Civics Education as a National Security Priority

With deep political divides dominating America's civic culture and affecting how the United States is viewed abroad, civics education is increasingly being seen as a national security issue. Improving K–12 students’ understanding of America’s civic structures—from the Constitution to voting, to clarity about our national security institutions and how they operate within the rule of law—is being seen by national leaders as a way to strengthen the role of the United States in the world, and to protect the country’s national interests. Similar to the push for STEM education funding to address America’s global role in science and technology, many officials now support expanded funding for civics and history education as a way to improve student learning about their civic responsibilities in our participatory democracy.

Please join us as we discuss civics education and its role in boosting national resilience at this critical time in American history.

NOTES
The program is part of the Commonwealth Club's Creating Citizens initiative.

JANUARY 24, 2022

SPEAKERS

Suzanne Spaulding
Senior Adviser, Homeland Security, International Security Program

Millie Solomon
President, The Hastings Center

Shawn Healy
Senior Director, Policy and Advocacy, iCivics—Moderator

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[ElaineMLove]

I think the quality of education desperately and fundamentally is needed now so much more than ever and civics has long since been taken out of the education curriculum. Which I believe we've known for years. And for those that reason it makes us fundamentally better citizens because we understand how the government works and we learn it while learning our ABCs and our arithmetic we should want to know it. Thank you for having this discussion it was great!

[GailColeman]

I am so glad you are doing this! My God! I am 57 and my husband is nearly 52. We have been dumbfounded by the lack of understanding of both science and civics for the past several years. On January 6th, the lack of civics education came back to haunt us all. If you do not understand the Constitution, fine. ASK! RESEARCH IT! Americans seem to be in a place where everyone wants a simple, short, sweet answer-but it doesn't work that way. When was life ever a simple endeavor?? NEVER! We have ALWAYS had to question and compromise. That's not a BAD thing! It is a THINKING thing and that can only be GOOD!!

[paulabibb]

There is a desperate need for this I retired just three years ago and my high school students knew NOTHING about our government, the three branches or the election process. These young people were eligible to vote in the last election, I find this incredibly scary. They would be singularly vulnerable to propaganda, another concept they knew nothing about. I grew up in California. You were not admitted to 9th grade without passing an extensive civics test with 80% accuracy.

[sueprator]

Yes, yes. This is so spot on. I am 72 and have always understood ( and I am a person of color blessed with having grown up in a progressive environment) that part of being a citizen of a civilized Society is that during national emergencies (i.e. Pandemic) you don't get to pick and choose which rules you want to follow. It is for the greater good. It is so obvious that the undereducated in this Nation were never taught this invaluable PART of "freedom". What can we do to help?

[BB-cfgx]

Yes, educate our citizens on the value of a free and open democracy. Not perfect, but the best governmental system ever developed.

[robertbritt]

All education is an issue of national security. Bravo! Imagine a $760, 000, 000, 000 education budget.
Can you?

[gggnumber]

Teachers can take a minute (or several) and bring up civics issues that have to do with the subject they are teaching, even if it's math.

[quddusquddus]

"Ignorance about the American foundation." Or. "Difficulty of teaching America history." In Somerset Maugham's novel "Of Human Bondage", the hero walks away from scholarship program in a university stating that "school is for the average. Forgive his ignorance of American history because even in a university level, the study of American history is too demanding. Those who laid down the foundation were well-versed in English and French intellectual movements. Even the best minds could be thrown to the floor sweating profusely. Let the "Best and the Brightest" teach history. They must provoke a sense of wonder in a history class: "How the heck this happened in a state of Virginia?"

[waylonrhoads]

Dialectics is the kind of debate and discourse that is intended to discover truth and not persuading an audience to win and argument. We don't teach dialectics in the US. We also should teach the importance and virtue of having epistemic responsibility.