A Crisis in Civic Education

Institution	American Council of Trustees and Alumni
Titel	A Crisis in Civic Education
Quelle	(2016), (28 Seiten) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Monographie
Schlagwörter	Civics; Higher Education; United States History; Knowledge Level; Elementary Secondary Education; College Graduates; College Role; School Responsibility; Federal Government; State Government; Alumni; Donors; Student Role; Family Role + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Staatsbürgerkunde; Hochschulbildung; Hochschulsystem; Hochschulwesen; Wissensbasis; Hochschulabsolvent; Hochschulabsolventin; Bundesregierung; Bund-Länder-Beziehung
Abstract	There is a crisis in American civic education. Survey after survey shows that recent college graduates are alarmingly ignorant of America's history and heritage. They cannot identify the term lengths of members of Congress, the substance of the First Amendment, or the origin of the separation of powers. They do not know the Father of the Constitution, and nearly 10% say that Judith Sheindlin--"Judge Judy"--is on the Supreme Court. Studies show that our colleges and universities are doing little or nothing to address the knowledge gap. A recent survey by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) of over 1,100 liberal arts colleges and universities found that only a handful--18%--require students to take even one survey course in American history or government before they graduate. In a country that depends upon an educated populace, ignorance of its history and founding documents will be disastrous. An annual survey by the Newseum Institute gives point to the alarm: When asked to identify the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment, one-third of Americans could not name a single right; 43% could not even name freedom of speech as one of those rights. How did America get to such a state? And what is to be done? This report outlines the problem, and, more importantly, what must must be done to restore rich civic education for all students and especially the college graduates who will be the next generation of leaders. The following are appended: (1) Sample Questions from the NAEP Test of Civic Knowledge; and (2) Constitution Day Survey. (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	American Council of Trustees and Alumni. 1726 M Street NW Suite 802, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 888-258-6648; Tel: 202-467-6787; Fax: 202-467-6784; e-mail: info@goacta.org; Web site: http://www.goacta.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01