Civic Education

What students are learning
In 2003, 75% of 15-25 year olds said the most common themes in Government, Civics, & American History classes are the Constitution and how the US system of government works or “great American heroes and the virtues” of the US system.

Only 9% said their classes placed primary emphasis on "racism and other forms of injustice in the American system.
(See Themes Emphasized in Social Studies & Civics Classes: New Evidence)

In 1999 79% of American 9th graders reported studying the Constitution, 75% studied Congress, about 77% studied how laws are made, 71% studied political parties, and about 66% studied the presidency. (from Civics Curriculum and Civics Skills: Recent Evidence)

Between 1988 and 1998, the proportion of fourth-graders who reported taking Social Studies daily fell from 49% to 39%.
(from NAEP 1998, See p. 15 of The Civic Mission of Schools*)

In 1999 52% of 6th graders said they took a course that required them to follow government issues. About 86% of 12th graders reported taking such a course. (from Civics Curriculum and Civics Skills: Recent Evidence)

Students of color and students from low-education families were the least likely to report experiencing interactive classroom learning activities such as role-playing exercises, mock trials, visits from community members, or letter writing. (from NAEP, see p 24*)

Attitudes about civic education
9 out of 10 Americans say that it is important for high schools to teach civics and government. (National Council of State Legislatures see http://www.ncsl.org/public/trust/citizenship.pdf)

66% of 15-25 year-olds support the idea of mandatory civics classes in high school and middle school. (from 2002 National Youth Survey, see p. 24*)

How U.S students perform
Nearly 1/3 of high school seniors were found to lack a basic understanding of how American government works.
(From NAEP 1998, see p.19*)

75% of students scored at "basic" or "below basic" on the 1998 NAEP Civics Assessment. (p. 19*)

American 14-year-olds perform well in international comparisons of civic and political knowledge, but the range between the best and worst prepared students is exceptionally large in the U.S.(from IEA data, see p. 14*, see also Strengths and Weaknesses in U.S. Students' Knowledge and Skills)

Students perform better on tests of civic knowledge & skills if they have studied a range of subjects such as the Constitution, U.S. History, and Government. (from NAEP 1998, see p. 23*)

15-26-year-olds who have taken civics classes are 23 percentage points more likely to believe they are responsible for making things better for society and 14 percentage points more likely to vote than their peers who have not taken civics.
(from National Conference of State Legislatures 2003 survey at www.ncsl.org/trust)

14-year-olds who believe they can make a difference in the way their school is run are more interested in current events than other youth. (from IEA data, see p. 27*)

Source: *The Civic Mission of Schools

Service and learning
In 1999, 64% of schools offered community service; only 32% linked this community service to the curriculum in the form of service-learning.
(from National Center for Education Statistics, see p. 25*)

High schools are most likely to offer service learning; in 2004 44% of high schools offered service-learning compared to 38% of middle schools and 25% of elementary schools. (see: Service Learning in K-12 Public Education)

Ten years ago only 9% of high schools offered community service. (see: Service Learning in K-12 Public Education and p. 25*)

Classroom discussion
Students who participate in classroom discussions about current issues have a greater interest in politics, improved critical thinking & communication skills, more civic knowledge, and greater interest in discussing public affairs outside of school.
(p. 24*)

In 1998, 68% of 4th-grade Social Studies teachers reported holding class discussions weekly. A smaller percentage (56%) of 4th-grade students remembered having experienced such discussions. (from NAEP 1998, see p. 25*)

88% of high school seniors said they discussed current issues in class. (from NAEP 1998, see p. 25*)

Political discussion outside of the classroom has fallen. The percentage of incoming college freshmen who say they discuss politics with friends or family declined from over 30% in 1968 and 1970 to 16% in the late 1990s and 2000.
(from HERI survey, see p. 19*)

In 2002, only half of young people surveyed said that they discussed politics, government, or current events with their parents, down from 57% in 1998.
(from National Youth Survey, see p. 13*)

Source: The Civic Mission of Schools

* Complete citations can be found in The Civic Mission of Schools