America’s kids falling behind

Nevada students don’t appear to be lacking in interest when it comes to civics education. But understanding the country’s system of government, political landscape and expectations of citizenship goes far beyond staging a rally to protest public school budget cuts.

According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress — better known as “the nation’s report card” — only 24 percent of high school seniors possess proficient or advanced knowledge of civics, a slight decline from four years ago. Eighth-grade civics scores have remained flat since 1998, with only 22 percent rating proficient or better. Only fourth-graders made progress on the national civics test in 2010, with 27 percent scoring proficient or better compared with 24 percent in 2006.

Those scores are even more depressing when you realize what a student has to know to be rated proficient in civics.

Among the criteria for fourth-grade proficiency: giving an example of how to help your country and why it’s important; identifying a way to express an opinion on a public policy issue; identifying an idea from the Declaration of Independence; and identifying a purpose of the U.S. Constitution.

The proficiency standards for 12th-graders include: identifying the effect of U.S. foreign policy on other nations; defining the term “melting pot” and how it relates to the United States; interpreting a message in a World War II poster; and identifying a power granted to Congress by the Constitution.

While the NAEP exams do explore such concepts as limited government, the purposes of constitutional amendments, American history and how American government and traditions differ from those of other countries, one important aspect of government is missing from its standards: taxation.

How can we expect our children to become engaged, informed voters and citizens if they make it through high school without ever studying how government services — including their own education — are paid for?

Governments must confiscate money from the private sector to pay their bills, leaving less money to generate the kind of economic activity needed to sustain said governments over the long term.

So as more and more Nevada students protest Gov. Brian Sandoval’s budget and join legislative Democrats in calling for tax increases amid a fragile economic recovery, perhaps someone will point out to them that the next round of tax increases just might cost them their first job — and provide them their first lesson in taxation.