None of this is surprising to those of us who have devoted our lives to improving civic education in this country. Americans are finally starting to pay attention to the alarms raised. Thankfully, there are collective calls for improving civic education—not only during school years but as a lifelong endeavor for every person in our self-governing society.
The challenge for those of us in civic education is threefold: (1) there is less classroom time for civics in primary and secondary school; (2) the marketplace of ideas is crowded with misinformation coming from every direction; and (3) there are few resources designed to engage people of all ages.
“Schoolhouse Rock!”—and more recently “Hamilton”—have been able to capture the public’s collective attention. But now more than ever, we need more ways to meet people where they are and bring us together to discuss and embrace our charters of liberty.
Bite-sized, entertaining videos make it simple for learners—both young and old—to engage with American civics. Families can gather around the kitchen table watching them on a tablet, and middle school and high school teachers can play these videos in their classrooms.
These are just a couple of examples of how the field of civic education can continue to innovate and bring foundational constitutional knowledge directly to “We the People.” And we need to do much more and call on other organizations in the field, and those within other sectors, to commit to this essential endeavor.
In order to preserve and protect the U.S. Constitution—and perfect the shared ideals contained therein—we must ensure that “We the People” are fully informed about our laws and system of government. To paraphrase John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, knowledge is the soul of our republic. Each year on Sept. 17, Constitution Day, we are called to deepen our knowledge and strengthen that soul in commemorating the signing of the U.S. Constitution in 1787. We hope you will join us in that endeavor.