Maybe something else has contributed...
.
Posted on 11/26/2008 4:46:12 AM PST by joeclarke
If there is any presidential speech that has captured a place in popular culture, it is the Gettysburg Address, seemingly recited by school children for decades. The truth is, however, Lincoln’s most memorable words are now remembered by very few.
Of the 2,508 Americans taking ISI’s civic literacy test, 71% fail. Story Below
The test contains 33 questions designed to measure knowledge of America’s founding principles, political history, international relations, and market economy.
While the questions vary in difficulty, most test basic knowledge. Six are borrowed from U.S. government naturalization exams that test knowledge expected of all new American citizens. Nine are taken from the National Assessment of Educational Progress tests that the U.S. Department of Education uses to assess high school seniors. Three are drawn from an “American History 101” exam posted online by www.InfoPlease.com. Two were developed especially for this survey and the rest were drawn from ISI’s previous civic literacy tests.
The results reveal that Americans are alarmingly uninformed about our Constitution, the basic functions of our government, the key texts of our national history, and economic principles.
Less than half can name all three branches of the government. Only 21% know that the phrase “government of the people, by the people, for the people” comes from Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Although Congress has voted twice in the last eight years to approve foreign wars, only 53% know that the power to declare war belongs to Congress. Almost 40% incorrectly believe it belongs to the president. Only 55% know that Congress shares authority over U.S. foreign policy with the president. Almost a quarter incorrectly believe Congress shares this power with the United Nations. Only 27% know the Bill of Rights expressly prohibits establishing an official religion for the United States.
(Excerpt) Read more at americancivicliteracy.org ...
If there is any presidential speech that has captured a place in popular culture, it is the Gettysburg Address, seemingly recited by school children for decades. The truth is, however, Lincoln’s most memorable words are now remembered by very few.
Of the 2,508 Americans taking ISI’s civic literacy test, 71% fail. Nationwide, the average score on the test is only 49%. The vast majority cannot recognize the language of Lincoln’s famous speech.
The test contains 33 questions designed to measure knowledge of America’s founding principles, political history, international relations, and market economy.
While the questions vary in difficulty, most test basic knowledge. Six are borrowed from U.S. government naturalization exams that test knowledge expected of all new American citizens. Nine are taken from the National Assessment of Educational Progress tests that the U.S. Department of Education uses to assess high school seniors. Three are drawn from an “American History 101” exam posted online by www.InfoPlease.com. Two were developed especially for this survey and the rest were drawn from ISI’s previous civic literacy tests.
The results reveal that Americans are alarmingly uninformed about our Constitution, the basic functions of our government, the key texts of our national history, and economic principles.
Americans from all age groups, income brackets, and political ideologies fail the test of civic literacy.
| The Average Nationwide Grade on the Civic Literacy Test is an “F” | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Americans nationwide fail the civic literacy test, scoring an average of 49%, or an “F.” This table shows the average score achieved by various groups. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Widespread ignorance of our nation’s history and institutions is a worrisome sign for our nation’s future. As we shall see, today’s Americans share the conviction of the Founding Fathers that civic education is important—and they are right in this conviction. Respondents who score in the top third in civic literacy, the survey shows, are more likely than those who score poorly on the test to participate in the civic life of their communities and country.
“Widespread ignorance of our nation’s history and institutions is a worrisome sign for our nation’s future.”
No doubt about it.
Have you been to a public school ? Have you seen the curriculum guides for the public schools? I invite you to see what teachers are being told to teach.
Everyone wants to blame the teachers, but once again, I implore you to look over the state mandated, city, county and let us not forget Federal curriculum guides and the time given to teach certain topics on each subject matter.
The good news-71% knew who won Dancin’with the Stars!
When civics is taught, it's always taught by a coach who's assigned to do it as a side chore from his real job of running the high school football or basketball team. That was my experience anyway.
The end result is that we now have a couple of generations of constitutional ignoramouses, who neither care about their government nor how it works. They're only interested in what it can give them now for "free."
This is depressing, but not surprising.
It’s not even that difficult. I got a 94%.
The multiple-choice answers seem intent to smoke out liberal bias, too. Take the quiz and see - it only takes about 15 minutes.
If you look at the data - the percentages are nearly identical for all age groups. It is hard to lay this at the feet of the public school when people in their 60’s had scores very close to 18 year olds.
97.67%. And I still say #33 was poorly worded. I could argue it.
I scored an 87.
Not bad for an "old fart" 31 years out of High School....
Maybe something else has contributed...
.
88%, man am I pissed I missed 4. The two I remember I missed were the questions about the Puritans and the “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness” in Lincolns Gettysberg Address (I was in a hurry...really). I think one other one was the economic question about reducing taxes and spening more as the answer to a recesion. I said tax less and spend less...wishful thinking I suppose.
Paula Abdule Beats Honest Abe
Respondents were asked if they could name the three judges on last year’s popular American Idol television program. Paula Abdul turned out to be the most well-known. Over twice as many people knew she was a judge on American Idol as know that the phrase “government of the people, by the people, for the people” comes from Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.
Named Abdul as a judge on American Idol
56%
Recognized phrase from Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address
21%
The last job applicant I interviewed answered “about 4 1/2 miles” to the question “Closest living relative?”.
I agree. Here is question 33 for those who didn’t go out there.
33) If taxes equal government spending, then:
A. government debt is zero
B. printing money no longer causes inflation
C. government is not helping anybody
D. tax per person equals government spending per person
E. tax loopholes and special-interest spending are absent
The contention is that D is the answer.
Communist Goal for America, #17
Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum [Goals 2000]. Get control of teachers’ associations [PTA]. Put the party line in textbooks.
As I've noted previously, Mississippi used to have a little test that was administered before allowing people to vote. It was very simple and at about the 3rd grade level with four or five questions like the three branches of government, etc. Of course, it was deemed racist and banned by the LBJ Justice Dept.
A lot of those that voted in the recent election take more care in voting for their American Idol favorites than they did for President.
If we expect to save this country, we need to keep talking to our friends to have them stop watching TV and going to dumbing down movies. Until we drive these businesses into bankruptcy, it will only get worse.
Television—Including TV News—Dumbs America Down
In order to help isolate the impact a college degree has on civic literacy, ISI examined additional factors that might add to or subtract from an individual’s civic knowledge. The survey results were put through a regression analysis to determine whether various behaviors in a respondent’s life had a unique, statistically significant impact on his or her civic knowledge.
The multiple-regression analysis indicated that a person’s test score drops in proportion to the time he or she spends using certain types of passive electronic media. Talking on the phone, watching owned or rented movies, and even monitoring TV news broadcasts and documentaries diminishes a respondent’s civic literacy.
Actively seeking knowledge through print media and high-quality conversations has the opposite effect. Reading about history and current events in books, magazines, and newspapers—and talking about these subjects with family and friends—increases a respondent’s civic literacy.
But those scores were appalling ... people should have to get a “passing” grade on that test before they are even allowed NEAR a voting booth. No wonder the result of the last election.
But this test is wholly unfair since there were no questions about global warming (on which every Tom, Dick & Harry are experts) and we all know is prohibited by the Constitution. Further, there was no mention of Britney Spears which makes it biased against young people.
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