Education Law

Do americans really lack civic knowledge?

While BoardBuzz was away eating turkey with friends and family we came across this over-the-top headline in USA Today: Americans don?t know civics . So, just why does BoardBuzz think this is over-the-top and not merely pointing out shortcomings in our public schools? Well, first of all these findings were based on just 33 questions of an adult?s civic knowledge. Don?t you think there is more to a person?s knowledge of civics than just 33 multiple choice questions? BoardBuzz sure thinks so.

Second, the neither article nor the study provide any context as to how American?s civic knowledge compares to those in other countries. But, in 1999, there was such a study which does not get the headlines other international comparisons receive. What the study found is that no other country had ninth graders with a higher civics knowledge than the United States. And while the survey is nine years old, BoardBuzz doesn?t think that these students suddenly forgot how our democracy works as soon as they received their high school diplomas. What is more likely is that adults may not answer many questions right on any subject when they receive a random phone call.

BoardBuzz applauds the Intercollegiate Studies Institute for shining a light on the importance of civic education with their study. But we wonder if maybe there's a better way to gain a more accurate perspective on whether American?s have the knowledge needed to participate wisely in civic life. Until then, we'll declare that headlines like Americans don?t know civics are simply over-the-top.

See for yourself how you would do on these 33 questions and leave a comment here and tell us about it.

Full post as published by BoardBuzz: NSBA's Daily Weblog on December 03, 2008 (boomark / email).