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Study: Students aren’t being taught civics. Surprised?
The Constitutional Alamo ^ | 07/02/09 | Michael Naragon

Posted on 07/02/2009 1:03:52 PM PDT by Publius772000

Among the questions asked by the Goldwater survey were such puzzlers as “What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?” and “Who was the first president of the United States?”

The full report will be released shortly, but here are ten of the questions asked, along with the percentage of students who answered them correctly. To pass, the students had only to correctly answer six of the ten questions, pulled at random from a pool of questions from the U.S. citizenship exam. Only 3.5% of the students, all from government schools, passed the test. That’s about 40 out of a total of 1,134. Please save your disgust until you read all ten.

1. What is the supreme law of the land? Answer: The Constitution (29.5% answered correctly) 2. What do we call the first 10 amendments to the Constitution? Answer: The Bill of Rights (25%) 3. What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress? Answer: Senate and House (23%) 4. How many Justices are on the Supreme Court? Answer: Nine (9.4%) 5. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence? Answer: Jefferson (25.3%) 6. What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States? Answer: Atlantic (58.8%) 7. What are the two major political parties in the United States? Answer: Democratic and Republican (49.6%) 8. We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years? Answer: Six (14.5%) 9. Who was the first President of the United States? Answer: Washington (26.5%) 10. Who is in charge of the Executive Branch? Answer: The President (26%)

These findings are not surprising to anyone who has seen the yearly results from the Intercollegiate Studies Institute’s civics survey, given to seniors at the nation’s most prestigious universities. The average score on the ISI exam? 49%.

(Excerpt) Read more at theconstitutionalalamo.com ...


TOPICS: Education; Government; History; Politics
KEYWORDS: civics; education; goldwater; isi
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If you go to the original article, you can take the 2008-2009 and 2007-2008 ISI Civics quizzes to compare yourself with the dumb masses.
1 posted on 07/02/2009 1:03:52 PM PDT by Publius772000
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To: Publius772000

I”m Exhausted, ready for a NAP and I could probably do better... geez.. Government Schools are doing their jobs well.. creating a generation of sheep.


2 posted on 07/02/2009 1:07:08 PM PDT by gwilhelm56 (Orwell's 1984 - To Conservatives, a WARNING - to Liberals, a TEXTBOOK!)
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To: Publius772000

Holy cow! I’m surprised - and my expectations were basement level to begin with. Seems like the kids would absorb something just by virtue of being alive. I guess not.


3 posted on 07/02/2009 1:12:01 PM PDT by ElayneJ
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To: gwilhelm56

More like a generation of dopes who the tv tells are so smart.


4 posted on 07/02/2009 1:14:07 PM PDT by Tarpon (You abolish your responsibilities, you surrender your rights.)
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To: Publius772000
Here's the current curriculum:


5 posted on 07/02/2009 1:15:53 PM PDT by william clark (Ecclesiastes 10:2)
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To: Tarpon

the very same young voters who all went for Obama. I’m not surprised.


6 posted on 07/02/2009 1:17:03 PM PDT by jeltz25
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To: Publius772000

How about these for probable answers:

1. What is the supreme law of the land? answer: The Supreme Court
2. What do we call the first 10 amendments to the Constitution? answer: Irrelevant in these modern days.
3. What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress? answer: CSPAN1 and CSPAN2
4. How many Justices are on the Supreme Court? answer: there is no justice in the Supreme Court
5. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence? answer: some old, dead white guy
6. What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States? answer: which way is East again?
7. What are the two major political parties in the United States? answer: How come I wasn’t invited to the party?
8. We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years? answer: ‘till the next election
9. Who was the first President of the United States? Answer: again, some old, dead white guy.
10. Who is in charge of the Executive Branch? Answer: good question...


7 posted on 07/02/2009 1:17:53 PM PDT by SandWMan (Even if you can't legislate morality, you can legislate morally.)
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To: gwilhelm56

Pulled an 87.88% ..ok i missed 4 questions... now for that nap!


8 posted on 07/02/2009 1:18:09 PM PDT by gwilhelm56 (Orwell's 1984 - To Conservatives, a WARNING - to Liberals, a TEXTBOOK!)
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To: Publius772000

I broke 90% on both. I think I’m way overqualified to ever get into government.

}:-)4


9 posted on 07/02/2009 1:18:12 PM PDT by Moose4 (Palin/some guy who can keep it in his pants 2012)
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To: Publius772000

Students can’t be expected to master such trivial subjects as Civics when there are much more important curriculum to be taught, such as Diversity Studies and Social Justice. /s


10 posted on 07/02/2009 1:19:27 PM PDT by bamahead (Few men desire liberty; most men wish only for a just master. -- Sallust)
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To: SandWMan

Those are answers I’d Expect to see .. from anyone current college graduate(last few years) or below.


11 posted on 07/02/2009 1:20:07 PM PDT by gwilhelm56 (Orwell's 1984 - To Conservatives, a WARNING - to Liberals, a TEXTBOOK!)
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To: Moose4

Daniel Hannan once said that one of the biggest problems with government is that the cream of the crop no longer has interest in running for office. According to him, the constant criticism of elected officials leads many potential leaders to other fields, leaving the government to be run by thick-skinned sods who only quest for power. When you apply this theory to Barney Frank, it makes a lot of sense.


12 posted on 07/02/2009 1:22:20 PM PDT by Publius772000 (http://theconstitutionalalamo.com)
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To: Publius772000
Why bother with civics studies when students can be occupied with pithy works such as "Reflections of a Lesbian Foster Mom"?
13 posted on 07/02/2009 1:25:47 PM PDT by steve86 (Acerbic by nature, not nurture)
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To: gwilhelm56
Exactly!

They cut out history, geography and now civics.

LIBERAL academicians replaced history and geography with Social Studies and civics is replaced with LIBERAL activism and perversion (indifference to homosexuality and abortion). Math has been watered down and kids in kindergarten now use calculators so "math isn't so hard". They crap out when it comes to Algebra - they don't know the basic operations. Oh, science is based on "junk science" and fits in nicely with "save the earth" and environmentalism - that's now called "science".

14 posted on 07/02/2009 1:26:39 PM PDT by nmh (Intelligent people recognize Intelligent Design (God).)
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To: Publius772000

Could someone post the classes required for graduation from the average high school? I’m curious to see if American History is anywhere between cucumber and rubber 101 and How to be P.C. 102......


15 posted on 07/02/2009 1:33:54 PM PDT by AngelesCrestHighway
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To: Publius772000
# What are the two major political parties in the United States? Answer: Democratic and Republican (49.6%)

Bzzzzzzzzzzt! Sorry, wrong answer. But thanks for playing!

The political party that is currently in charge and which is represented most appropriately by a jackass (both in icon and leadership) is the "DEMOCRAT" party. It most assuredly is NOT democratic and should never be referred to that way.

So either the Goldwater Institute, its survey company or the author, Michael Naragon, got that one wrong.

I know, I'm being petty, but like they say, "words mean something".

16 posted on 07/02/2009 1:35:36 PM PDT by hadit2here ("Most men would rather die than think. Many do." - Bertrand Russell)
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To: Publius772000

Our 12yrold and I took the long test at the link. Whew. Need a nap now! We scored 85%. Son guessed some of the economic questions correctly, but I overruled him, knowing he was guessing. (as was I) Anywho, I missed two of the political philosophy type questions that I would have answered correctly 20 years ago. I am terrible with economics!


17 posted on 07/02/2009 1:35:41 PM PDT by petitfour
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To: hadit2here

If you look it up, the Democrat party changed it’s name to the Democratic party at some point.


18 posted on 07/02/2009 1:37:02 PM PDT by petitfour
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To: jeltz25

You are right. I have a friend whose kids are now on their own after going to school and getting degrees ... They wonder was it all worth it as they can find nothing but menial jobs.

We have semi adopted them and are trying to help after their mother suddenly died last month.

Any tinpot dictator knows the young are their cannon fodder.


19 posted on 07/02/2009 1:41:33 PM PDT by Tarpon (You abolish your responsibilities, you surrender your rights.)
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To: Moose4
Missed the ''just war'' question. And their answer is BS, too.

Hitler was certainly a legitimate sovereign, having been duly elected Kanzler. By the quiz's lights, WW II was therefore a 'just war' from the German standpoint...which is rubbish.

20 posted on 07/02/2009 1:42:23 PM PDT by SAJ
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