This is CBS I on the world with John Bachelor.

Here's John Bachelor.

Republic, if we can teach it, fixing America's civic education crisis.

I'm very pleased to welcome my colleague David Davenport of the Hoover Institution writing with his

colleague Jeffrey Sikkinger, a book about Civics that doesn't much show up here in

the 21st century. We've been through months and months of upset turmoil

disorder on campuses, especially elite campuses. Where did that come from? What are those students and their graduate friends talking

about? Why do they make statements about America that have no basis in fact?

David, a very good evening to you. Congratulations to you in Jeffrey.

We begin with quotes from the 18th century,

our founders.

Thomas Jefferson in your book said that good education civics is the result of

habit and long training and Tom Payne, troublemaker, said that Civics contributes to the right of voting to know how to vote.

Now, who could vote and how could vote has changed dramatically since the 18th century

but what has not changed is the need for civics. So let's start with a definition.

What is it David in the schools? How is Civics understood as

integral to the success of the United States? Good evening to you.

John, always good to be with you. Civics, of course, is really an understanding of how and why our government was formed the way it was formed and why it works the way it works. And so just as we

understand we have to prepare students for jobs and we give them all kinds of

scientific and mathematic and technical training.

We also have to prepare them to be citizens,

and a few of them even to run the country.

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