Perhaps this is obvious, but if the 2016 presidential campaign is an indication of anything, it should be an indication of how desperately we need more attention to civics in our schools and public discussion. ed.

A majority of students don’t know, or appear to care, about their own country’s system of governance. When tested, high school and college graduates alike do very poorly in answering basic questions regarding American democratic principles, political processes or the power and functions of governmental institutions. Whether administered by the conservative educational Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) or the liberal arts defending American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA), test results suggest that civic and political ignorance is alarmingly widespread even among the nation’s most educated.

Source: Civics Lost—No Apparent Priority in Education