A recent report out of the National Center for Education Statistics has revealed that America's 8th graders are scoring lower on civics education today than they have been in the last 20 years. This week's episode is a recast of an excellent conversation on civics, featuring former U.S. Secretary of Defense Bob Gates, Suzanne Spaulding of CSIS, with opening remarks by Dr. John Hamre of CSIS. To meet today's challenges, Americans must rediscover shared values, relearn the fundamentals of our constitutional republic, and re-form a sense of civic identity and commitment to our communities and across the nation. This conversation was originally recorded and broadcasted by CSIS as part of the CivXNow Civic Education Policy Summit.

To view the original event:

https://www.csis.org/events/civics-national-security-imperative-conversation-secretary-bob-gates

To learn more about CivXNow Civic Education Policy Summit: www.civxnow.org

Dr. Robert Gates is the former U.S. Secretary of Defense:

https://www.defense.gov/About/Biographies/Biography/Article/602797/

Suzanne Spaulding is a senior adviser for homeland security and director of the Defending Democratic Institutions project at CSIS:

https://www.csis.org/people/suzanne-spaulding

Dr. John Hamre is the President and CEO of CSIS:

https://www.csis.org/people/john-j-hamre

References:

NAEP Report Card: 2022 NAEP Civics Assessment. The Nation’s Report Card, 2022, www.nationsreportcard.gov/highlights/civics/2022/

NSLT ep. 165, “National Security Lawyers on Civic Education as a National Security Imperative”: https://soundcloud.com/nsltoday/national-security-lawyers-on-civic-education