Public schools were created to fulfill a civic mission: to develop informed, engaged citizens.

• Democracy functions only when "we the people" know enough and care enough to be informed, responsible citizens.
• Civic education (We are using the term "civic education" to include all aspects of social studies.) is necessary to the well-being of representative democracy.
• A majority of the public believes that preparing students to be competent and responsible citizens is a very import goal of the public schools, on par with preparing students for college and work (See "From Classroom to Citizen," Alliance for Representative Democracy, 2004).

Several recent national studies have indicated that our students know little about American history or government and feel disengaged from and distrustful of government.

• Only 65% of high school seniors have a basic grasp of the structure and operations of American government (NAEP Civics test, 1998).
• Less than half of high school students scored at the basic level of proficiency (NAEP US History test, 2001).
• Only 64% of students indicated that they had taken a high school course in civics or American government (See "Citizenship: A Challenge for All Generations," NCSL, 2003).
• The proportion of 4th graders taking social studies daily fell from 49 to 39% between 1988 and 1998 (NAEP Trend Report, 2000).

Young people who did have a high school course in civics or American government were:

• More likely to believe that they are personally responsible for improving society and two or three times more likely to engage in civic activities (See "Citizenship: A Challenge for All Generations," NCSL, 2003).
• Those who participated in the We the People curriculum were more politically tolerant than the average American (Stanford University study) and than high school students using other curricula and outperformed comparison groups on political philosophy questions (ETS study).
• Students using Project Citizen believe they can make a difference in their communities (University of Texas study).

The NJ Coalition to Support the Civic Mission of Schools (http://civiced.rutgers.edu/CIVIC/overview.shtml),created by concerned educators and public policy makers in March 2004:

• Has conducted an Inventory of Civic Education in New Jersey;
• Has identified promising civic education practices and programs in New Jersey schools;
• Has sponsored two statewide conferences;
• Will provide on-going professional development programs and on-line resource materials for NJ schools.

The Inventory of Civic Education in New Jersey (http://civiced.rutgers.edu/CIVIC/Inventory_Report_11-04.pdf) revealed that:

• Only 39% of schools require all students to take a civics course;
• Only 33% of high schools have character education programs;
• Less than 25% of students participate in extracurricular civic programs or lessons that simulate democratic processes;
• Less than 35% of school districts have offered in-service professional development programs in civic education over the past five years.

THEREFORE, we AGREE and RESOLVE to take action in our state and local school districts to restore the civic mission of our schools so that civic education is returned to its central purpose in helping to develop competent, engaged citizens for a representative democracy.