By Molly and Richard Jesse, for SPEAK Vermont

To graduate from Essex High School, students must earn a minimum of 24 course credits. In terms of Civic education, only 0.5 credit in American Government is required. A single 0.5-credit course on our system of government is insufficient. For comparison, students are required to complete 4 credits in English, 3 credits in Mathematics, and 3 credits in Science.

Why Civic Education?

Rebecca Winthrop, in her article from the Brookings Institution, provides the answer as to why Civic education is necessary:

“Americans’ participation in civic life is essential to sustaining our democratic form of government. Without it, a government of the people, by the people, and for the people will not last. Of increasing concern to many is the declining levels of civic engagement across the country, a trend that started several decades ago. Today, we see evidence of this in the limited civic knowledge of the American public, 1 in 4 of whom, according to a 2016 survey led by Annenberg Public Policy Center, are unable to name the three branches of government [and 3 out of 10 unable to name any one of the three branches].”

“In the words of Chief Justice John Roberts, ‘Civic education, like all education, is a continuing enterprise and conversation. Each generation has an obligation to pass on to the next, not only a fully functioning government responsive to the needs of the people, but the tools to understand and improve it.’”

Civic Learning Defined

Winthrop further proceeds to describe civic learning:

“The term civic learning evokes for most Americans their high school civics class in which they learned about the U.S. Constitution, the three branches of government, and how a bill becomes a law. This knowledge and information is essential—after all how can young people be expected to actively participate in democracy if they are unaware of the basic rules of the game?—but it is by no means sufficient. There is an emerging consensus across the many scholars and organizations that work on civic learning that imparting knowledge must be paired with developing civic attitudes and behaviors. For example, CivXNow, a bipartisan coalition of over one hundred actors including academic and research institutions, learning providers, and philanthropic organizations, argues that civic education must include a focus on:

1. Civic knowledge and skills: where youth gain an understanding of the processes of government, prevalent political ideologies, civic and constitutional rights, and the history and heritage of the above.
2. Civic values and dispositions: where youth gain an appreciation for civil discourse, free speech, and engaging with those whose perspectives differ from their own.
3. Civic behaviors: where students develop the civic agency and confidence to vote, volunteer, attend public meetings, and engage with their communities.”

Conclusion

Having only a single 0.5-credit course – a scant two percent (2%) of the 24-credit high school graduation requirement – deprives our students of a rich Civic education. The Civic requirement should be at least as important as English, Mathematics, and Science. It should be increased to 4 credits. Upon graduation, our students need to be aware of how steeped our country is in values that recognize both¹ the uniqueness of our form of government and² how exceptional our country is in offering Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness to all without regard to religion, race, sex, ethnicity, or other demographic factors.

SPEAK VT is a registered non-profit corporation in Vermont, dedicated to excellence in educating our children.

1. Winthrop, Rebecca (2020, June). The need for civic education in 21st-century schools. Brookings. ↩︎
2. https://www.brookings.edu/policy2020/bigideas/the-need-for-civic-education-in-21st-century-schools/ ↩︎