Education Week – Jean MacCormack
“With new sessions of Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court under way and a presidential election on the not-too-distant horizon, I am once again reminded of the shocking statistic that only 36 percent of Americans can name all three branches of the federal government. If we want this to change, we need to begin with our young people. And the path to getting our nation’s youths to become more fully educated and engaged citizens begins—but doesn’t end—in the classroom. With decreased investments in civics education, growing feelings of disillusionment, and frustration with an increasingly polarized political system, young people tune out politics—much like the public at large. The late U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts believed that increasing knowledge and understanding of the nation’s government and civic history was a way to inspire America’s young people and tap into their full potential, and to build a less divided, more participatory and productive democracy for tomorrow.”(more)