"A major aim of education in the State of New York is to prepare its students for a productive and meaningful life as citizens in local, state, national, and international settings. Walt Whitman wrote in his Democratic Vistas: “The mission of government, henceforth, in civilized lands, is . . . to train communities through all their grades, beginning with individuals and ending there again, to rule themselves.”

This civic mission is based on the democratic idea that active citizenship in the form of political participation is essential to the health and well-being of both the person and the polity. In fact, this civic aim serves as a reminder that New York State is a polity—a constituent polity within a larger federal democracy—with a distinctive political character. Every election year our citizenry may vigorously debate the policies our State should pursue; but a subject on which most agree is that, as a state, we have an obligation regarding the civic education of our students.

The civics standard is designed specifically to help students become active citizens. The civics standard is not an isolated phenomenon but part of a national and state recognition of the need for educational standards to improve education in general and civic preparedness in particular.

The civics standard reflects the mounting concern that young people are becoming more and more disengaged from politics. In 1998 the National Association of Secretaries of State sponsored a survey of youth attitudes known as the New Millennium Project. That survey sampled the civic attitudes of 70.2 million American youths, ages 15 to 24, representing the largest generation of young people in American history—surpassing even the Baby Boom generation.

Among its findings, this survey reported:

• Voter turnout among youth (18- to 24-year-olds) declined from 50 percent in 1972 (when the voting age was lowered to 18) to approximately half that number in 1998. Voter turnout among youth with a high school education or less is half that of youth who have obtained some college education. Voter turnout among youth is also disproportionately low among nonwhite respondents and among those who are not in school, tend not to read newspapers, and tend not to use the Internet.

• Only 16 percent of those surveyed (15- to 24-year-olds) reported volunteering in a political campaign, yet 53 percent reported volunteering with a nonpolitical organization (primarily in the social services). Ninety-four percent of respondents agreed that the most important responsibility of citizenship is to help others; 60 percent or more cited their highest priorities as “a close-knit family” and “gaining knowledge, education, and skills.” The disappointing news is that the lowest rated priorities held by only one fourth of youth are “caring about the good of the country,” “being involved in democracy and voting,” and “being involved and helping your community be a better place.”

• Only 25 percent of respondents could correctly identify the name of the vice president of the United States, the governor of their state, and the length of the term for a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. However, most respondents (60 percent) think that government should help families achieve the American dream and think that government can (72 percent) and should (56 percent) have an impact on their lives. At the same time, most respondents (64 percent) think that government is run by “a few big interests looking out for themselves” and that “you can’t trust politicians because most are dishonest” (58 percent).

• Most respondents (67 percent) think that their generation “has an important voice but no one seems to hear it.”

Political disengagement is a term currently used to refer to these trends, and it has educators and public officials deeply concerned. Standard 5 can be an important vehicle used for the civic reengagement of our youth in the political process. However, it is not the only State vehicle used to accomplish this goal. In 2000 the governor and legislature amended State Education Law by adding a new section, 801-a, to require instruction in civility, citizenship, and character education (see p. 5 for text).

Other public officials have made recommendations on how to combat increased disengagement among the youth of our State. In 1999, for example, the Chief Judge of New York State, Judith S. Kaye, released a report entitled “Public Trust and Confidence in the Legal System.” This report contains specific recommendations on ways in which the educational and judicial systems in New York State could join forces to educate students about the rule of law and the court system. The impetus for this State study came from a national conference on public trust and confidence sponsored by the American Bar Association, the Conference of Chief Justices, and the Conference of State Court Administrators.

The 12th grade is a critical stage of citizenship preparation and civic reengagement. Typically viewed as the student’s last year of high school, occasionally dismissed as a time when it is “too late to learn,” the12th grade is actually the student’s “commencement grade,” and for good reason. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, the word commence means “to begin, start . . . come into existence.” In this sense, the 12th grade is not the end but a beginning in which the student begins to think about entering a new life beyond the schoolhouse door. An important part of this preparation is the ability to synthesize and apply—to put things together, take stock, and apply knowledge to the re a l world. The culminating social studies course for Standard 5, Participation in Government, can provide a critical teaching moment in this process in which the student is expected to learn, see, and practice citizenship in action."

Homework/Crunch Assignment:

Based on today's lesson, the additional resources above, and your own research, you will write one (1) VERY persuasive short, powerful speech, 400 words max, about the importance of voting. Practice this as a speech; do not share with ANYONE. You will perform your speech for your peers and they will VOTE!

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