This recent New York Times story, which features commentary from former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, touches on troubling trends for civics education in the U.S.  Civics and rule of law education for students at every age level is critical for stable and effective governance throughout the world.  I highly recommend this article for anyone interested in this theme.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/05/education/05civics.html