Panel wants to lure youth into politics
CIVICS EDUCATION CENTER IS AMONG RECOMMENDATIONS
FRANKFORT - Seeking an antidote to voter apathy among Kentucky's youth, a panel of officials is calling for a new civics education institution to help boost young peoples' interest in government and politics.
For two years the 13-person panel of officials and lawmakers has studied ways to combat trends of low election participation and test scores that show teens are increasingly unaware of some of the basic concepts of American government.
The Workgroup on Civic Literacy and Engagement, led by Secretary of State Trey Grayson and Chief Justice Joseph Lambert, will formally unveil an 11-page report of recommendations today. A copy of the report, obtained by the Herald-Leader, says the establishment of the Kentucky Center for Civic Excellence would be a key first step to crafting engaging government-education programs and beefing up school curricula.
The civic excellence center, which would work with state colleges and universities, could provide research on civic engagement and would serve as a resource for schools, community groups and other programs to better educate students in civics.
It would construct lesson plans and reading lists, as well as organize officials to speak at schools, the report says.
Other recommendations include:
• Running a pilot program in 10 schools in which civics education would be coupled with service in the community or at a government agency. The program would also encourage participation in extracurricular activities, such as the Kentucky Youth Assembly and Young Politicians of America clubs.
• Offering additional civics training for teachers, which would include reimbursement and incentives for them to attend a civics academy.
• Adding greater emphasis on civics and government questions in the social-studies section of the Kentucky CATS assessment tests that fifth-, eighth- and 11th-graders must take.
Les Fugate, spokesman for Grayson, wouldn't comment on the recommendations until today's press conference.
National data has shown that voter participation among young people has steadily declined since 1968.
Observers have said Kentucky's political climate often does more to inspire cynicism than enthusiasm, what with its various problems over the last decade or so -- from improper state hirings to a former governor's sex scandal to bribery of lawmakers in the 1990s.
But Drew Trimble, a University of Kentucky sophomore from Johnson County, said he and the majority of his friends are more resolved than ever to try to change the system from within.
"Why not be able to learn how to manipulate it -- be a part of the process," said Trimble, a member of UK's College Republicans group. "They see it and say 'I want to fix things. I can make a difference.'"
He said the current situation in Frankfort has been somewhat disheartening for Kentuckians.
Democratic Attorney General Greg Stumbo, for 15 months, had been investigating the Republican administration of Gov. Ernie Fletcher for improper political hirings of state workers. Last month, they struck a deal in which charges against Fletcher were dropped in exchange for the governor taking responsibility for mistakes of his aides.
"Situations like that are increasingly unfortunate. It really does turn folks off," Trimble said.
But that's why the system needs more statesmen, he said. And the current and next generations have a chance to offer such reform -- if educated correctly.
Trimble became the unlikely star of an April Southern states civics conference in Louisville, when he captivated academics with his lively assessment of how to get young people involved in the public process.
Credit is the key, he told them. If anyone wants to get college students to care about a topic, require them to take courses and earn college credit.
And if civics are deemed important enough by policy-makers, the basics should be taught to students from the beginning and hammered on throughout their school careers, he said in an interview last week.
And he said it wouldn't hurt if politicians took a more active interest in the opinions of college and high school students.
"Then we could be a factor in policy-making," Trimble said. "And they need us to be."