“The most important thing an institution does is not to prepare a student for a career but for a life as a citizen.”
— Frank Newman, American education reformer
“We cannot sustain a democratic republic with a citizenry that is completely uninformed about, and basically estranged from, our Constitution and our institutions.”
— Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
As one of the requirements to become a United States citizen in 2015, my husband had to prepare for a test on basic U.S. civics, history, and geography. The 10-question test is given in person at the citizenship interview.
The questions are drawn from a book containing 100 questions and answers that applicants must memorize. Some of the questions are very simple, such as: “Which ocean is on the West Coast of the United States?” and “What is the name of the current president?”
Many of the questions, however, might challenge some citizens who have lived in the U.S. their entire lives: “What are two Cabinet-level positions?” or “Name one of the writers of the Federalist Papers.”
Mick studied very hard for that test, not because it was difficult to memorize but because he wanted to show respect for the process. He was intent on learning every question and scoring 100%. He said, “I would want someone asking to be an Australian citizen to show respect by learning things about it.”
In fact, when he got to the citizenship interview, he was disappointed to learn that he would only be required to answer 10 questions correctly. He thought he would be asked more.
Then, when the time came, the official asked Mick six questions; he correctly answered each one. And then, the official moved on to the next part of the interview. Mick stopped him and said, “Aren’t you going to ask me 10?” The official chuckled and said he only had to answer six out of the 10 questions correctly, and they needed to move forward.
Civic Studies
I often reflect on Mick’s enthusiasm for learning the citizenship test when I hear about the steady decline in civics knowledge among both kids and adults in the U.S. This decline is well documented, both by serious political and social institutions such as the Sandra Day O’Connor Institute for American Democracy, and less serious institutions such as late-night talk show “man on the street” interviews showcasing citizens born and raised here who are stumped by fairly straightforward civics questions.1
A 2024 study from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce found that more than 70% of Americans failed a basic U.S. civic literacy quiz; one in three respondents did not even know that there are three branches of government, much less what those branches are and what they do.
Until the 1960s, civics was considered a core education endeavor that created engaged citizens with a common purpose, conveying cultural knowledge and inculcating the ideals, norms, and values necessary for life in a democratic society. But since then, there has been a steady decline in effective civics education and core competencies.
The decline in U.S. civics and citizenship acumen has been attributed to many factors, including rising distrust in the political goals of civics education, ideological disagreements about how to teach civics, a shifting focus to STEM and language arts accelerated by No Child Left Behind, and others.
It is a misconception that civics is no longer taught at all. But in 1960s America, public high school students were typically required to take three courses in civics — Civics, Problems of Democracy, and U.S. Government. Today, civics is generally taught as a single semester-long class.
Also, the way civics is taught today is more focused on rote memorization of textbooks than through experiential learning, lively classroom discussions about current events, or direct civic engagement.
Civic Stewardship
On Nov. 13, our hardworking and talented staff kicked off KCBA’s new Civics Stewardship Program. Its goal is to teach community members — not just students — the basic structure of our government. In particular, it aims to dispel misunderstandings about our justice system and its role in the three branches of government. It also emphasizes the importance of, and respect for, the rule of law.
Our Civics Stewards will visit community groups interested in receiving a presentation. Once a community group requests a presentation, KCBA will reach out to one judge and one attorney volunteer to speak to the group. That attorney-judge pair will go together and provide a presentation on the rule of law, separation of powers, and civil rights. The volunteers will be provided with materials, which they can modify and enhance with their own thoughts and experiences.
It is my great hope that every KCBA member will consider signing up for the Civics Stewardship Program. It is a relatively simple and fun way to get to know more KCBA lawyers and judges, get out into the community, and share knowledge that could pay dividends for our democracy.
If you are interested, please visit www.kcba.org/stewards to sign up.
And you can bet I’ll be embarrassing Mick by telling his fantastic citizenship test story when I go.
1 By the way, although I understand the demands of late-night comedy shows wanting to fill time, I do not endorse mockery of people who have checked out of politics and civics because they do not perceive it as relevant to their lives, or because we have relegated civics education to the realm of “we’ll get to it if we have time.”
