The American system of government and way of life depend on an educated citizenry. Our Constitution ensures that the people are trusted with political power, and its system is centered around rights, checks and balances, and limitations on government. But those protections mean little if citizens do not understand civics.
Forty-three percent of Americans cannot name a single right guaranteed by the First Amendment. How can such people possibly hold their government accountable? Clearly, something needs to change. Texas, for one, is taking this need seriously.
In September, the State Board of Education approved a sweeping revision of the Social Studies Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills that will reshape how Texas students learn about government in high school.
The new standards adopted by the board are demanding. For instance, in addition to expecting students to understand the basics of the founding documents, they require students to be able to perform more advanced tasks, such as explaining why the Americans won the Revolutionary War and analyzing Federalist and anti-Federalist arguments.
Some have criticized the revised standards, alleging that they lack “diversity.” However, the new standards actually fight against the kind of ignorance critics claim the standards perpetuate by having students engage in discourse in a neutral educational setting where ideas and viewpoints may be respectfully challenged.
An American government class should give students the knowledge, resources, and skills needed to be productive American citizens. It should teach them how their government works and give them the tools to think seriously about politics and reach conclusions themselves. Texas is taking a stand to ensure that its civic education does exactly that.
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Less than half of eligible Texans voted in the last presidential election. These people could have helped choose who holds the highest office in the land, but instead they stayed home and forfeited their voice.
This should startle you. Every citizen’s voice matters, especially in the polling booth. This idea is central to the American project. Our national tradition of self-government does not transmit itself. Families and schools must pass it on to each generation.
At a time when many states have allowed civic education to degenerate into a progressive echo chamber, Texas’ adoption of rigorous standards sets it apart. Texas has recognized that merely teaching at students is different from genuinely educating them.
At a time when the Founding Fathers are ridiculed and mechanisms such as the Electoral College are derided, it is especially important for American citizens to understand why our government took its particular form. Many of the debates taking place today echo debates that took place—at much higher levels—at the time of the Founding.
Our students have a right to know their political heritage, and our nation has a corresponding duty to teach it to them. We owe it to our high schoolers to ensure they are not deprived of their ability to become effective citizens. Parents sending their children to local public high schools should not need to worry whether they will be taught the basics of active citizenship. In Texas, they won’t have to.
The fight for a freer and safer Texas—and nation—starts at school board meetings, city council meetings, and commissioner court meetings. If we do not instill the basic understanding that it is a citizen’s right to be heard at every level of government, no matter how small, then how can we ever expect them to stand up for themselves?
We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of the Daily Signal.
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