Old Enough to Vote but Ignorant of Why

Most of the nation’s 3 million high school seniors will be eligible to vote next year in the first presidential election of the 21st century, but only one in four of them has more than a rudimentary understanding of how the American system of democratic government works, a new battery of tests has found.

And fully 35% lack even the most basic knowledge of the system or the role citizens play in it, according to the results released Thursday from a benchmark series of tests conducted last year by the Department of Education.

The tests, known as the Nation’s Report Card on Civics and Government, were part of the ongoing National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP, which is widely considered the most authoritative source of data on the state of elementary and secondary education in the country. Previous NAEP assessments have focused on reading, writing, math, science and other subjects.

Experts in the field, reacting to the new data, drew a connection between students’ lack of understanding of government and citizenship and young people’s low levels of voting and participation in public affairs. By one estimate, for instance, fewer than 20% of eligible voters in the 18-25 age group voted in the last presidential election.

“For a democracy like ours to flourish, it is crucial that citizens are prepared to participate in making decisions through rational discussion and debate,” said Diane Ravitch, a member of the National Assessment Governing Board and a professor at New York University.

Charles N. Quigley of the Center for Civic Education in Calabasas, a federally funded organization that develops and operates educational programs in schools, said: “The vast majority of our students are simply not getting an adequate education in civics and government.”

For example, 12th graders were asked to list two ways a democratic society can benefit if citizens take part. Only 9% gave correct answers--such as making sure government reflects the will of the people.

And only 30% of seniors understood that the Supreme Court’s power to review the constitutionality of laws helps protect individuals’ rights.

“If you ask me if we are doing a good job of preparing students for the basic duties of citizenship, the answer is no,” said William A. Galston, executive director of the National Commission on Civic Renewal and a professor at the University of Maryland.

Galston pointed to recent research showing that, although levels of formal education have risen sharply in the last 50 years, “the level of civic information hasn’t budged.” He said every state “should have meaningful requirements” for education in the subject.

High school students attending a briefing on the NAEP results Thursday echoed Galston and Quigley, saying their participation in model government and civics programs had increased their knowledge--and also their desire to participate.

“It increased our interest in government,” senior Jessica Jones of Richmond, Va., said. “We are more eager to take part.” Alex Rothenberg, also from Richmond, agreed: “Of all my classes, this is the one I was most involved in.”

The assessment group did not release state-by-state results, but Quigley and others said California’s approach to teaching government and civics is not substantially different from those of most other states.

The NAEP tests, versions of which were administered to fourth- and eighth-grade students as well as to high school seniors, were designed to measure knowledge of the U.S. system of laws and constitutional government, students’ ability to apply that knowledge and their grasp of democratic ideals and values. Age-appropriate tests were designed by panels of experts for each grade.

At the 12th grade level, 22% were rated proficient, 4% advanced, 39% basic and 35% below basic. Results were similar for the other two grades tested.

In general, fairly large numbers of students had learned a substantial number of facts about the American system but had difficulty understanding their significance in a larger context or using them to analyze issues or problems--a failing that has been seen in earlier NAEP tests in such areas as reading, writing, math and science.