A journalist’s view on civics education |
On Board Online • November 19, 2012
By Eric D. Randall
Editor-in-Chief
I first met education writer Lawrence Hardy at a National School Boards Association conference more than a decade ago. Energetic and mirthful, he can find more things to chuckle over in a conversation than Joe Biden in debate mode. He has been an editor at the American School Board Journal magazine since 1997 and previously was a reporter for the Charlottesville (Va.) Daily Progress and the Wilmington (Del.) News-Journal.
Larry wrote the cover story for ASBJ’s Nov. 2012 issue, which asked two questions of importance to school board members and anyone who cares about democracy: “Why is civics education on the wane? What can you do about it?” Below, our conversation.
Q: Not all school board members are familiar with the American School Board Journal. Tell me about it.
A: The American School Board Journal is NSBA’s monthly magazine. It was founded in 1891 and is one of the oldest magazines in the country. NSBA acquired it in 1967. The magazine has a circulation of about 30,000 and is read by school board members, administrators, and other subscribers throughout the United States and Canada.
Q: The magazine has sent up a red flag by stating that civics education is “on the wane.” How so?
A: Yes, that’s true in a lot of school districts. A recent report by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) called students’ civic knowledge “dismal,” noting, for example, that only 27 percent of fourth graders could identify the purpose of the U.S. Constitution, and just 22 percent of eighth-graders understood the role of the U.S. Supreme Court.
On the other hand, civics education is getting a big push from some high-profile players, such as retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who founded the group iCivics. Its website offers online activities for students in subjects like citizenship, the Bill of Rights, foreign policy, and national defense.
Q: Please appall me with an anecdote about the crashing political ignorance of our youth.
A: Here’s one from Sheila Kennedy, who teaches government at Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis, and is a former director of the Indiana Civil Liberties Union. She once asked students in a government class what James Madison might have thought about the constitutionality of Internet porn.
“Who’s James Madison?” one student asked.
And it’s not just youth. Kennedy tells another story about a man who came up to her after a civic club speech in which she said the American Civil Liberties Union “only sues the government, because only the government can violate your civil liberties.”
“You’re a liar!” the man said. “You said the ACLU only sues the government. Well, you sue school boards all the time.”
Q: Is there something wrong with the way our schools are teaching civics?
A: Yes. It’s too boring. Not everywhere, of course. Teachers sometimes are reluctant to bring up controversial issues – the very things that would liven up civics classes and make them meaningful for students. Some districts just barely cover their state requirements, and that doesn’t energize kids.
Q: So should civics classes be watching bits from The Daily Show or The Colbert Report? Staging debates? What?
A: In my ASBJ story, I gave several examples of school districts that are making civics more relevant to the lives of students. In Johnson County, Tenn., fifth-grade students from Doe Elementary School persuaded their school board to make safety changes on their driveway and consider the possibility of building a second access road. The project was done with the help of Project Citizen, a program sponsored by the California-based Center for Civic Education.
In Lynn, Mass, the school district worked with North Shore Community College to help form a youth liaison committee to report to the city council. And, in an even more ambitious program, students at Community West High School in West Chicago, Ill., do a semester-long simulation of the U.S. House of Representatives. The students come up with a “bill” they want to consider – usually something that deals with a controversial issue such as immigration, affirmative action, or the so-called “death tax.” They form political parties, elect a House speaker and floor leaders, set up committee hearings – basically do everything the real House does (minus the rancor).
Q: What can school boards do to support civics education?
A: I asked the same question of civics education expert Diana Hess, who teaches at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is a consultant for the Spencer Foundation. She said school boards “have a real role to play” in preparing their students to be active and engaged citizens. They need to support a rich social studies curriculum spanning all grades, from kindergarten through 12th grade. They need to support strong professional development programs for social studies and civics teachers, something that is often absent when it comes to the “soft” sciences. And they need to encourage teachers – with the proper training, of course – to tackle controversial issues in class and then support those teachers if there is pushback.
Q: How about parents?
The phrase “parents are the first teachers” may be cliché by now, but it’s true – whether you’re talking about encouraging children in academics, sports, arts and music – or civic engagement. Obviously, talking about these issues at the dinner table will peak their interest. And just recognizing national holidays can be a benefit. For example, a 2010 Harvard study found that children who regularly celebrated the Fourth of July were more likely to vote as adults.
Q: You’re a dad. Are your girls interested in politics?
A: Sort of. They’re 11 and 8, so it’s kind of hard to explain things like the sequestration debate to them. Come to think of it, I have a hard time explaining it to myself! But I have taught them about spin. We were watching the Democratic Convention on TV when San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro was asked an impossible, loaded question: Former Gov. Michael Dukakis has called Mitt Romney a ‘fraud.’ Do you think Mitt Romney’s a fraud? I asked them how they would answer a question like that. The older one gave a safe non-answer, and my 8-year-old was able to suggest, very sweetly: “Let’s change the subject!”