Shaping citizens
New York needs a mandatory high school civics class. Here’s what it could look like.
New York needs a high school civics course.
Civics education teaches students about our history, our social, political and economic systems, citizens’ rights and responsibilities, and how to engage in the political process.
Civics used to be a staple of American education. That began to wane some years ago with the federal “No Child Left Behind” act (2001) and subsequent federal initiatives that expanded federal support for science and math but gave very limited support for social studies and civics. The Common Core State Standards — launched in 2010 but later phased out in New York and several other states — contributed further to the rising overemphasis on science and math. Civics education has been chronically undervalued, and under-funded, at the federal, state and local levels.
The sidelining of history, social studies and civics coincides with stagnant student proficiency in civics on the National Assessment of Education Progress. In the 2022 report, scores had declined significantly since the previous one in 2018. Only 49 percent of students who took the assessment said that they had a class that is mainly focused on civics or U.S. government, and only 29 percent said they had a teacher whose primary responsibility is teaching civics.
Public complacency about civics education was shaken by the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. “It is clear that our constitutional democracy is in peril,” said the American Bar Association after the attack. Citizens’ limited understanding of American history and the role of government were identified as underlying causes. The University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Policy Center’s “Civics Knowledge Survey” in 2022 found that few Americans understood the Constitution, particularly the Bill of Rights, and fewer than half of all U.S. adults could name all three branches of government.
The public began to demand better civics education to educate future generations. Several states have revised their requirements in history, social studies and civics.
New York does not require a standalone civics course, but its history/social studies framework includes expectations for infusion of citizenship education in those classes. The state Education Department recently launched a “Civic Readiness Initiative” designed to promote “the ability to make a positive difference in the public life of our communities” via civic knowledge and other skills.
But more is needed: a fresh, new state course. The course might be called “civics and American democracy.” It would aim to articulate what Americans should know about this country’s democratic history, traditions and democratic institutions and their role as citizens.
It might include these four elements:
American constitutional government
New York requires an 11th-grade American history course. The new course would dovetail with it. It would cover the founding era, the concepts of liberty and representative government, the Declaration of Independence, the theoretical underpinning of the designs of the New York (1777) and U.S. (1787) constitutions, the Bill of Rights, the process of amendments, and key Supreme Court decisions to clarify citizens’ rights and responsibilities under our form of government.
Citizens and civic affairs
This unit would explore how citizens can (and often do) participate in an informed and thoughtful way to make changes in their political, economic and social affairs. It would highlight the history of reform movements — the progressive movement, women’s rights, the New Deal, the civil rights movement. Many of these have roots in New York or were led by New Yorkers, providing an opportunity to bring in state as well as national history. The course would explore the elements of free speech, the right to assemble and protest, the role of political parties and the media.
Skills needed for informed citizenship
This aspect of the course would dovetail with skills taught in English Language Arts and other courses. It would emphasize the need to vote. It would teach essential civic dispositions such as acting ethically, combating bias, treating people fairly, and understanding and respecting other people’s opinions. It would identify and help develop skills necessary for effective, informed citizenship, such as media literacy, problem analysis and evaluating, interpreting, making decisions, and arguing from evidence.
School’s selection
About a quarter of the course could be devoted to topics and issues selected by the local school board, superintendent, principal or teacher. The state course would provide guidelines and selection criteria, but the actual civics topic or topics would be left to the school.
It would draw on what students learned in the first three elements and might include more emphasis on any of these elements. Or it might focus on an important civics-related topic or issue in the news, or something of particular interest to the community and students.
New York’s new course should be particularly suited to the students of our state. But given our history of educational leadership and excellence, it could become a model for other states — because expanding civics education is a much-needed investment in America’s future.