Civic Learning For Minorities

"Knowledge about the ideas embodied in the Constitution and the ways in which it shapes our lives is not passed down from one generation to generation through the gene pool. It must be learned anew by each generation," declares Sandra Day O'Connor, former U. S. Supreme Court Judge and now co-chair of Campaign ForThe Civic Mission of Schools.

According to William A. Galston, Saul Stern Professor of Civic Engagement at University of Maryland, College Park, this is even more critical now: "While the importance of civic education is perennial, several needs combine to make it especially urgent today: the U. S. must integrate an unprecedented wave of immigrants into the mainstream of civic life: left un-checked, troubling inequalities in the civic participation of different socioeconomic and ethnic groups could exacerbate undesirable political and policy trends: and civic education is one of the few forces that can resist the rising tide of materialism in U.S. culture that numerous surveys have documented."

The statistics don't look too promising. In the 2001 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) test of U. S. history, more students scored below "basic" in history than in any other subject tested, including math, science, and reading: 13% in grade 4 scored below basic; 36% in grade 8; and 57% in grade 12. In other words, the longer they are in school, the worse it gets.

The statistics from the last civics assessment in 1998 paint an even bleaker picture, especially for minority students.

As our nation becomes more diverse our schools must step up to the plate to provide, especially for our minority learners, the opportunity to gain the knowledge, develop the skills, and cultivate the attitude needed for civic participation. Yet, the 2003 Council for Basic Education survey found that principals in schools with high proportions of minorities were more likely to have reduced time for history, civics, geography, the arts , and foreign languages so they could devote more time to math and reading.

Tomorrow's "blog post" will explain why a focus on only reading and math is detrimental and how the issue can be addressed so one focus doesn't have to be sacrificed for another.