Revolutionizing Civics Education
Pat Wilson’s Bloomington High School North students work on a local Habitat for Humanity build.
The Center on Congress at Indiana University makes the democratic process relevant to elementary and secondary school students throughout Indiana and beyond.
Pop quiz: 1) Who represents Indiana in the U.S. Senate? 2) How many representatives does Indiana have in the House? 3) Name them. 4) Can you name Indiana’s state senators, let alone state representatives? 5) Have you been able to answer any of these questions without resorting to Google? (Answers at the end of the article.)
If your honest answer to the last question is a regretful “no,” you’re not alone. For decades, educators, pundits, and researchers have charted and bemoaned the decline of civics education in the U.S. Although much of the evidence is anecdotal, it’s widely accepted that in the aftermath of the Vietnam War and Watergate, students at every level have grown increasingly disengaged from the democratic process. Consequently, the argument goes, young people know less about how government works, and are less inclined to find out, than students were 30 years ago. And so our democracy suffers.
Nobody regrets the national ennui regarding governmental matters more than former Indiana congressman Lee Hamilton. During his 34 years in the House of Representatives, Hamilton participated in countless public meetings with people who knew little or nothing about how Congress worked and what legislators actually did.
“So I spent a lot of time explaining the role that Congress plays in people’s lives,” says Hamilton, now retired. “After I left Congress I spoke with [then IU president] Myles Brand about my experience and he said, ‘Well, what are you going to do about it?’”
Inspired, in 1999 Hamilton founded the Center on Congress at Indiana University, under the Office of the Vice Provost for Research, and housed in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) on the IU Bloomington campus, as a resource for students, civics teachers, and anyone interested in learning about representative government. Nine years later, the center’s original, bare-bones Web site has evolved into one of the world’s best online destinations for those interested in exploring and teaching about the inner workings of Congress.
