Has the City School District of Albany transgressed in the education of high school students in the education of politics and government?

After conducting a random school-wide poll, it’s become clear that the misinformation is reaching a critical mass. Our study surveyed 62 individuals in all grades at AHS and asked eight questions about local and national government.

According to the poll, only 2 percent of those questioned could identify both of New York State’s senators, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand. 8 percent could name just one. This means 90 percent of students are unaware of who is representing them and making laws on their behalf.

In addition, only 3 percent of those polled knew who all four of the major presidential candidates were, that being Jill Stein, Gary Johnson, Hillary Clinton, and Donald Trump. 12 percent were completely unaware of any candidate. Furthermore, 61 percent could not identify our current vice president, Joe Biden.

40 percent could not state what political party is in power in New York (the Democrats) and over a quarter of those surveyed couldn’t name the two countries that border the U.S. Most shockingly, 12 percent of students couldn’t name the capital of New York State, despite living in it.

Mr. Anderson, an AP European History teacher, said “It is sad that that many students cannot name the basic tenets of our government.” Mrs. Gialanella, the school psychologist, agreed, saying “it is appalling that people [are this] poorly informed.” Criticism aside, there is a solution.

Mr. Baker, the AP Psych teacher at AHS, also concurred, stating that  “a lot of people are uninformed” and “a class would help.” We think so too! To adequately educate future voters, we need more classes encompassing civics and government. This class could be offered and required to be taken by sophomore year and deal with teaching all about politics and government today. It would teach the history of our voting system, the purpose of our voting system, and the applications of our voting system. It would also neutrally educate future voters on the political issues of our time and what each party stands for, as well as how different aspects within the government function.

Would a politics class help create a more educated populace, a greater interest in politics, and higher voting rates, all of which are conducive to any healthy democracy? Could a politics class help reduce the risk of the election of dysfunctional leaders down the line? These are just a few of the many questions raised by this potential learning opportunity.