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Show School and Home c j by Dr. Daryl J. McCarty ' Executive Secretary 3 Utah Education Association -m J During the first half of this decade, teenagers in the United States showed a decline in their knowledge of government. THEY ALSO lost ground in their understanding of and willingness to participate in the political process. And they mixed advances with declines in recognizing and valuing constitutional rights. THAT INFORMATION comes to us from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Anna Ochoa, president of the National Council for the Social Studies, says electives (courses that may be taken at the option of a student) are being substituted for hard-core government classes in schools. SHE REPORTED that in 1961, more than 700,000 students were enrolled in civics courses, while in 1973 the number had dropped to 450,000. 1 think this ties in with a popular cry of today: "Back to the basics." Of course, schools have never left what many consider the basicsreading, writing and arithmetic. BUT AREN'T classes in government basic? Isn't it basic for a youth to know the names of the President of the United States, the governor of our state, and members of Utah's congressional delegation? ISN'T IT basic for our children to know how our state legislature works? How our courts operate? Isn't it basic for them to study the United States Constitution Con-stitution and to understand its provisions? PARENTS CAN impress on their student children the importance of courses in government when these youngsters are making their class selections for the coming year. And there's another thing parents can do: Take a look at all your children's classes and consider their content. ISN'T IT true that every one of them is "basic" in many ways? |
