Nearly 10 percent of college graduates in the United States think that TV host Judith “Judge Judy” Sheindlin sits on the Supreme Court, according to a recent study.
When the survey sample is expanded to the general American public, the results are even worse — with 13 percent saying Sheindlin is a member of SCOTUS.
The study — commissioned by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni in late August 2015 — found college grads lacked basic knowledge on all branches of government.
Based on 1,000 interviews nationwide, 47 percent of graduates couldn’t identify the term lengths for members of Congress. Nearly 40 percent didn’t know that the US Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war.
ACTA in the NewsCivic Literacy
I recently met young professionals angry that they could not vote in presidential elections because they lived in Washington, D.C. They did not realize the city enjoys three votes in the Electoral College, the same as it would as a state. Their unjustified anger speaks to the danger of poor education in history and government. In response to […]
ACTA in the NewsCivic Literacy
Education advocates are urging stronger national civics standards as new data highlights gaps in students’ understanding of American government ahead of a federal assessment update. Every four years, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) administers a civics test to students in grades 4, 8 and 12. The most recent results of the “Nation’s Report Card,” released in 2022, […]
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