In 2006, Sandra Day O’Connor and Ray Romer came together as co-chairs of the national advisory council of the Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools to write about the lack of civic education – and why it is so important. They argued that for students to be prepared to participate as citizens, schools must offer civics lessons. In O’Connor and Romer’s essay titled “Not by Math Alone,” both authors use clear logic, examples of relative studies, and appeals to authority to effectively claim that civic education is needed.
Romer and O’Conner apply logic to effectively strengthen the idea of needing civic classes. In their essay, it states, “Most young people today simply do not have an adequate understanding of how our government and political system work, and they are thus not well prepared to participate as citizens.” This statement appeals to logic by suggesting that without understanding how something works, you cannot fully participate in a discussion about it. Another example of logos is said, “Understanding society and how we relate to each other fosters the attitudes essential for success in college, work, and communities; it enhances student learning in other subjects.” Conveying that not only will civic classes improve students’ participation as citizens, but they will also contribute to other areas of their lives, thus making civic classes seem agreeable by using logic.…show more content… One instance of this is stated: “Two-thirds of 12th-graders scored below "proficient" on the last national civics assessment in 1998, and only 9 percent could list two ways a democracy benefits from citizen participation.” This is a strong fact used to make the reader realize that students are not properly educated about the government and therefore should be more widely accessible in
