Why civic education in schools is more important than ever | Opinion
In a year when we celebrate our nation’s 250th birthday, we are also contending with deep and disturbing political divisions. Part of our heritage as Americans is the belief in the strength of our democracy and in our ability to resolve conflict through the efficacy of our form of government. But today we have to ask: Are we sure?
It’s an opportune time to reflect. The second week of March is known as Civic Learning Week, an effort to promote the critical importance of understanding our governing system. In a highly consequential election year, we should be especially committed to these efforts. And in California, where our initiative process asks voters to make key policy decisions at the ballot box, the stakes are even higher.
The need is urgent. National surveys have shown that as many as one third of Americans cannot name the three branches of government. That’s troubling because democracy is a use it or lose it proposition. It requires participation or its fundamental tenets cannot hold.
That’s why I’m a passionate advocate of civic education for every student in this state. When I served as chief justice of California’s Supreme Court, I founded an initiative called the Power of Democracy to bring civic education to our K–12 schools. This effort followed in the footsteps of a national movement started by former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.
“The practice of democracy is not passed down through the gene pool,” O’Connor once said. “It must be taught and learned by each new generation.”
The importance of civic education should be something we can all agree on, wherever we are on the political spectrum. The Public Policy Institute of California’s Statewide Survey bears this out: Across political groups, demographic groups and state regions, majorities agree on giving high priority to preparing students to be engaged citizens.
The most critical topic? The U.S. Constitution. This is not surprising, as we seem to face daily debates about the basics of our democracy, from the First Amendment’s right to freedom of speech to the Fifth Amendment’s right of due process.
Today’s schoolchildren are tomorrow’s voters, leaders and problem solvers. It’s essential for them to understand how our government works, how to engage in the political process and what their rights and responsibilities are as members of a democratic society. They must also grapple with how to effect change and how to engage — in a collegial and civil manner — those who have a different point of view.
We ask a lot of our schools today, but ensuring a consistent and coherent civics curriculum from elementary through high school need not be an additional burden. Basic civic education can be combined with many other subjects, from English to history. Key concepts in our democracy must be taught in every grade, so that young people know how to engage constructively with systems that shape everything from the law to the policymaking process and elections.
We live in a time of deep polarization, but the importance of understanding basic facts about our government and our democracy can and should unite us all. California’s elected officials must lead the way — providing actionable and effective policies to advance civic learning.
This November, more than half of California’s state legislative seats and our entire slate of statewide constitutional officers — from governor to secretary of state to state superintendent of public instruction — are up for a vote. We should be asking every one of these candidates “If elected, what will you do to make civic education a priority for California’s young people?”
This may not be the sexiest question, but it is arguably the most fundamental. After all, the future of our democracy depends on it.
Tani Cantil-Sakauye is president and CEO of the Public Policy Institute of California, where she holds the Walter and Esther Hewlett Chair in Understanding California’s Future. From 2011 to 2022, she served as the 28th Chief Justice of California.