With increasing concern about Americans’ knowledge of government, many states are attempting to add requirements to increase high schooler’s knowledge of civics. Do schools need to do more to educate students about America’s government?
The lack of knowledge about the American government has been a recurring topic recently, and it is relevant when considering upcoming elections. Less than half of adults in the U.S. can correctly name all three branches of the government, and many citizens struggle to name constitutional rights such as their first amendment rights.
Many students have been made aware of this through recent social media trends.¨I’ve seen videos where people are asked things about America and the Government. It’s funny to see them get everything wrong but kinda scary at the same time,¨ stated senior Maddy Huber.
Some parts of government can seem unimportant to students, but staying informed about the government may substantially help our country when it comes to choosing America’s next leaders. “It’s critical. Our democracy, our republic, it definitely requires that knowledge and understanding is had before we participate and engage [in voting],” commented government teacher Joe Youngbauer.
Republican primary candidate Vivek Ramaswamy believes that citizens should have more experience before being allowed to vote. Vivek proposed an amendment to raise the voting age to 25 unless “you either do service to this country… or else at least pass the same civics test that we make an immigrant pass to actually become a voting citizen.”
Some states already require students to pass a civics test in order to graduate from high school, and Iowa has recently attempted to push legislation for a similar requirement without success.
If knowledge about the American government is so important, then why don’t more states require a civics test to graduate high school?
While a requirement might urge more students to gain knowledge of the government, it wouldn’t necessarily add anything to the curriculum. “I do really feel like in the course itself, we do those things, we teach those things and obviously we have tests and assessments and semester finals,” explained Youngbauer.
Whether a civics test is the best way to inform students about government or not, it is clear that something needs to be done about the lack of knowledge in young voters. In order to ensure that younger generations are able to properly select America’s future leaders, more needs to be done to educate students, and a required civics test may be a step in the right direction.
