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Honored Contributor
Posts: 12,845
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: 60% of Americans Can't Pass a Civics Test!


@Miami Spices wrote:

I had jury duty a few years ago. The judge was explaining that sometimes you have to make an assumptions based on evidence. She asked if there was anyone who didn’t understand that. A man raised his hand. The judge then said to look at the American flag in the courtroom. Even though you can’t see all of the stars, you could assume there were .... stars. She pointed at the man- who said 23. She then asked the woman next to him how many stars should be on the flag? Her answer - 18. The judge excused all of us. 


@Miami Spices   Hard to believe!  Maybe they were trying to get out of jury duty.  

Honored Contributor
Posts: 8,074
Registered: ‎10-03-2014

Re: 60% of Americans Can't Pass a Civics Test!

I think our schools and colleges have been dumbed down and pretty sure it's intentional.

 

 

Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,439
Registered: ‎08-10-2013

Re: 60% of Americans Can't Pass a Civics Test!

I once had a work mate that thought Paris was a state.  She was not young.  She said this in front of a few people at work.  I thought I was going to slap her.  I was so angry.  When I told her it was a country in Europe, she said, "Well I didn't know"  very sarcastically.  I'm really scared for our country.

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,040
Registered: ‎09-12-2010

Re: 60% of Americans Can't Pass a Civics Test!

@mom2four0418, I didn't realize that I would need to provide statistics here. Can you provide statistics to the contrary? Based on the small sample of responses here, it would appear that there are others who have read/seen/experienced the same thing that I have. If you disagree that 60% of of Americans can't pass a civics test, do you have statistics to refute that?

Honored Contributor
Posts: 9,592
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: 60% of Americans Can't Pass a Civics Test!

Speaking for where I live, civics and US history are being taught.  I think the issue is that many people who go on to careers where this information isn't used and reinforced, just forget most of it.  

I haven't, because I have a personal interest in these topics but not everyone does.  

yesterday, I told several people that I wanted to be home by 5 pm so I could watch the debates on tv.  They had no idea what I was talking about!

Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,414
Registered: ‎07-25-2010

Re: 60% of Americans Can't Pass a Civics Test!

Doesn’t surprise me. Listen to the way people talk and try to read what they write. Americans are getting dumber by the minute.
Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,439
Registered: ‎08-10-2013

Re: 60% of Americans Can't Pass a Civics Test!


@Jinlei wrote:
Doesn’t surprise me. Listen to the way people talk and try to read what they write. Americans are getting dumber by the minute.

Some people can't write correctly because of texting all the time.  I am so fed up with the ignorance of some people in this country.  We need better parental teaching.    

Respected Contributor
Posts: 3,846
Registered: ‎04-23-2010

Re: 60% of Americans Can't Pass a Civics Test!


@jannabelle1 wrote:

@mom2four0418, I didn't realize that I would need to provide statistics here. Can you provide statistics to the contrary? Based on the small sample of responses here, it would appear that there are others who have read/seen/experienced the same thing that I have. If you disagree that 60% of of Americans can't pass a civics test, do you have statistics to refute that?



You made a statement that many school districts are no longer teaching U.S History and Civics. Where have you found that to be true? Many school districts require three years of Social Studies, including U.S. History as a requirement for graduation. Your statement about what kids don't appreciate is just another way to berate young people which I find sad.
“The soul is healed by being with children.”
— Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Honored Contributor
Posts: 65,680
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: 60% of Americans Can't Pass a Civics Test!

While I heartily agree that current standards, educational priorities and the focus on and obsession with technology might well short shrift current students in areas many of us consider 'basic', in my opinion, education has always been uneven. I had the beneift of what is considered a 'world class' school system and I can tell you that regardless of curriculum, teachers often taught to their strenghts and interests. I don't remember ever having a clear focus on geography, for example, and while I picked up some knowlege because of my own interest, it was one of several subjects I felt was glossed over. I also never had a class specifically called 'civics', though the material covered by the sample citizenship tests I looked at online (very easy questions, in my opinion) was all covered in courses with other names... 


In my pantry with my cupcakes...
Honored Contributor
Posts: 65,680
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: 60% of Americans Can't Pass a Civics Test!

[ Edited ]

@mom2four0418 wrote:

@jannabelle1 wrote:

@mom2four0418, I didn't realize that I would need to provide statistics here. Can you provide statistics to the contrary? Based on the small sample of responses here, it would appear that there are others who have read/seen/experienced the same thing that I have. If you disagree that 60% of of Americans can't pass a civics test, do you have statistics to refute that?



You made a statement that many school districts are no longer teaching U.S History and Civics. Where have you found that to be true? Many school districts require three years of Social Studies, including U.S. History as a requirement for graduation. Your statement about what kids don't appreciate is just another way to berate young people which I find sad.

Though I don't think it's at all a new phenomenon, regardless of what school districts might require and what a curriculum is supposed to cover, it's often the case that in the actual classroom experience there is an uneven focus. Not getting into the whole megillah about what kids might and might not appreciate. I suspect it varies by the kid, as it always has.


In my pantry with my cupcakes...