The threat to American democracy that Romney and Obama aren't talking about

Individually, these outcomes are startling. Collectively, they indicate a real threat to what Alexis de Tocqueville called the “great American experiment” of democracy. We cannot have “government by the people” if the people do not know how to govern.

But students do not magically transform into engaged and informed citizens on their 18th birthdays. And they almost certainly will not if schools do not play a role in teaching them about active citizenship.

In critical content areas, such as English, science, and math, schools intentionally teach and develop important skills through consistent practice throughout students’ educational careers. This must also occur with civics: We must provide students an opportunity to learn, reflect on, and “do” citizenship, through discussion, student government and newspapers, and by taking real action on issues they face in their own communities.

While it may seem difficult to fit civics into an already over-stretched school day, the benefit of an effective civics education is that it re-enforces the development of other academic subjects. Students can improve their literacy skills through reading policy papers and opinion articles, practice math by analyzing survey information on community problems, and improve their public speaking by meeting with public officials. 

Another way to infuse the school day with these vital civic learning opportunities is to extend it, providing an opportunity for deeper learning in civics and science and for a range of important extracurricular activities that have been slashed from school programs. 

Both candidates’ own life stories provide a platform for a renewed emphasis on civics. Romney gave up multimillion-dollar earnings as head of Bain Capital to enter (much less lucrative) public service as governor of Massachusetts. Obama left an initial job at a consulting firm after graduating from Columbia to take a (low-paying) job as a community organizer in Chicago.

Though their educations equipped both for financial success, they were also taught to value something higher than mere wealth. They also both can infuse citizen engagement back into our national education debate. If we truly want to discuss what’s best for our country’s future, we must also discuss how to educate today’s young people to become informed, engaged, and effective citizens. Our great American experiment demands nothing less. 

Scott Warren is the executive director of Generation Citizen. Iris Chen is the president and CEO of the I Have a Dream Foundation. Prior to this role, she served as Teach For America’s New York City executive director. Eric Schwarz is the co-founder and CEO of Citizen Schools.

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