The Civic Education Crisis

The Civic Education Crisis: How We Got Here, What We Must Do is a call to action, an effort to save our republic through better civic education. America faces a crisis in civic education that imperils the long-term health of the country. Too many Americansespecially young peopledo not have the knowledge of history and principles necessary to sustain the republic. In what has become a vicious cycle, young people are not learning about their countryits history and how it worksand they grow up disengaged and distrustful. Too many young people do not understand the principles of self-government on which America was founded. And they do not understand Americas history as the story of the struggle to live up to those principles of freedom articulated in documents like the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Instead, too many believe that Americas story is essentially one of oppression, not freedominjustice, not hope. In the first half of the book, authors Jeff Sikkenga and David Davenport diagnose the problem while proposing solutions in the second half. Truly, America faces a civics crisis and action is needed now to reverse the trend.