By Tony Muir

For mediaNews group

Civics education is the study of the theoretical, political and practical aspects of citizenship, as well as its rights and duties. It is a study we should embrace with enthusiasm. Unfortunately, the study of civics is an endangered species.

A 2018 survey conducted by the Institute for Citizens and Scholars found that only 36% of those surveyed could pass a multiple-choice test consisting of items taken from the U.S. Citizenship Test, which has a passing score of 60. More alarming is the fact that the poll found stark gaps in knowledge depending on age. Those 65 years and older did the best with 74% answering at least 6 of 10 questions correctly. For those under the age of 45, only 19% passed, with 81% scoring 59% or lower.

A 2022 survey conducted by the Annenberg Public Policy Center revealed that only 47% of Americans could name all three branches of government — down from 56% in 2020.

Perhaps even more alarming is that in the 2024 election of 244 million people eligible to vote, 89 million did not go to the polls. Donald Trump won the presidency with support from 77.3 million voters, about only 31.6% of those eligible. Hardly a mandate. And turnout for this spring’s primary elections in Pennsylvania was extremely low throughout the state.

Low voter turnout, a lack of respect for government and the susceptibility to anti-democratic rhetoric are a reflection of America’s civic literacy crisis. Democracy thrives only when the electorate is well informed and involved. Government “for the people and by the people” can only exist if citizens understand how it works and are willing participants.

Our current lack of civic literacy is a threat to democracy.

How did all of this come to pass? Until the 1960s, civics education was a priority, and American public high school students were typically required to take three courses in civics, problems of democracy, and U.S. government. Today, most school districts get by with a single one-semester class.

The reasons for the decline in civic education are many and include increasing the funding for science, technology, education and math education at the expense of civics funding and “teaching to the test” at the expense of classroom time devoted to the teaching of civics. As a result, civics education has been pushed to the margins, where it is on life support.

The Hoover Institution at Stanford University reports the following: Twelve states do not have a high school civics requirement, and Pennsylvania is one of them; only four states require a full-year civics course and a civics test; 19 states require only a half-year civics course and a civics test; and only eight states have a middle school civics requirement. While school districts may include civics courses in their curriculum, few do so in any meaningful way. For example, the Allentown School District only requires one semester of civics in 11th grade — “Contemporary Issues in Civics & Government.”

These minimum requirements are woefully inadequate to prepare young people for the important role of informed citizens.

There are a few bright spots. Seven states require a year-long civics course, according to the Hoover Institution. Idaho introduces civic education at an early age and integrates a civic standard into every social studies class from kindergarten through 12th grade and requires a full-year civics class in high school. Idaho also requires each student to pass a civics exam.

Civic education has been one of the cornerstones of American education since the early days of the republic. Our Founding Fathers believed an informed citizenry was essential to the survival of democracy and public education must prepare individuals to understand their rights, fulfill their civic duties and hold government accountable.

We need to reprioritize civics education and restore it as a core component of every public school curriculum.

Pennsylvania school districts spend an average of $21,985 per student per year on K-12 education. Is it too much to expect that our students receive a high quality civics education that will prepare them for the responsibilities of citizenship and that they might even be required to pass the very test that we require of all new citizens?

As one of the few social institutions present in virtually every community across America, our schools can and must assume a leadership role in civics education and they must do so aggressively. If they fail to, we run the risk of flunking democracy.

Because we live in a democracy, we have the opportunity to encourage our school districts and our state representatives to restore civic education to its rightful place in the public school curriculum.

Tony Muir is an Allentown resident.

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