Improves Civics Education & Engagement
Lowering the voting age to 16 gives young adults the opportunity to become more civically engaged in their communities, increases the relevance of civics classes, and pushes schools to improve civics education — Vote16 will push for PAUSD civics education that includes more information regarding local issues and elections.
The Main Idea
Lowering the voting age can drive demand for effective civics education in schools, reviving a discipline that is too often pushed to the side.
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Students learn best when the material presented is relevant to their lives, and civics classes fall short when they teach young people how government works without any ability to actually participate in it.
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As civics education In PAUSD, civics education begins first semester sophomore year, voting in school board elections at 16 and 17 gives students a direct way to apply what they have learned.
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The high school classroom is the ideal place to teach and engage young people about important local issues​
The Problem
Lackluster voter engagement in America has become a widely recognized problem. One related but often forgotten issue is the staggering lack of proper civic education in the United States.
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Just 1/4 of Americans can name all three branches of government (Washington )
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Current Common Core Standards only require students to read three documents about our history: The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, and Lincoln's Inaugural Address
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Only 9 States (and the District of Columbia) require a full year of Civic Education
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No States require experiential learning as part of their civics curriculum
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The average score in AP U.S. Government is a 2.64, the fourth lowest and a failing score
In Palo Alto
Civics Education in Palo Alto is also quite limited
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PAUSD requires only one semester of civic education
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Teachers are given significant leeway to assign material, causing gaps in student knowledge
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These are the six core activities recommended by the ​California’s Civics Learning Task Force Final Report:
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“directly improve the quality and effectiveness of civic learning in schools … classroom instruction in government, history, law and economics"
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"service learning projects tied to the curriculum"
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"simulations of democratic processes" (up to the discretion of teachers)
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"extracurricular activities that have a strong civic dimension" (up to the discretion of teachers)
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"student participation in school governance" (up to the discretion of teachers)
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"Discussions of current events and controversial topics" (up to the discretion of teachers)
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The Importance of Civic Education
Civic Education has a clear impact on civic participation​
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In the US, the 10 states with the highest youth volunteer rates also require students to take a civics course to graduate
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In those 10 states, students scored higher than average on the AP U.S. Government Exam
There is strong evidence for the efficacy of including robust civics education in schools: according to Dr. Jan Eichhorn from Edinburgh University, “school appears to act as a neutral ground to discuss politics and learn about it in an informed way.” That assumption is supported by data, too: in a study conducted by Eric Pultzer, Associate Professor of Political Science and Sociology at The Pennsylvania State University, those one standard deviation above the mean in terms of political engagement and knowledge had a significantly higher probability of voting in an election than those one standard deviation below the mean. The evidence confirms an intuitive notion: those more educated in politics become more likely to engage in politics.
