By Sydney Carlucci
Arizona recently passed a law requiring all students to pass the United States Citizenship test on civics before they graduate from high school. They are the first state in the union to do so. I personally think this is a great idea. There are too many young so-called “educated” Americans out there that could not pass this test. It is literally ridiculous that the country mandates people pass this test to become a citizen while many Americans would not pass the test themselves. We expect foreigners to know more about aspects of our country than what we teach our students in school and it is not right. We should hold American-born citizens to a higher standard, not a lower one.
The country is falling behind in all aspects of education. If we can get all of our students to master the basics of American government and history, it is a great step forward in our race to the top of the world’s education.
Passing the civics exam also helps prepare young people to be better citizens. People are more likely to participate in government if they are informed and understand how it all works. While the United States civic exam does not go into to great detail, it covers enough about the government to make sure the elementary aspects are understood.
Personally, I think lawmakers should go even further. Mandating harder tests or even mock elections to teach students about how voting and our government really works. Getting kids engaged in hands on learning is always a good way to teach them if it really needs to be engrained in their minds.
Works Cited
Associated Press. (2015, January 15). Arizona requires civics for high school diploma.
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