Dreyfuss an actor, not a school reformer

For the North County Times

Oscar-winning actor and Encinitas resident Richard Dreyfuss warns that if America's public schools do not adopt a national civics curriculum, our democratic republic is doomed. If kids aren't taught how to run the country, his Dreyfuss Initiative website proclaims in a burst of overblown rhetoric, "government by, for and of the people will have failed."

His proposed curriculum would include "the telling of glory tales and myths to the very young" and, "as the brain develops," include the teaching of reason, logic, clarity of thought and critical analysis. The final two years would focus on the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Dreyfuss should check out the current standards for the history and social science curriculums of California schools. He'd discover that kindergartners learn about personal responsibility and patriotism from stories and folklore.

Fifth-graders gain an understanding of how a representative democracy works and the role and responsibilities of its citizens.

In the 11th grade, they learn about the significant events in the founding of our nation. They analyze the Declaration of Independence and the debates involved in drafting and ratifying the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Seniors are expected to evaluate and take positions on the scope and limits of their rights and responsibilities in a free and civil society.

That sounds like civics to me.

Dreyfuss's plea for a more reasoned and responsible political discourse is understandable, given the constant stream of angry invective erupting from the mouths of cable-TV talking heads. But implying that the absence of civics courses has caused the nasty discord shows an ignorance of what schools are teaching today, as well as the misguided notion that knowledge of civics assures civility.

The commendable skills Dreyfuss espouses ---- reason, logic, clarity of thought and critical analysis ---- are best taught by good teachers exemplifying them in the classroom, regardless of subject matter.

While a national civics curriculum is not the answer, Dreyfuss proposes several other public education projects more in keeping with the actor's considerable dramatic talents.

One is the production of a television special that brings together historians, comics, thinkers, artists and stars in a narrative of the life of our democracy as a Dickensian tale. Another is a multi-part series titled "Miracle at Philadelphia," a political thriller about the Founders. The most ambitious is experiential learning conducted on a train running from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C., via Gettysburg, carrying students and luminaries of the political left and right engaged in spirited discussions of the Civil War.

Richard Dreyfuss is a fine actor, but in this case it seems he's miscast himself as a school reformer.