Coburn, Pruitt: US Civics, Constitution Lessons Needed
Tom Coburn, Scott Pruitt: Working to educate on the significance of the Constitution
BY TOM COBURN AND SCOTT PRUITT
The Constitution has been the guide and vision for this nation since it was signed on Sept. 17, 1787. Today, 227 years later, fewer people than ever understand basic American civics: our government, how it works and how it was created.
The result is fewer people participating in and determining the outcome of elections. The percentage of people who regularly vote is at an all-time low; dissatisfaction with the institutions of government has never been higher.
To solve the problems this country faces, we need educated, informed voters who understand government and who know how to make their voices heard. That’s why we support the Oklahoma Civics Education Initiative.
The initiative would require Oklahoma high school students and those pursuing a GED to pass a test made up of 100 basic facts about U.S. government, geography and history from the U.S. Citizenship Civics Test — the exact same test all new immigrants must pass before becoming citizens.
While 91 percent of new immigrants pass this test, many of them while still learning English, a survey by the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs showed that barely 5 percent of high school seniors can do the same. Moreover, only 32 percent of Americans can correctly name the Constitution as the supreme law of the land, according to the Xavier Center for the Study of the American Dream.