The poor state of civic education in America…

Civic education in America is in a bad way. Youth know little about the Founding Fathers, the structure of government, and the Bill of Rights—or more recent subjects such as the civil rights movement. On the latest national exam, 75% of high-school seniors were not proficient in civics. And failures at the K-through-12 level are aggravated by neglect of civic education in universities.

Despite the commitment of some officials, scholars, and educators to this problem, most public figures and popular media pay little attention to the facts—and risks—of civic illiteracy.

…demands a nationwide reform campaign. It begins with a book…

Teaching America: The Case for Civic Education is a collection of 24 original essays from an extraordinary set of leading public officials, educators, and intellectuals. It includes:

• Justice Sandra Day O’Connor on how civic ignorance threatens the American judiciary
• Education Secretary Rod Paige on civil rights, politics and the “Texas textbook massacre”
• First-hand, never-published accounts of the White House’s civic initiatives after 9/11
• Senator Jon Kyl and former Senator and Governor Bob Graham on the essential link between active citizenship and responsible government
• Alan Dershowitz on the Supreme Court and the right to know your rights
• Juan Williams on his education and assimilation after arriving in the U.S. on a banana boat
• Historian Michael Kazin on the unfortunate popularity of Howard Zinn in American schools
• Blogger and law professor Glenn Reynolds on education vs. indoctrination
• The stories of two of America’s most successful charter school networks—KIPP and Harlem’s Democracy Prep—told by the pioneering educators behind the schools

…and it builds with a generational vision: Challenge 2026.

Today, only 40% of Americans can pass the U.S. citizenship exam. Hence our challenge: By the year 2026, our country’s 250th birthday, all high-school graduates should be able to pass.

To help reach that goal, The Civic Education Initiative will broadcast the ideas in Teaching America to lawmakers, teachers, and parents through major media, a powerful open letter, and creative public forums. The Initiative will also enlist elected officials and education leaders top ledge to meet Challenge 2026. And it will establish long-term efforts to promote civic education innovation in schools from New York to Los Angeles, including a Civic Ambassadors Program and a Military Ambassadors Program.

In 1787, Ben Franklin said the Founders gave the American people “a republic—if you can keep it.” Keeping our republic requires informed citizenship, which must be taught and learned in every generation. This project points the way for the next generation.