| Last week’s curation at RealClear’s American Civics portal begins with Liam Julian’s piece at RealClearPolitics that tackles the important question of how we can recover civics education in America. Julian, the director of public policy at the Sandra Day O’Connor Institute for American Democracy, writes that until the 1960s, an assimilationist view of civics that was based on teaching a core set of principles was the norm. He argues that this view of civics “became objectionable, and disagreements over civics became personal. As the controversy over civics increased, many schools understandably responded by simply teaching it less.” This has led to the problems in our day, as survey after survey shows that the state of civics has suffered as a result. For example, Julian highlights a recent U.S. Chamber of Commerce civics survey which “found that more than 70% of respondents failed a basic U.S. civic literacy quiz, with over 30% not knowing that there are three branches of government, much less what those branches are and what they do.” In closing, Julian notes myriad “impediments to robust civic education in American public schools – a lack of funding and adequate teacher training among them.” But he writes that “if we cannot work together to find common ground on civic education, then all the money and training in the world may not much matter.” David Bobb, President of the Bill of Rights Institute, also discusses the “dire” state of American civics education and proposes answers. Bobb writes that parents should “talk to local teachers about the specific challenges they face, in terms of resources, priorities or time, in incorporating more civics in the classroom.” He says there’s likely far more agreement between teachers and parents than what’s commonly thought. Second, Bobb says that parents should “let school board officials and candidates know you want more time and resources invested in civic education.” As he concludes, to fix our civics education issues, “We need more community members off the sidelines and in the game.” In the News Sheila Howard, Toledo Blade Gabby Peterson, Deseret News David L. Nevins, The Fulcrum Jon Lauck, Middle West Review Kellie B. Gormly, Smithsonian Magazine Staff, National Constitution Center J. Michael Hoffpauir, Law & Liberty C. Bradley Thompson, Substack Dana Goldstein, New York Times Wright Thompson, Politico Jaclyn Diaz, NPR James Hankins, Law & Liberty Louis Menand, New Yorker Marty Munson & Rachel Epstein, Men's Health Hannah Dellinger, Chalkbeat Retro Report Gaffes have cast a shadow on many U.S. elections, from the tense final days of the battle... We the People Best-selling author, philanthropist, and National Constitution Center Trustee David Rubenstein discusses his new book, "The Highest Calling... Carl Cannon's Great American Stories Election Day arrives in 40 days, which in the Judeo-Christian tradition is a number of profound significance. It signals, among ... On Sept. 24, 1957, the Brooklyn Dodgers played their last game at historic Ebbets Field. When I say historic, that ... Today is also the day of the week when I share a quote intended to be uplifting or educational. Earlier ... | 