1|Page Dhagat, Sandeep (Fall 2016)

Professor Suk
Foundations of Education EDUC 212-01
Currents Events Summary and Reaction

Joe Heims article in The Washington Post entitled "Education Secretary says civics

education should encourage activism highlights the speech given by John B. King Jr. to the

National Press Club in Washington D.C. on October 19th, 2016 regarding the present and future

state of civics education in Americas classrooms, colleges, and communities. The transcript and

video of the speech was released separately on the website of the US Department of Education.

The goal of the speech was to advocate for an educational philosophy that treats civics as a

cornerstone in creating a well-rounded student equipped to handle the responsibilities and duties

of democracy. At the crux of Mr. Kings speech was (1) an emphasis on civic activism among

students opportunities to do democracy as he describes and (2) to incorporate civics into

every subject area of a curriculum, including math and science (King, 2016). Mr. King, the US

Secretary of Education, made sure to contextualize his remarks by offering a historical perspective

on the progress made in America in terms of voting rights, political opportunities, free speech, and

educational access. However, he tempered these remarks by noting that civics knowledge in

America is a dismal and that reform efforts such as requiring students to pass a citizenship exam

for high school graduation tend to be civics-lite (King, 2016).

In relation to Chapter 3 of Kochs TEACH, which outlined the history of education and

teaching in the United States, I found Secretary Kings words on the importance of civics education

for democracy to be especially compelling. When he contends that the strength of our democracy

depends on all of us, as Americans, understanding our history and the Constitution and how the

government works, at every level he harkens back to the words of Jefferson and Franklin (King,

2016). Both of those founding fathers recognized that a new democracy required an educated
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citizenry for its survival, and championed the ideas that gave rise to common schools and

meritocracy (Koch, 2011). Educating students about their role in democracy was one of the

original goals of public education in this country. Secretary King does well to argue that it should

remain so given the increasing diversity of our countrys ethnic, racial, and religious, composition.

As a student and citizen deeply concerned about the state of our society and government, I

sympathize with Secretary Kings conclusion that civics has lost its special pedestal in American

education. In light of recent poor NAEP results in civics and US history, he made a strong

argument that rote memorization of historical facts and a passive appreciation of American

government is insufficient to raise students to the levels of civic participation needed to face the

increasingly complex challenges this country faces (Heim, 2016).

Secretary King prefers a more activist form of civics education, which he describes and

defends in his speech. He calls on immersing students in primary source documents, encouraging

local community initiatives, practicing community service and volunteerism, and having students

go beyond simply voting to campaigning and contacting their representatives and sitting in on

township and BOE meetings (Heim, 2016). Based on personal anecdotal evidence however, the

challenges facing civics education in the 21st century extend way beyond the classroom. There is

a palpable sense of apathy and cynicism, especially among young voters and students. There is

general confusion on how to apply the principles of government and history learned in essentialist

classrooms to our daily lives, especially if our careers are not focused on public policy or politics.

There is an overemphasis (from society) about working for yourself to prepare for a competitive

job market rather than working for your country. There is unease among educators and

administrators and BOE officials about injecting politics into supposedly secular and nonpartisan

classrooms. There is the overarching problem of how the school districts and classrooms are
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designed as well. Students are largely segregated by intellectual ability, race/ethnicity, and

socioeconomic status. These factors are deeply influential in how political affiliations develop,

and thus can perpetuate echo chambers as students live through their most formative moments of

political development. These are questions and problems that Secretary King does not necessarily

address in his speech, and it remains to be seen whether real reform can be affected beyond mere

rhetoric.
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Video to Watch: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/60-minutes-american-voters-on-trump-clinton/

(From 4:45 8:50)

Based on this article and speech and video, the questions I challenge my classmates and

peers to discuss are:

1) How should we define an active citizen for the 21st century? Do we need a new model

for the digital age?

2) Describe your personal experiences with education. Did it adequately prepare you for

life as a citizen? What was missing or lacking? What was effective and rewarding?

3) If we focus only on the future of civics education (today and tomorrows youth), are

we ignoring all the millions of adult Americans who are civically illiterate?

4) How can we expect students to be civically active if they have little civic knowledge,

and how can we expect students to use civic knowledge if they arent civically active?
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References:
Focus group reflects nation's dark mood ahead of Election Day. (2016, November 6). Retrieved
November 07, 2016, from http://www.cbsnews.com/news/60-minutes-american-voters-
on-trump-clinton/

Heim, J. (2016, October 19). Education Secretary says civics education should encourage
activism. The Washington Post. Retrieved November 1, 2016, from
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/education-secretary-says-civics-
education-should-encourage-activism/2016/10/19/ec66a5b4-9610-11e6-bb29-
bf2701dbe0a3_story.html

King, J. B., Jr. (2016, October 19). Hand-In-Hand: Well-Rounded Education and Civic
Engagement. Speech presented at National Press Club, Washington DC. Retrieved
November 6, 2016, from https://www.ed.gov/news/speeches/hand-hand-well-rounded-
education-and-civic-engagement

Koch, J. (2011). TEACH (Third ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.