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With many Americans uneducated on how the government works, there has been a noticeable amount of schools that are not teaching civic lessons. In the article it discusses how schools are not teaching civic lessons and if it is unconstitutional to not teach them. At Aragon, we are very fortunate to have classes that teach us on this important topic, however there are many schools that are less fortunate and aren't granted this opportunity. An uneducated public is detrimental to our society and agrees with what was discussed in the rulemaking reading. Rulemaking allows the public to protect our health, safety, and general well being of life. If Americans remain uneducated on politics and rulemaking, these ideals of Democracy will be threatened.
Discussion Questions
1. Do you believe it is unconstitutional to not teach civic lessons?
2. Should an uneducated public have say in rulemaking?
3. Do you feel that the education you receive at Aragon is substantial enough to contribute to Democracy? If not what can we do better?
I believe it's extremely important to include civic lessons in education, especially instilling these lessons in younger levels like middle and high school. Waiting until college is too late to teach people about basic civil acts and government, because not all students choose to pursue that area of study. However, although it's unfortunate that some people are uninformed and uneducated, I don't believe it's fair to take away their say and their voice. We need to do better in education nationwide in order for the majority of people to be well informed, and not every school is at the same level as Aragon.
ReplyDeleteI think its is of utmost importance to teach civic lessons throughout all levels of school. One of the greatest threats to our democracy today is a lack of political participation of the public. However, by not doing anything to change this and allowing schools to deprive their students of civic lessons, policymakers are contradicting their own goals. Currently, we only have a very low voter turnout, and most people cannot even name their representatives and senators. Because of this, many people lose interest in politics, or simply become too confused to participate and correctly express their views. If civic lessons were taught at a very young age, trends in political participation and interest may change a lot. After all, it is the students of today that will ultimately have a great say in what their country will look like in the future.
ReplyDeleteIt is essential for civic lessons to occur during the earlier years of students because by the time they are old enough to vote, they are more likely to less educated about how the system works. In rule making, it should include everyone to have their opinions because they are expressing their constitutional rights to have a say in rule making. I agree with Brooke that nationwide we could do better to bring in the education of civic lessons earlier to students.
ReplyDeleteI think that while not unconstitutional, not offering civic classes is harmful for the knowledge of Americans. As states above, I think that students should be exposed to civic lessons early on in their educational careers as to ensure thorough understanding and exposure to the topic. We cannot limit participation in rule-making or democracy to just those with civic knowledge as that would be unconstitutional, however I think that adding more courses in the topic will be greatly beneficial for democracy.
ReplyDeleteSince the mention of civic lessons is not addressed directly in the Constitution, it not unconstitutional to not teach civic lessons. While civil lessons are helpful in keeping the public educated about the government and politics, it is not a constitutional duty. Most people who are uneducated have little to no interest in politics since they did not take the time to learn more about it in the first place. Rather than the population of people who are uneducated about politics, I think that there is a far greater concern over people who are misinformed about politics because they are the people that are more likely to vote and make misinformed decisions. On the other hand, for people who are uneducated and want to participate in politics, there is no way in prohibiting them from doing so since everyone has the right to voice their opinions and vote. Therefore, the solution should be to increase the amount of ways in which the public can gain more exposure to how the government runs and the policies it is creating.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I do not think an absence of civic lessons is unconstitutional, I believe it is an important factor in helping increase the amount of political participation in the United States. While an uneducated public may negatively effect the efficiency of rule making, it is their constitutional right to have a say if they wish to. Then again, it seems like those who are largely uneducated do not participate anyways. Rather focusing on those who do participate in the political system, in addition to civic lessons, as Jessica Liu mentions, there should be steps taken to prevent misinformation about politics. Nowadays, in this era of "fake news" it seems like misinformation is a larger problem within the scope of those who are participating in politics.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe it is unconstitutional to not teach civic lessons because in no part of the constitution does it require the country to educate its people. I do not think an uneducated population should have a say in rulemaking because it hinders the progress of the government. The agencies that participate in rulemaking are often made of specialized people who are experts in their field and the average person wouldn't understand how the whole process works. In addition, congress would be tied up having to manage so many more people in order to receive the large amount of responses from the public which would take away from them being about to focus on other more important issues. Additionally, I don't think people even care enough to want to participate in rulemaking because it is a mundane part of the everyday politic process.
ReplyDeleteCivic lessons in schools should be taught in order to educate the public, especially the generations coming up because we need more people educated and caring about our government. Although I do not think it is unconstitutional to not teach civics lessons in school, I believe that it should not be questioned whether or not civics are taught in schools. It is necessary to implement these lessons also because a lot of the youth's main source of news is social media which may not deliver correct facts, so it is important that schools teach kids how to differ what is reliable and what is not. I am very grateful to be able to get an education in civics because if I did not, I would probably be very oblivious in the world of politics today.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is important to be taught these civic lessons because the public needs to be educated about what has happened in the past in order to not make the same mistake again.However, teaching civic lessons is not unconstitutional because it was never stated in the constitution, rather it is something people should be taught.
ReplyDeleteIt is extremely concerning that this is the state of civic and government education in Rhode Island today. People always complain about the "uninformed public," but with the lack of laws that require states to inform potential voters, people should not be surprised. I do believe that civic knowledge should be constitutional right since I think it is the only way to inform the public. I would not know half of the things I know about government without gov. class. I also find it very important to teach the nation's "neediest children" about information that will help them make decisions for themselves later on in their lives. The government impacts those that need the most, so it should be a priority to inform the disadvantaged so they get the help they need.
ReplyDeleteIn order for a democracy to work, one of the key elements is an educated public. It is concerning when there are many individuals who now little about how the government works as they are not able to make informed decisions when voting. Civics lessons need to be taught as early as possible in public schools, since not all individuals will go to college or even graduate college. But regardless of education level, everyone is a citizen and an eligible voter, therefore education should not be a factor as to whether or not these people's voices are considered valid.
ReplyDeleteWhat shocked me most in this article was the 1973 case in which the Supreme Court ruled that "the State of Texas had not violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment by funding schools in low-income neighborhoods at lower levels than schools in more affluent areas." If people of low income are denied an equal education (and civics lessons), it perpetuates the cycle of poverty--people uneducated about their government are less likely to vote, so those elected are not as responsive to the needs of poor people. This system of oppression seems to me to clearly violate the equal protection clause.
ReplyDeleteIt is evident that US students are not receiving a proper civics education as only 23 percent of 8th graders meet the "proficient" standard on the NAEP Civics Assessment. Schools can address this alarming issue by encouraging youth engagement in local government. It is important for schools to help their students eventually become active participants in our democratic government.
ReplyDeleteI do not think it is unconstitutional to not teach about civic lessons in school because there is no section of the Constitution which alludes to it being mandatory. Even so, I think that being educated on how to government works is a vital part to following politics and understanding the actions taken by the federal and local government. I think this would be a good case to bring to the Supreme Court because they will agree with the necessity of civic lessons within education to promote individuals who are involved and educated in government.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is not unconstitutional that people are being taught civic lessons in school. In fact, I think that it is very important to teach these things because the people need to know how the government works. In order for the government and democracy to work, there needs to be more political participation and an understanding of the government.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad to see that only 23% of 8th graders have met the proficient standard on the NAEP Civics Assessment. The solution is not too hard to implement, as all they need is to start putting more importance on government, and how democracy works. It is fundamental knowledge for a future voter to know.
ReplyDeleteIt is a right to be informed about civic issues, for that information is some of the most applicable of our time. It is necessary to have an informed public to have a well functioning society. We live in a bubble and take such great education for granted in the Bay Area. Personally, I often forget that the rest of the country is not receiving the quality of education that I do, so I get extremely frustrated with the ignorant acts and comments of others. Until we step up our game in education on the national level, I don't think the public should have a great say in rulemaking. Uneducated opinions create chaos in an already difficult process, therefore we elect qualified representatives and have a merit based system in agencies to be more efficient and diligent in solving problems. I think the education we receive at Aragon is definitely enough to contribute to democracy. It is past due to implement such education standards on a national level. It will take time, but quality education is worth every penny in the long run, in my opinion.
ReplyDeletei believe that it is very unfortunate that many schools in the United States are not teaching civic lessons. It is alarming that only 23 percent of 8th graders have not met the proficient standard on the NAEP Civics Assessment. One way to fix this could simply to add classes or spread this fundamental knowledge in schools across the country as it is crucial for the political participation of many future voters.
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