Res 0185-2022

Whereas, Civics, defined by Merriam Webster's Dictionary as the study of the rights and duties of citizens and of how government works, is an important component of a democratic society; and Whereas, Civics education helps promote democratic ideals by preparing students to be engaged citizens; and Whereas, Enhancing youth participation in community service and political engagement could help foster future behaviors that would provide long-term benefits to communities; and Whereas, A robust civics curriculum in public schools could help to ensure such engagement; and Whereas, The foundation for Social Studies in New York State is the New York State K-12 Social Studies Framework, which was adopted by the Board of Regents in 2014 and subsequently revised in 2016 for grades K-8 and in 2017 for grades 9-12; and Whereas, Civics, Citizenship, and Government is one of the 5 New York State Learning Standards for Social Studies to be taught across elementary, intermediate and high school grade levels, culminating in a Participation in Government course in 12th grade; and Whereas, It is essential that civics curriculum be updated and enhanced and its implementation monitored; and Whereas, In January 2014, the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) President David Schraver sent a letter to then-Governor Andrew Cuomo about the critical need to enhance civics education in New York State; and Whereas, A February 2014 statement issued by the NYSBA referenced a "shocking level of decline" in Americans' grasp and understanding of the structure of American democracy as found by the Association's Law Youth and Citizenship Committee's report on civics education; and Whereas, According to findings of this report, fifty-eight percent of New Yorkers could not name either of their two current United States Senators; and Whereas, Furthermore, the report indicates that only five percent of New Yorkers surveyed knew that the Constitution was designed to prevent both tyranny of the majority and of a small, influential minority; and Whereas, Changes in educational priorities which focus on factors such as career readiness and standardized test results are thought to exacerbate the lack of a first-rate civics focused curriculum; and Whereas, According to the executive director of the Center for Civic Education, the United States is "focused more upon developing the worker at the expense of developing the citizen"; and Whereas, A 2011 study by the Brennan Center gave New Yorkers failing grades in civic literacy and stated that meaningful democracy requires civic literacy and that civic illiteracy puts American democracy at risk; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the New York State Department of Education to implement a robust requirement for civics education at the elementary, middle and high school level for all public schools in New York. Session 12 JA LS# 215 & 8246 4/4/22; 6:45 p.m. Session 11 JP LS# 1165 Res. 169-2018 2