Despitethe deeplypar- tisannature ofmodern politics,most canagreethat optimalfunc- tioningofour
constitutional democracy hinges
upon a citizenry educated in a
manner that promotes mindful
and productive civic engagement.
Each election cycle serves as a reminder that our country and communities
alike are best served by constituents
who have a basic understanding of the
United States Constitution, understand
their legal rights and responsibilities,
know basic legal concepts, have a general understanding of how the judicial
system works, and can identify the various options for exercising their rights
or responsibilities. Consequently, providing a high-quality civic education
for all young people is critical for meaningful and effective civic participation
and government function for generations to come.
The necessity of civic education has
long been recognized. In 1790, at the
First Annual State of the Union Address
to Congress, President George Wash-
ington advocated for the education of
our nation, proclaiming that “knowledge
is in every country the surest basis of
public happiness.” He further asserted:
… by convincing those who are in-
trusted [sic] with the public admin-
istration that every valuable end of
government is best answered by the
enlightened confidence of the people,
and by teaching the people them-
selves to know and to value their own
rights; to discern and provide against
invasions of them; to distinguish be-
tween oppression and the necessary
exercise of lawful authority; between
burthens [burdens] proceeding from
a disregard to their convenience and
those resulting from the inevitable
exigencies of society; to discrimi-
nate the spirit of liberty from that
of licentiousness — cherishing the
first, avoiding the last — and unit-
ing speedy but temperate vigilance
against encroachments, with an in-
violable respect to the laws.
President Washington’s words are
still relevant today, perhaps more than
ever before. The critical piece is identi-
fying how and when to deliver content
to young people in a manner that will
prove effective. Today, our schools are
subject to high-stakes tests that assess
math, science, and literacy. According-
ly, instructional time in the classroom
has been allocated to ensure compe-
tency in the tested subjects. The time
dedicated to exploring other subjects
in a meaningful manner has been di-
minished because social studies and
civics are not tested. The importance of
providing our youth with a high-quality
civic education, whether in the class-
room or beyond the schoolhouse, must
be recognized and given proper prior-
ity among other subjects.
Nationwide, there is a growing civic
initiative propelled by those who be-
lieve that we must address the lack of
civic education and work to ensure that
all youth are provided access to mean-
ingful civic education either in school
or by participating in out-of-school
programming. States such as Florida,
Illinois, and California have developed
robust and dynamic civic education
programs that prove promising.
Locally, the Washington Legislature
identified and responded to this need
for our state’s students, and has added
a one-semester civics requirement to
the greater social studies graduation
requirement for all students. 1
Further addressing this need, our
local Council for Public Legal Education (CPLE) has launched an ambitious
by Grifan Cayce
ENRICHING OUR
YOUNG PEOPLE
The Value of a Quality
Civics Education
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