News Tip: Changes to Citizenship Test Good, But Not Enough, Professor Says
Noah Pickus says that "revising the test isn't enough; rather we need to be thinking about how well we prepare immigrants for taking it."
After a decade of being stalled by politics and confusion about its purpose, this week's government announcement that the U.S. citizenship exam will be revised is an important step forward, says a Duke University professor.
"The current process for becoming a citizen is characterized by frustrated officials, poorly funded providers of civics and English classes, doubtful citizens and, most especially, confused and worried immigrants," said Noah Pickus, the associate director of the Kenan Institute for Ethics and a Duke professor of public policy.
"The proposed new approach wisely aims to make the citizenship test more meaningful and coherent, rather than simply harder or easier," said Pickus, who has advised the Department of Homeland Security on the test. "The Office of Citizenship is looking to change the test from a bureaucratic process fixated on factoids to a vehicle for becoming more fully American."
Pickus warns, however, that "revising the test isn't enough; rather we need to be thinking about how well we prepare immigrants for taking it." To really help immigrants and foster a shared sense of belonging, Pickus said that greater resources need to be provided to federal agencies charged with integrating immigrants and that private organizations need to be involved in the process.
There is no test for patriotism, said Pickus, author of the recently published "True Faith and Allegiance," a history of efforts to turn immigrants into citizens. "But a robust naturalization process can increase new citizens' understanding of political events, reduce feelings of alienation, promote political engagement and, ultimately, foster allegiance to the country," he said.