California education policy makers have once again written
and published a nice looking report on school curriculum – this one on the need
for improved civic education. As is the
norm for these tasks, a group of “well respected” civic leaders have participated.
While it is accurate that we
have a general problem of civic engagement of the young, it is also true that we have a very specific
problem with the rate of Latino and Asian voter participation and civic engagement.
Rates of voting and voter registration provide a window into civic engagement. The proportion of state voter registration that is Latino and Asian has remained far below the proportions of these groups in the state’s overall population. In 2010, Latinos in the state made up 37.6% of the general population while they were on 21.2 % of the registered voters. The Asian population was 13.1 % of the state but only 8.1 % of the registered voters.
They have written a report, Revitalizing K-12 Civic Learning in California, and they call it a
Blue Print for Action. http://www.powerofdemocracy.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/CLTF-Final-Report.pdf
They call for a major revision of civic education. That is fine. They also call for discussion of their proposals on social media.( p 42) Well, here is some of the needed discussion.
They even recognize the diversity of California students. They say,
They even recognize the diversity of California students. They say,
“Civic
learning is also vital for our increasingly diverse California society. In
2012-
2013,
our 6.2 million K-12 students were 53 percent Latino, 26 percent white,
9
percent Asian and 6 percent African American, with the remaining 6 percent
comprised
of other ethnicities. In addition, an increasing number of our students
are
not native speakers of English. Almost 4 in 10 kindergarteners are English
language
learners. This diversity, and the attention it requires, is now acknowledged
in
our school funding model. The Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) recognizes
the
necessity of investing in the reduction and ultimate removal of inequitable
outcomes
in California public schools. Revitalizing civic learning opportunities, in
an equitable manner, can contribute to
meeting these goals.”
Rates of voting and voter registration provide a window into civic engagement. The proportion of state voter registration that is Latino and Asian has remained far below the proportions of these groups in the state’s overall population. In 2010, Latinos in the state made up 37.6% of the general population while they were on 21.2 % of the registered voters. The Asian population was 13.1 % of the state but only 8.1 % of the registered voters.
