Experts in the field?
As long-time readers know, I’m a network engineering professional. My job is the design and implementation of secure, converged networks that absolutely cannot – ever – be unavailable. My company’s customers bring their projects to us because they know we’re the best in the business. They know that because we’ve proven it and, through continuing professional certification, we continue to prove it. If we didn’t know what we were talking about, in terms of the business we’re engaged with, we wouldn’t have customers for very long.
Ever thought about the people sitting in this nation’s leadership positions in that light? Do they really understand their “business” and do they know what they’re talking about? According to the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, that answer is: apparently not.
US elected officials scored abysmally on a test measuring their civic knowledge, with an average grade of just 44 percent, the group that organized the exam said Thursday.
Ordinary citizens did not fare much better, scoring just 49 percent correct on the 33 exam questions compiled by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI).
“It is disturbing enough that the general public failed ISI’s civic literacy test, but when you consider the even more dismal scores of elected officials, you have to be concerned,” said Josiah Bunting, chairman of the National Civic Literacy Board at ISI.
“How can political leaders make informed decisions if they don’t understand the American experience?” he added.
Before one issues a smackdown on someone for failing to pass a given test, however, you should have a look at what that test involves. With regards to civic literacy we’re all supposed to be able to answer critical questions. So, I went to the ISI’s site and I took the test myself. According to the site, the average score for this test during November is currently 78%. I’m happy to report that I scored a 93.94% (that’s missing just 2 questions of 31) and, yes, I did that without cheating or looking anything up. Take it yourself and post a comment here about how you did. I would imagine that if you’re a frequent reader of these kinds of blogs, you’ll do better than average.
Is this a problem that our elected leaders can’t score better than 50% on this test? Yes, I think it is. However, that’s because I feel every adult US citizen should be scoring way better than 50%. Some of the questions on there are a bit esoteric, yes, and the ability to make sound, informed decisions does not hinge on having immediate mental access to the answers on this quiz. Still, I don’t think it’s out of the question to suggest a minimum bar of 70% or so.
Just my thoughts.
