CIVICS

bee hosted by each state’s chamber.

Colorado students in the Denver metro area, Arvada, Buena Vista, Craig and Pueblo put their civics knowledge to the test last month in local contests.

ree winners from each community advanced to the nal bee, hosted by the Colorado Chamber of Commerce, which wants to strengthen students’ understanding of how government functions and help them see that they will set the foundation and tone for the next decades of democracy.

“If they believe that our democracy is in trouble, and if they don’t understand how government works, then they can’t change the process, they can’t in uence the process,” said Loren Furman, president and CEO of the Colorado Chamber of Commerce.

Bee organizers at the state and national level say the task of polishing students’ grasp of civics falls on far more than educators.

“Our schools have so many responsibilities right now that this is a way to come alongside our schools and say, ‘In our communities we have a responsibility too,’” Daniels Fund CEO Hanna Skandera said. “And we can join with our education, our schools, having families and communities and chambers help be a part of the solution.” e rst-ever decline in civics pro ciency on last year’s NAEP exams led communities and educators alike to worry and intervene.

And while Barbara Taylor, who teaches Advanced Placement U.S. History, honors government and honors geography at Pomona High School in Arvada, is disheartened by student performance in civics, but she also sees students actively pursuing an understanding of government systems every day in her classes.

Low NAEP scores aren’t “a very accurate re ection of the interest that real kids have in their country,” said Taylor, who has been teaching for 23 years and also serves as treasurer for Colorado Council for the Social Studies.

“ ey really want to understand what’s happening to them, what we see in the community,” she added.

Rather than educating students about civics and history just through textbooks, Taylor builds stu-