The Death of Civics Education in America

• In Event: Interactive Roundtable Discussions & Member Community Information Tables
  In Interactive Roundtable: Youth Leadership Interactive Roundtable Discussions

Short Description

The domination of standardized testing within American schools has nearly eliminated attention to civics. What are the implications? Are there alternative pathways? This roundtable will explore ways to create civically-engaged youth leaders without the presence of formal civics education.

Detailed Abstract

One-third of Americans cannot name all three branches of government, and much of the population does not know which party controls the House and Senate (Annenberg Public Policy Center, 2014). Democratic principles and youth leadership taught through principles of civic education, and civic participation/activism has been a central focus of American education since the 1800s (McKinney, 2016). Civics curriculum focuses on key characteristics and actions that students should possess to participate and lead in a democracy, which often includes the ability to listen carefully, reasonably use critical thinking to understand the evidence, and clearly articulate demands and concern within the public sphere (Wheeler-Bell, 2014). However, over the course of time, educational reform has shifted focus to student achievement through standardized tests and college-level preparation courses, which has inherently has left essential democratization education (U.S. Department of Education, 2012). Due to the lack of civic education and civic engagement activities, it is not surprising to know that a mere 23% of first time voters in the 2016 election believe that the United States is heading in the correct direction (Center for Generational Kinetics, 2016). Reshaping civics education is vital to the reproduction of democracy in the United States. However, as the reign of President Trump has emerged, the title of full democracy was removed from the United States. It is critical to understand these implications for tomorrow’s leaders and what this means for democracy.

The purpose of this session is to create an open dialogue of how to create civically engaged youth leaders without the presence of civic education or political activism / civic engagement taught in the classroom of the United States.

Participant

• Jennifer Dane, The Ohio State University