics assessment by the National Assessment of Educational Process, less than half of eighth graders in the U.S. knew the purpose of the Bill of Rights. Most high school seniors could not identify one power granted to Congress by the Constitution, either. These results show a staggering deterioration of basic knowledge in our country’s most patriotic ideals — which proves quite concerning considering we are the people who will be taxed by this government and we are the people who should be casting a ballot. Our lack of civic knowledge portrays a lack of appreciation for the rights we have.

A large majority of states have decreased emphasis of civics in schools. In Pennsylvania, the government requires high schoolers to take three years of social studies in order to graduate. In most cases, the classes that fill this requirement are history classes — not civics — according to a study by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning & Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University. Only nine states require students to pass a social studies test to graduate from high school, and Pennsylvania is not one of them. New legislation tightening civics requirements would benefit adolescents preparing to enter the real world. Young adults who are educated on their rights may exercise them more. High schools, then, should have more stringent civics education requirements.

The NAEP’s 2010 civics assessment also showed that students make ample progress in civics at grade four, but not at grades eight or 12. Seventy-seven percent of fourth graders, 72 percent of eighth graders and just 64 percent of 12th graders scored at or above the basic level on standardized testing. 

By the time 4th graders reach the age that civics education matters most, these students won’t retain the information. Sixty-seven percent of 12th graders reported studying about the U.S. Constitution in 2010, according to the NAEP. This is abysmal, considering it is inarguably the most important document in our nation’s history, and these students are nearing the age at which understanding the nuances and intricacies of our government is indispensable. For example, if a citizen is not educated on their Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable searches and seizures, they may passively watch authorities illegally tear apart their home without a warrant.  

The gross deterioration in our generation’s basic civics knowledge is problematic, because this government represents us. Most of us have reached the legal voting age, so this information does not evade us — it is pragmatic. In my personal experience, knowing synthetic division and the chemical formula for glucose have helped me very little.  Yet, I’d like to know why so much of my paycheck goes toward social security and the difference between subsidized and unsubsidized loans.

These skills are imperative for creating effective citizens. Eighty percent of voting youth answer incorrectly about their state’s early registration rules. U.S. education must address this failure to incorporate civics in high school classrooms. This failure not only can produce impotent citizens, but contributes to the curtailment of patriotism. When civics classes are not being stressed in high schools, students disregard and lack interest in our country’s foundation.  

We may not live in a utopia, but my own relatives — Syrian refugees who fled to the U.S. — say that citizenship here is a gift from God himself. After speaking to people who have witnessed bombings and a totalitarian government most Americans will never experience, it’s difficult not to feel pride. We may never appreciate this country to the degree most immigrants do, but civics education would aid in students’ abilities to take active roles in our country as expected by our founding fathers.

North Dakota is one of the only states taking measures to circumvent this lack of civics education. New state legislation requires high school students to pass a 100-question civics test. The questions are some of the same ones given to immigrants applying to become citizens. Questions include naming the current U.S. president, the number of members in the House of Representatives and the year the Constitution was written. There are questions that will definitely come in handy when students begin filing federal income tax forms, such as when the deadline (April 15) is to file in order to avoid getting in trouble with the IRS. 

Similar efforts are underway in other states out west. The best part? The proposal doesn’t impose extra costs for schools, because the questions are available on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security website. High schools also have freedom in how they implement the test into their curriculum. This is an excellent example of a simple, cost-efficient remedy to the deteriorating civics education in our country.

This may sound like the agenda of an ardent conservative, but it shouldn’t. Everyone from Ronald Reagan to Barack Obama agreed on the notion of American exceptionalism — that we are indeed qualitatively different from other nations and enjoy qualities of life such as freedom. We should be educating students that we are guaranteed such a right. The most valuable method of doing this is through incorporating civics in the classroom, especially in high schools, where students will soon enter the real world and find it incredibly useful to have the knowledge of our government’s dynamics and our inalienable rights as Americans at their disposal. 

Write to Marlo at mes260@pitt.edu.