How to teach civics

As the events of the past several weeks illustrate, too many Americans demonstrate a shocking lack of knowledge and respect for our democratic system and the laws that govern it.

Is that at least in part because they weren’t paying attention in history or government class?

Kansas Rep. Steve Huebert seems to think so.

Huebert, a Valley Center Republican and chairman of the House Education Committee, wants to require high school students to pass a citizenship test to get their high school diploma.

If approved, House Bill 2039 would require students in any public, private or parochial school to pass a 100-question test similar to the ones given to immigrants applying for U.S. citizenship, such as:

• What is the capital of the United States?

• How many amendments does the U.S. Constitution have?

• How long is a term for a U.S. Senator?

• And, what is the rule of law? Should Kansas high-schoolers know this? Absolutely. Anyone with a diploma should be able to name the three branches of government or tell you what the Bill of Rights protects.

They also should be able to read a novel, write an essay, compute fractions, name the continents, jumpstart a car, stick to a budget, perform first aid, cook a meal, clean a toilet and do laundry.

But so far Kansas, like the vast majority of states, has decided against any allor-nothing exams as a requirement for graduation. And we’d argue that a Trivial Pursuit-style civics test isn’t the logical place to start. If lawmakers want educated, informed citizens, they should heed the advice of educators.

In a 2018 position statement, the National Council for the Social Studies said civics exams — currently required in eight states, including Missouri, Arizona and Arkansas — are an “admirable effort” but should not “become the sole measure of civic literacy.”

That group, like the Kansas State Board of Education, urges other ways of measuring students’ knowledge, such as portfolios, projects, and grades on transcripts.

Kansas high school students are required to pass three courses about U.S. history and government. An exit-exam requirement in that subject area, without similar competency tests in reading, math, financial literacy or the arts, raises a question:

Is this truly about educating young people, or is it another frivolous nod to politics and patriotism?

In 2013, Kansas lawmakers approved Celebrate Freedom Week, a statute that requires schools to devote a week each year to focus on teaching students about the country’s founding. A federal law also mandates the teaching of the U.S. Constitution on Constitution Day every September.

Everyone agrees that students should learn about the country’s history, values and institutions. But this bill assumes that schools aren’t already covering it — and that lawmakers know best what needs to be taught and how learning should be measured.

The timing of Huebert’s proposal is ironic, coming just days after a mob of Trump-inspired insurrectionists stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn an election. Another irony: Conservative lawmakers who advocate for local control on measures such as mask mandates keep finding ways to micromanage schools.

Huebert’s goal of a better-educated electorate is admirable. Hinging it on a single civics test, though, won’t solve the problem.

— The Wichita Eagle, Jan. 14