A suggestion: The Founding Fathers arrived at the idea of the separation of powers from the experience of seeing what it was like when all the power was invested in one branch of government under the absolutist kings of the 17th-18th centuries. Maybe reviewing the abuses of earlier one-branch systems would help students appreciate where the Founding Fathers were coming from on that.
That would definitely be a start, but, IMO not enough since the kiddos don't have any ties to history. The connection we all have with history is lost on them because they have grown up with instant gratification, and have no memory of what it really means to lose freedom. Parental discipline and getting grounded isn't a strong enough incentive to learn about history.
I just have this nagging feeling that we can teach it but they won't receive it because of the degree to which the society as a whole has withered.
I honestly feel that more intervention needs to be done at a basic level. Not just teach kids about government and history of the founding fathers in high school, but initiate civic duty from Kinderarten on, even if it is just a mock election to start. Shoot, I remember having mock elections every time there was a real election, when I was little. Then again, I am also a product of the grand experiment ~open clasrooms~ that was abandoned because teachers had too much difficulty managing a class without walls. (My teachers did just fine, and in fact were quite good at it.)
*sigh* I ramble.