Civics education in schools across the country has been on the decline for the past five decades. Courses encouraging students to explore their role as citizens and discuss current issues were the rule and not the exception in U.S. schools, until the 1960s.
Today, such classes are rare. Instead, civics education has been marginalized and included as part of course work that more generally focuses on American government. Little time is devoted to exploring how students can participate in the democratic process.
In 2017, the Wisconsin legislature recognized the urgent need for the inclusion of civics education in Wisconsin schools by enacting a law requiring students to pass the U.S. citizenship test in order to graduate. That legislation, while commendable, did not go far enough toward providing comprehensive civics education.
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Fast forward to 2021 and the legislature has now turned its attention to the consideration of legislation that would address the existing deficiencies in civics education currently provided by Wisconsin schools.
Introduced by Rep. Robin Vos (R-Rochester), Assembly Bill 563 will prioritize civics education by mandating that it be taught in grades K-12 throughout Wisconsin. The bill is garnering bipartisan support and national attention.
The Wisconsin Newspaper Association enthusiastically supports the passage of AB 563. The development of the civics curriculum, while not specifically outlined in the bill, should include input from all within the education community who are charged with setting curriculum standards in Wisconsin. The passage of AB 563 will go a long way toward empowering and encouraging young students across Wisconsin to become engaged with government on local and statewide levels
It is the role of the newspaper industry to inform the public and encourage civic dialogue. The WNA has made the promotion of civics education in Wisconsin schools a priority. In 2018, the WNA Foundation launched the annual Wisconsin Civics Games, an effort to bolster civics education and engagement among youth through local, regional and statewide competitions for high school students.
