Earlier today, I had a post on a study by the Goldwater Institute, which found that 3.5 percent of public-high-school students — 3.5. percent — know the answers to basic questions about America (e.g., “Who was the first president?”). This is in marked contrast to immigrants taking the citizenship test, who tend to pass with flying colors — never mind that they prepare for the exam (unlike the surveyed high-school students). (Although you can say that the students have had a lifetime of preparation, or should have.)

I had a thought: Every new American — every young American — is like an immigrant. Every new American should learn about the country, should be acculturated (to use an old-fashioned, possibly discredited word). This is true whether the new American comes from across a border or out of a native-born womb. (Sorry for that slightly cringe-making phrase.) If we thought of our children as immigrants, of a kind, in need of acculturation — we would all be better off.

Is that too mushy for you? Hope not.