Self-governance is hard. The founders thought each generation would need to attach to democratic principles and practices for the republic to survive. Expanded K-12 education became the major vehicle for promulgating democratic sentiments and civic engagement. Unfortunately, civic education has become diminished at present. A broad group of educators, myself included, has created Californians for Civic Learning to help remedy this situation.
Civic education has been neglected for several reasons, but among the most prominent are civics and history being squeezed out by excessive focus on reading and math, educators lacking an in-depth knowledge of our history and democratic ideals and practices, and the fear of becoming embroiled in controversial issues.
