Students’ low scores on their knowledge of government underscore renewed need for civics classes

September 16, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

Share this:

NATIONWIDE — Some U.S. students said on a recent quiz that Clarence Thomas is the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, while others believe that television’s Judge Judy Scheindlin is also a member of that judicial body, according to the Associated Press. AP reported on new civics courses launched in many states. Professor Ken Dopf, a retired army colonel and West Point instructor, teaches one of these courses at the college level. During the first day of class, he makes his U.S.-born students complete a quiz similar to the test for immigrants pursuing naturalization and only 35% passed.

Most states, including New York, have a civics curriculum. New York’s Civic Seal of Readiness program is awarded to students based on classroom and Regents Exam performance in history, geography and government, as well as a capstone project on problem solving. Several Brooklyn public schools, including the Cobble Hill School of American Studies, were in the Seal of Readiness pilot program three years ago. NYC’s Department of Education launched its Civics for All Course in 2018, complete with Civics Week to encourage young adults to vote.

Other states, such as North Carolina, have become a battleground between educators and legislators on how civics should be taught. That state’s GOP-led statehouse is allegedly trying to block any curriculum that includes Critical Race Theory or Black History.

✰✰✰