ASHLAND — The state of civics education in the county today is in “crisis,” according to Jeffrey Sikkenga, the executive director of Ashland University’s Ashbrook Center.
The reasons for that crisis are two-fold, in Sikkenga’s estimation. The first: there’s a lack of basic knowledge about civics in the U.S.
“Way too many young people don’t know enough about American history and America’s fundamental principles,” Sikkenga said.
One of the largest reasons for that, according to Sikkenga, is a lack of funding for civics education. A recent report from the Carnegie Corporation of New York found the U.S. invests five cents in civic education for every $50 that goes toward STEM subjects.
The University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center found in its 2023 Constitution Day Civics Survey 17% of Americans can’t name any of the government’s three branches. Only two-thirds can name all three branches.
Not to mention, civics scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress dropped last year, for the first time in 25 years.
That lack of knowledge, Sikkenga said, comes alongside a decline in “informed patriotism.”
That term, “informed patriotism,” Sikkenga said, was coined by former U.S. President Ronald Reagan. Sikkenga uses it to mean not enough people understand America’s history — the good, bad and ugly.
That’s where Sikkenga thinks the Ashbrook Center can make a difference.
The Ashbrook approach
Over the course of the next two years, the center will undergo a $20 million fundraising campaign, with a final goal of reaching all 50 states with civics education resources from the Ashbrook Center.
The center, which has existed for 40 years, is named for John M. Ashbrook, who represented Ohio’s 17th Congressional District for 21 years.
It hosts the Ashbrook Scholars program, along with running lecture series, offering educational programs for teachers and seminars at historic sites, according to the center’s website.
This newest campaign, coined “Freedom. For the Next 250.” officially launched July 4.
It aims to expand the center’s reach via a blueprint for American history and civic education. The Ashbrook Center will also put out a digital atlas, according to a press release from the center.
The blueprint, Sikkenga said, will serve as a guide to civics education for parents, educators and decision-makers nationwide.
It will emphasize an Ashbrook approach to civics education, combining foundational documents with hands-on civic engagement opportunities.
“… the knowledge by itself is not good enough,” Sikkenga said. “It’s supposed to lead to that kind of productive engagement.”
The atlas will contain hands-on digital lessons for teachers to use in their classrooms. Its goal is to supplement or replace current textbooks with something more engaging, Sikkenga said.
The campaign also aims to build an Ashbrook School of Civics Education on AU’s campus. According to the press release, the school “can become a model for the country to reach millions of students.”
Sikkenga said that school would be unique thanks to its work to equip undergraduate students. Other programs for civics educators, he said, tend to focus on master’s students, or don’t combine the government coursework with teaching certification as well.
Looking forward
After the $20 million is raised, Sikkenga said the center hopes to have the new initiatives fully operational within five years.
Sikkenga said donors have pledged to match the first $5 million the center brings in for the campaign. He encouraged those interested in more information to visit the campaign’s website, freedom250.org.
“We’ve been doing this for 40 years,” Sikkenga said. “We’ve been seeing the crisis grow.
“But what we know is … that when we engage (students and teachers) with the Ashbrook approach of reading primary documents, having conversation about those, really digging deep into American history and government, it produces great results.”
