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Oopsie Daisy

(6,567 posts)
15. While it hasn't disappeared entirely, your presumption that it's "still a required course" is wrong.
Thu Aug 7, 2025, 05:51 PM
Aug 7

While it hasn't disappeared entirely, your presumption that it's "still a required course" is wrong. Less than half of states (40%) require a civics exam for graduation. 38 states require a stand-alone civics course in high school, but only six of those require a full year.

Civics education in the U.S. began a significant decline in the 1960s. This was partly due to factors like: The No Child Left Behind Act, for example, prioritized reading and math, leading to a decrease in instructional time for other subjects like civics.

Many are concerned about the decline in civics education and its potential impact on civic engagement and democratic values. The politicization of civics education has discouraged some teachers and administrators from engaging with the subject as deeply as they might otherwise.

Initiatives and Model Curricula: Organizations like the Educating for American Democracy initiative are working to revitalize civics education through new guidelines and curricula.

While civics is often "integrated" into in a perfunctory way into "social studies" standards in all 50 states, the fact remains that dedicated and comprehensive civics coursework is not universally required, and the depth of instruction varies.

Fortunately, there are growing efforts and recognition of the importance of restoring and strengthening civics education in American schools.

https://www.educatingforamericandemocracy.org/

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1 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

Civics. Oopsie Daisy Aug 7 #1
Yep. Same here. Freshman year. Arkansas Granny Aug 7 #2
Pretty sure that civics is still a required course. Emile Aug 7 #10
While it hasn't disappeared entirely, your presumption that it's "still a required course" is wrong. Oopsie Daisy Aug 7 #15
i chatted with a retired teacher but still subs , says many schools dont teach civics anymore . AllaN01Bear Aug 7 #23
Yeah. A real shame that it is gone. emulatorloo Aug 7 #11
add me to that list. When I was in 8th grade a semester of Civics was required yellowdogintexas Aug 8 #30
Same as your experience Diamond_Dog Aug 7 #3
I hated home ec. murielm99 Aug 7 #4
I got terrible grades in that, and I was just remembering the apron. I tried to make a fell apart when I presented it. Walleye Aug 7 #6
My son and some of his friends murielm99 Aug 7 #7
I got that merit badge in Boy Scouts! malthaussen Aug 9 #34
i failed home ec. couldnt sew a tee shirt if it killed me. AllaN01Bear Aug 7 #24
Latin Pachamama Aug 7 #5
I remember every Monday would bring newspaper articles to our social studies class and discuss them Walleye Aug 7 #8
I remember doing that, too. In 9th grade Civics class. Diamond_Dog Aug 7 #9
Drafting MichMan Aug 7 #12
Drafting was an assigned course in my middle school (mid 1970s suburban Boston). Eugene Aug 7 #18
Not so, I lived in the Philly suburbs and we had to take "mechanical drawing." malthaussen Aug 9 #35
Everyone had to take Home Ec and Shop. Biophilic Aug 7 #13
at my first high school, 4 years of Home Ec or Agriculture were necessary to get the 18 credits yellowdogintexas Aug 8 #31
I cannot tell you how much I and my whole family suffered through seeing. 🤣 Biophilic Aug 8 #32
Mechanical drawing and shop -- a semester of each. rsdsharp Aug 7 #14
French from kindergarten through 7th grade JoseBalow Aug 7 #16
Can't recall if it was mandatory, but snot Aug 7 #17
Driver's Ed was an elective in my High School... malthaussen Aug 9 #36
high school: typing (I hear that's obsolete.) middle school: printing and drafting/mechanical drawing Eugene Aug 7 #19
Funny stories about shop Marthe48 Aug 7 #20
Home Economics catbyte Aug 7 #21
Typing Diraven Aug 7 #22
Penmanship. Cursive. Oopsie Daisy Aug 8 #25
In grade school it was Penmanship. Ritabert Aug 8 #26
Cursive, Civics, U.S. History, Home Economics, PE. Polly Hennessey Aug 8 #27
Shorthand (Gregg) snowybirdie Aug 8 #28
Music appreciation. surrealAmerican Aug 8 #29
mechanical drawing and shop, one semester each in Junior High. malthaussen Aug 9 #33
We had to learn to dance LogDog75 Aug 9 #37
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