BRING CIVICS BACK — NOW!
An important issue surfaced (or re-surfaced) last weekend to help put the spotlight back onto a subject that should affect us all.
The light shown on a subject I’ve posted on several times: “The demise of Civics in our schools and the resultant disconnect that has now plagued our national discourse for several decades.”
While watching Bill Maher last weekend, his opening monologue ended with his recognition of a few Rhode Island high school seniors who have filed a class action lawsuit. Beth Comery of the Providence Daily Dose reports:
“Classical senior Ahmed Sesay was asked to stand Friday night on Real Time with Bill Maher. Sesay is one of fourteen students filing a class-action lawsuit on behalf of thousands of Rhode Island students claiming “the U.S. Constitution guarantees that all students should have access to an education that prepares them to participate in their civic duties — whether that involves the right to free speech, the right to vote, or sitting on a jury.” . . .
Now she and other Rhode Island public school students and parents are filing a federal lawsuit against the state on Thursday, arguing that failing to prepare children for citizenship violates their rights under the United States Constitution.
What good is it learning about wars, without knowing who has the authority to declare and fund them. Linda Borg spoke to Ahmed at the time the suit was filed, (ProJo, 11.29.18):
“This case is super important to me,” he said, “Our school system is inherently failing so many students by not giving them the information they need to contribute productively to making changes in this country. As a senior, it would have been the icing on the cake to have learned about where education funding comes from. When you don’t teach civics, students simply feel left behind or apathetic.”
To all of that, I say amen!
Until the 1960s, it was typical for high school students to have three separate courses in civics and government. But civics offerings were slashed as the curriculum narrowed over the ensuing decades, and lost further ground to “core subjects” under the “No Child Left Behind” standardized testing environment.
It’s time for a serious change!
Civics should be a requirement in every high school — no exceptions. And, the politicians who decry the unreasoning partisanship that permeates our discourse today can then put up or shut up. A good dose of Civics might just well help all of us understand each other a bit better.
And, that would be good for America.
More on Monday – – –
— Bill Walton, co-Founder, ITC Learning
January 30, 2019
www.itclearning.com/blog/ (Mondays & Wednesdays)
“THE WORLD RELIES ON THE HANDS OF ITS MEN AND WOMEN”