WESTFIELD – Representative John Velis (D-Westfield) has lent his “full-fledged” support to a piece of legislation that passed the Senate a few weeks ago. Senate Bill 2306, “An Act to Promote Civic Engagement,” would reform civics education in the Commonwealth, requiring high school students to complete a basic course in civics and at least two civic engagement projects before graduating.
“It’s shameful that we don’t already require our students in Massachusetts to complete a civics class. Kids shouldn’t be graduating knowing advanced algebra, but nothing about the Bill of Rights or the structure of government,” says Velis. “How can you make an informed choice in the voting booth if you don’t know what it is you’re even voting for?”
The bill has come in response to a movement to improve civics education nationwide. Studies by the Department of Education have shown that only one-third of adults can name all three branches of government, and only 20% can name at least two “unalienable rights” named in the Declaration of Independence.
When asked why he thinks civics education has declined in the classroom, Velis replied that he believes it’s one of the many sacrifices that were made in order to implement standardized testing mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act.
“Every time I talk to a teacher, the issue of standardized testing comes up. The MCAS eats up so much of the classroom time teachers have. When you are required to teach to the test, subjects left off the test fall by the wayside. We need to move away from these restrictive curriculum and let teachers focus on more important things, like how to be a good citizen, for example,” finished Velis. “In order to avoid over-burdening our teachers, we need to look seriously at rolling back and modifying the standardized testing requirements.”
If the legislation passes, all public schools in the Commonwealth would be would be required to teach American and local history, the function and composition of local, state, and federal government, media literacy skills, and the electoral process, among other things, as part of their civics education curriculum. The bill has been sent to the House, where it will likely be taken up sometime before the end of formal session in July.
