High-schoolers' civics knowledge waning

Jill Tucker, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, May 5, 2011

Three out of 4 U.S. students lack a basic understanding of democracy, of how the U.S. political system works and what it means to be a citizen of this country, according to national test scores released Wednesday.

That equals a failing grade in civics.

Fewer than half the country's eighth-graders were able to identify the purpose of the Bill of Rights on the 2010 National Assessment of Educational Progress. Most high school seniors couldn't identify a power granted to Congress by the Constitution or define the term "melting pot." Relatively few fourth-graders understood the concept of majority rule, as expected for their grade level.

The findings came from the national test, given every four years to thousands of the nation's fourth-, eighth- and 12th-graders. the rest