Commentary: Mandating civics courses would benefit students, the country

The other day, my son was practicing his guitar with a new music book and came upon Samuel Francis Smith’s “America (My Country, ‘Tis of Thee).”

You know, the 1832 patriotic song that is not “America the Beautiful” and whose melody is the same as England’s “God Save the Queen.”

That song, by the way, served as this country’s de facto national anthem for a century before “The Star-Spangled Banner” garnered that title in 1931.

I asked him if he knew the song. He did not.

The diminished music education in public schools over the past few decades accounts for the loss of a common musical history of this country.

OK, so kids today are more likely to belt out “Let it Go” from “Frozen” than “Home on the Range.”

No big deal, right? However, with the loss of an arts education has come the loss of an education in civics — “the study of the rights and duties of citizens and of how government works,” per the Merriam-Webster website. In other words, what it means to be an American citizen and, more important, how to participate in the process.

The fact that only one out of every five 18- to 29-year-olds votes makes me wonder if the lack of civics education has anything to do with such a low turnout.

With the decades-long focus on math and English skills, knowledge in other areas has been neglected. Most children earn high school diplomas without understanding how this country operates or why it matters. This lack of awareness ultimately leads into apathy.

We know about the achievement gap. Call this one the American gap.

The New York Times reports that “students are woefully deficient in their understanding of how government works” but that “the study of American government and democratic values is making a comeback.” Unfortunately, that was published in 1987.

Recent efforts to resurrect civics courses or mandate that students take the U.S. citizenship test have occurred in North Carolina, Florida, Massachusetts and Tennessee.

But with the Common Core curriculum in full swing, chances are that little will change. This is a mistake.

It is not so much the common math and common grammar that binds people. Rather, it is the common culture.

One of the main charges of public schools used to be teaching children from a variety of religious and ethnic backgrounds the history of the United States as a way to cement their values and assist them in assimilation.

Knowing how government operates and how individuals make up the government and affect change is not insignificant and should not be reserved for an obscure elective class.

Mandating civics courses in public schools would help unite a growing disjointed population. Just as students need to take health classes for their own personal well-being, they should take civics as part of their duty as citizens. We all benefit from an informed citizenry.

Gov. Jerry Brown recently signed a mandatory vaccination law because “immunization powerfully benefits and protects the community.” Making students learn about their country as part of their education would protect the community as well.

BRIAN CROSBY is a teacher and the author of “Smart Kids, Bad Schools” and “The $100,000 Teacher.” He can be reached at briancrosby.org.