Colleges and Universities Fail at Teaching American Civics

Acton PowerBlog (Ray Nothstine): Colleges and Universities Fail at Teaching American Civics

“Is American higher education doing its duty to prepare the next generation to keep America free?” Apparently not, according to researchers at the University of Connecticut’s Department of Public Policy (UConnDPP), in a study commissioned by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute’s (ISI) National Civic Literacy Program.

In a survey of 14,000 freshman and seniors at 50 colleges and universities across the country, every school scored poorly. Also, college seniors, sadly, scored little better than freshman. The average senior score was a failing 53.2%; the average freshman score was 51.7%. In fact, no school scored higher than a D+. The top ten school are listed below:

1. Harvard University 69.56%
2. Grove City College (PA) 67.26
3. Washington & Lee University (VA) 66.98
4. Yale University 65.85
5. Brown University 65.64
6. University of Virginia 65.28
7. Wheaton College (IL) 64.98
8. University of Pennsylvania 63.49
9. Duke University 63.41
10. Bowdoin College (ME) 62.86

..........

You can take the quiz here, and see how you measure up against American college students.

I took the test. Got a 96.67%. I wonder how students in earlier generations would have done on such a test. How much has changed, and how much of it is that fact that social science geeks like me have always only been the ones who focus on this stuff?

Comments

[Peter Kirk]

At 78.33% I am happy to see that I am well above the Harvard level - and I am not even an American!

[Michael W. Kruse]

Kinda scary, huh!

:)

[Gruntled]

I am sorry that Centre College was not included in the test. However, since we are most like Rhodes College of any college in America, I can take some solace in the fact that Rhodes won this fairly dismal contest.

(Oh, and 98.33 - I missed #58)

[Michael W. Kruse]

It would be interesting to know how students performed by major.

[neil]

As another non-American I was glad to see that I scored well about the average. with just over 80%. I should have done better and kicked myself when I realized where I messed up. Hats off to a good British education.

[Michael W. Kruse]

I missed two. One because I simply marked the wrong answer inadvertently. But I'll admit that there were maybe five or six where I had to work through a process of elimination.

[D.L. Webster]

I only got an 81.67% I'll continue to study.

[Michael W. Kruse]

LOL. Last I checked, 82% is a B. In a class where the vast majority is flunking. :) I also suspect you aren't a social sci or poli sci geek and may have a life. :)

[Dan Anderson-Little]

I took the test and scored the same as Mike. I would be interested to know how other pastors score (I was a history major in college and am a news junkie so that may make a difference). I also wonder if such tests really are good indicators of the quality of American civics and therefore if lower scores indicate that in the future America will be less free. I wonder how citizens of other countries where there are much higher voting percentages would score on a comparable civics test written for their country.

[Michael W. Kruse]

Good questions Dan. I too wonder how much knowing things about philosphical fine points of Aristotle and Plato contribute to the average voter's ability to make sound decisions. I hoping to do a mulitiple post review of book call the "Myth of the Rational Voter" next month (I hope :) ) that gets into some of this.