The Civic Mission of Schools

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The Civic Mission of Schools

• Arlene Gardner, Executive Director
• Rutgers, The State University
• Lucy Stone Hall B303-311
• Piscataway, NJ 08854
• 732-445-3413
• agardner_at_njclre.rutgers.edu
• http//civiced.rutgers.edu

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New Jersey Center for Civic and Law-Related
Education

• To enhance the teaching of civics, law, justice,
  citizenship, history, government and humanities
  in K-12 schools in New Jersey.
• Programs include We the Peoplethe Citizen and
  the Constitution We the PeopleProject Citizen
  and six other history, humanities and civics
  programs.

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Goals of todays conference

• Inform participants of the current status of
  civic education in New Jersey schools
• Discuss business, community and public policy
  perspectives on why we need civic education
• Demonstrate promising civic education programs
• Consider state and local policy changes that may
  be necessary
• Develop local civic education action plans

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What is the Civic Mission of Schools?

• The civic mission of schools is to create
  informed, involved citizens.
• We are educating our children for democracy.
• This is the very reason why public schools were
  created.
• Educating for democratic citizenship is broader
  than simply teaching civics.

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Why are we concerned?

• Democracy functions only when we the people know
  enough and care enough to be informed,
  responsible citizens.
• A variety of national studies indicate that our
  students know little about American history or
  government and that they feel disengaged from and
  distrustful of government.

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Lack of knowledge

• Civics (NAEP 1998) 35 of high school seniors
  lack a basic grasp of the structure and
  operations of American government
• US History (NAEP 2001) less than half of high
  school students at basic level of proficiency.

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Lack of civics classes

• Only 64 of young people indicated that they had
  taken a high school course in civics or American
  government.
• Source Citizenship A Challenge for All
  Generations, National Conference of State
  Legislatures, 2003.
• The proportion of 4th graders taking social
  studies daily fell from 49 to 39 between 1988
  and 1998.
• Source NAEP Trend Report, 2000.

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Lack of engagement

• Only 36 of young people (ages 18-24) voted in
  the 2000 presidential electiondown from 52 in
  1972
• Youth vote in the 2004 presidential election
  increased to 47 for those over 25 the rate was
  66.
• The voter turnout rate was slightly higher in NJ
  in 2004 50 for youth and 68 for those over
  25.
• General voter turnout for 2005 NJ gubernatorial
  election was only 46, est. 33 for youth.
• Source Youth Voter Turnout in the States,
  CIRCLE, 2005.

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Lack of interest

• In a public opinion survey of 15 to 26 year olds
  and those over 26
• Only 54 of those under 26 believed that it was
  important to pay attention to government and
  politics as compared with 78 of those over 26.
• Only 66 of those under 26 thought that it was
  important for citizens to vote as compared with
  83 of those over 26.
• Source Citizenship A Challenge for All
  Generations, National Conference of State
  Legislatures, 2003.

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Civic Education Can Make a Difference

• Those young people who did have a high school
  course in civics or American government were
• more likely to believe that they are personally
  responsible for making things better in society
• two or three times more likely to engage in civic
  activities
• Source Citizenship A Challenge for All
  Generations, National Conference of State
  Legislatures, 2003.

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Civic Education Can Make a Difference

• A Stanford university study of more than 1000
  high school students nationwide found students
  who participated in the We the People curriculum
• More politically tolerant than the average
  American and than high school students using
  other curriculum
• Independent studies by ETS revealed that high
  school students who participated in We the
  People
• Outperformed comparison groups on political
  philosophy questions and
• A University of Texas assessment revealed that
  students involved in Project Citizen
• Believed they can make a difference in their
  communities
• Develop a commitment to active citizenship and
  governance
• outperformed university students on political
  knowledge.
• Source www.civiced.org/research/html

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American Attitudes on Civic Education

• A majority of the public believes that preparing
  students to be competent and responsible citizens
  is a very important goal of the public schools,
  on par with preparing students for college and
  work.
• Source From Classroom to Citizen American
  Attitudes on Civic Education, Alliance for
  Representative Democracy, 2004.

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How do we create citizens?
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Civic Knowledge

• Civicsthe role of the citizen
• Governmentthe structure, process and functions
  of our political, governmental and legal systems
• History and geography key historical periods,
  episodes, themes and experiences principles,
  documents and ideas essential to constitutional
  democracy social movements and struggles
  analysis of social problems
• The link between the study of history and the
  civic mission of the schools is not always made
  clear The goal of teaching history is to create
  informed citizens.

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Civic Skills

• Citizenship skills are participatory skills
• Reading and writing expressing ones opinions
  orally and in writing
• Critical viewing interpreting and critiquing
  various media and points of view
• Critical thinking understanding, active
  listening, identifying public problems
• Public speaking participating in group
  discussions, building consensus

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Civic Attitudes/Dispositions

• Sense of responsibility for the state of society
• Appreciation of differences
• The desire for community involvement
• Sense of personal efficacy
• Rejection of violence
• Civic virtue character education

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How do we develop these attitudes, skills and
knowledge?

• Home
• Media
• Workplace
• Government
• Schools

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Civic Mission of Schools report
(February 2003)

• Schools are important venues for civic education
  because they are
• the only institutions with the capacity and
  mandate to reach virtually every young person
• are best equipped to address the cognitive
  aspects of good citizenship
• the development of civic skills and attitudes
  among young people has been an important goal of
  education and was the primary impetus for
  originally establishing public schools.

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Civic Mission of Schools

• Report identified six promising approaches to
  civic education
• Instruction in government, history, law and
  democracy
• Service learning linked to class instruction
• Extracurricular opportunities to get involved in
  school and community
• Participation in school governance
• Simulations of democratic processes and
  procedures
• Class discussion of current local, national and
  international issues and events

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New Jersey Coalition to Support the Civic Mission
of Schools

• Created in March 2004 to respond to the lack of
  civic knowledge and engagement by our young
  people
• Includes more than 100 public policy makers and
  educators
• Conducted an Inventory of Civic Education in NJ
  in the fall of 2004 to determine the scope and
  shape of civic education in the state
• Investigated promising civic education practices
  and programs in NJ schools
• Is creating on-line resource center for lessons
  and materials
• Will hold three statewide conferences 2005-2007
• Will identify and advocate for necessary public
  policy changes
• Will provide on-going professional development
  programs

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Inventory of Civic Education in New Jersey

• 39 of schools require all students to take a
  civics course
• 75 of K-5 schools, but only 33 of high schools,
  have character education programs
• 90 of high schools, but only 50 of K-5/8
  schools, offer extracurricular civic programs,
  ranging from mock trial, to mock elections, Model
  UN, We the People and Project Citizenbut less
  than 1/4 of students participate
• Less than 35 of school districts have offered
  in-service professional development programs in
  civic education over the past five years

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Inventory of Civic Education in New Jersey

• When asked what would help improve civic
  education in their school district
• More than 95 selected up-to-date, inexpensive
  classroom materials and access to on-line
  materials and services.
• More than 90 supported professional development
  programs for teachers.
• 80 indicated more community support for civic
  education
• 64 selected a state required course in civics
• 51 selected a statewide assessment for
  civics/social studies

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New Jersey requirements

• New Jersey statutes require that each school
  district adopt
• a suitable two-year course of study in the
  history of the United States, including New
  Jersey and African-American history (NJSA
  18A35-1) HIGH SCHOOL
• a course of study in community civics, the
  geography, history and civics of New Jersey, and
  the privileges and responsibilities of
  citizenship (NJSA 18A35-3) ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
• instruction on the Holocaust and genocide (NJSA
  18A35-28)
• nonpartisan voting and voter registration
  information (HIGH SCHOOL)
• New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
  require that each school district provide
• instruction and testing in the knowledge and
  skills specified by the Core Curriculum Content
  Standards (6A8-3.1)
• this includes 6.1 social studies skills, 6.2
  civics, 6.3 world history, 5.4 US/NJ history, 6.5
  economics and 6.6. geography

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How does New Jersey compare with other states?

• Most states (41), including New Jersey, have
  statutes that provide for teaching of government,
  civics and/or citizenship.
• High School Graduation Requirements 30 states
  require one semester or one year of civics or
  American government.
• No high school graduation requirement for
  civics in NJ.
• State assessment Half the states (26) have
  statewide social studies assessments, four more
  are implementing them in 2007 or 2008. Only five
  require students to pass a specific civics exam.
  The rest include civics on their social studies
  exams.
• No state assessment for social studies in NJ.
• Source Education Commission of the States,
  state reports.

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What can we do to improve civic education in NJ?
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Statewide Conference on Civic Education Agenda

• Classroom demonstrations of promising civic
  education programs by studentsidentified in
  Inventory
• Panel discussion--viewpoints from school
  superintendent, mayor, business and high
  education
• Roundtable discussions--teams of educators,
  students, school administrators, local public
  policy makers and representatives of business and
  civic organizations will develop action plans to
  identify weaknesses and improve civic in their
  local districts

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New Jersey Coalitionfuture plans

• Identify and advocate for necessary public policy
  changes
• Spring 2006 follow-up meeting with legislators
• Obtain broad-based public support--legislative,
  community and corporate--for the civic mission of
  the schools
• Investigate promising civic education practices
  and programs in NJ schools
• Create on-line resource center for lessons and
  materials
• Provide on-going professional development
  programs