{"id":3695,"date":"2026-04-03T15:04:06","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T15:04:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?p=3695"},"modified":"2026-04-03T15:04:06","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T15:04:06","slug":"american-students-lack-of-basic-civics-knowledge-alarms-education-advocates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?p=3695","title":{"rendered":"American students&#8217; lack of basic civics knowledge alarms education advocates"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <div style=\"display: grid; grid-template-columns: 300px 160px; gap: 2px; width: 460px; background: #eee; padding: 2px;\">\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u6574\u884c\u5bbd\u5e7f\u544a -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column: 1\/-1; width: 460px; height: 250px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876674\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column: 1\/-1; width: 460px; height: 90px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876676\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u5de6\u4fa7\u7ad6\u6392 -->\r\n  <div style=\"height: 250px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876672\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div style=\"height: 500px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876680\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u53f3\u4fa7\u6469\u5929\u697c\uff08\u548c\u5de6\u4fa7\u5b8c\u5168\u5bf9\u9f50\uff09 -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-row: 3\/5; height: 750px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876678\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  \r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e6\" data-zoneid=\"5876682\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n<\/div><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft wp-block-nypost-editor-partner-article-links\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Education advocates are urging stronger\u00a0national civics standards\u00a0as new data highlights gaps in students\u2019 understanding of American government ahead of a federal assessment update.<\/p>\n<p>Every four years, the\u00a0National Assessment of Educational Progress\u00a0(NAEP) administers a civics test to students in grades 4, 8 and 12. <\/p>\n<p>The most recent results of the \u201cNation\u2019s Report Card,\u201d released in 2022, found just 22% of eighth graders were proficient, while 31% scored below basic. <\/p>\n<p>That marked a decline since its 2018 assessment, in which 27% scored below basic and 23% scored at or above the proficient level.<\/p>\n<p>Similar gaps were found beyond K-12 education. <\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0American Council of Trustees and Alumni\u00a0(ACTA) in 2024 surveyed more than 3,000 undergraduate students with the goal of \u201cassessing their grasp on basic facts about our nation\u2019s history and government.\u201d The survey revealed that 60% of students did not know the term lengths of members of Congress.<\/p>\n<p>In 2024, the\u00a0U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation\u00a0found in a survey of registered voters that 70% failed a basic civics literacy quiz. <\/p>\n<p>The assessment covered topics such as the three branches of government and the number of Supreme Court justices. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The most recent results of the \u201cNation\u2019s Report Card,\u201d released in 2022, found just 22% of eighth graders were proficient, while 31% scored below basic. <span class=\"credit\">JackF \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The foundation said that just half of respondents \u201cwere able to correctly name the branch of government where bills become laws.\u202f\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As officials at the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) look to update the 2018 Civics Assessment Framework, which will shape how civics knowledge is measured nationwide, Defending Education is urging it to make changes that will ensure the next generation of voters is properly educated on how the country functions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe primary problem is that most\u00a0high school graduates\u00a0know very little about our American government, our political institutions, and our traditions. And so when these individuals get old enough to vote, they\u2019re doing so with not having the type of foundation that they need to make informed decisions in the voting booth,\u201d Defending Education Director of State Affairs Terry Stoops told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n<p>Defending Education is calling for the NAEP exam to focus more heavily on students\u2019 knowledge of the Constitution, the structure of government and core founding principles behind the U.S. government. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The survey revealed that 60% of students did not know the term lengths of members of Congress. <span class=\"credit\">Rawpixel.com \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The organization said that questions on foreign affairs should assess what students know about specific constitutional mandates.<\/p>\n<p>Stoops explained that one of the major challenges is the varying approaches in different states, which he said has contributed to a lack of accountability.<\/p>\n<p>A 2024\u00a0Hoover Institution\u00a0report found that eight U.S. states \u2014 Alaska, Delaware, Kansas, Maine, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wyoming \u2014 required neither a civics course nor a civics test for students to receive a high school diploma. <\/p>\n<p>Additionally, the institute noted that just four states \u2014 Idaho, Louisiana, Virginia and West Virginia \u2014 require a full-year civics course and passing of a standard civics test.<\/p>\n<div class=\"single__inline-module inline-module inline-module--newsletter aligncenter inline-module--nypostbusinessunit aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-newsletter\" data-source-unit=\"Inline Newsletter Module Morning Report\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__inner\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__title-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__unsubmitted-title-wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStart your day with all you need to know\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<p class=\"inline-module__cta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMorning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>In\u00a0comments submitted\u00a0to the NAGB ahead of the NAEP civics assessment framework update, Defending Education President Nicole Neily said her organization urges the NAGB to \u201creject consultants and reviewers from organizations that openly support identity politics and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Stoops also spoke about the impact that increasingly politicized classrooms, particularly amid the rise of\u00a0DEI initiatives, have had on U.S. students\u2019 lack of civics knowledge. He said that in recent years, classrooms had been \u201chijacked by activists\u201d who are more interested in trying to \u201cindoctrinate\u201d students than educate them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo, this wave of activism we\u2019ve seen in a lot of these classes is particularly troubling because rather than students learning the basics about American government, they\u2019re learning how to be activists and they\u2019re learning how to carry signs with witty slogans for the service of groups and individuals that are trying to instill political change. They\u2019re basically pawns in someone else\u2019s game,\u201d he told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>In 2024, the\u00a0U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation\u00a0found in a survey of registered voters that 70% failed a basic civics literacy quiz.  <span class=\"credit\">Framestock \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Given the politicization of classrooms, Defending Education has recommended that the NAEP framework eliminate questions on \u201caction civics,\u201d arguing that \u201cencouraging civic participation without an adequate understanding of American political institutions produces little more than public displays of self-assured ignorance.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The conservative organization pointed to the anti-U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement\u00a0(ICE) walkouts\u00a0that took place this year.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe NAEP Civics Assessment is a necessary, often sobering snapshot of public school students\u2019 understanding of our fundamental constitutional rights and their readiness to exercise those rights as responsible and informed citizens. As long as civic education remains a core function of public education, the NAEP Civics Assessment will remain a critical tool for ensuring that our public schools are fulfilling their responsibilities,\u201d Neily wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Stoops warned that there were tangible risks to not fixing civics education, including a lack of critical thinking among voters.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll it takes are individuals that don\u2019t have those critical thinking skills to begin undermining our really core institutions,\u201d Stoops said. \u201cSo, I think that the very republic that we have is at stake if we continue to produce citizens that don\u2019t think critically about these very, very important issues.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- \u603b\u5bb9\u5668\uff1a\u6700\u5927\u5bbd908px Grid\u7d27\u51d1\u5e03\u5c40 -->\r\n<div style=\"display: grid; grid-template-columns: 728px 160px; gap:2px; width:908px; background:#eee; padding:2px;\">\r\n\r\n  <!-- 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