How We Lost Our Civics Education — and How We Can Get It Back

Each generation must take up the American political tradition and pass it along to the generation that follows.

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Social-distancing dividers in a classroom at St. Benedict School in Montebello, Calif., July 14, 2020.

Lucy Nicholson/Reuters

The week of March 6 is Civic Learning Week, spearheaded by the civic-education network iCivics and marked by a gathering of civics educators and organizations in Washington, D.C. Not only is civics education a worthy cause — it is a critical one. Our nation depends on thoughtful and active citizenship for its very existence.

In a time when so much of our public discourse focuses on what divides us, it is worth remembering that we are all a part of the American political tradition. Left, right, and center — we would all do well to reflect on the tradition that makes us shareholders in a great, diverse, and idealistic nation, and why we should each do our part to keep this tradition alive through civic education. As a self-governing people, we must promulgate and reinforce the central ideas of America at every level of education and in every community.

HZ

About the Author

Hans Zeiger

Hans Zeiger is the president of the Jack Miller Center, a nationwide network of scholars and teachers promoting the study of the American political tradition. Previously, he served in both houses of the Washington State Legislature.

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