Teacher Initiative in Civics Education

“Again, teachers need to recognize the static nature of standards and frame their instruction accordingly.  Recent studies have found that social studies classrooms rarely utilize discussion, and scholars often point to standards-based education as a contributing factor… The SOLs contain few standards designed to stimulate discussion; therefore, teachers must act on their own to foster the ideals of deliberation in their classrooms.  A similar argument can be made for participatory and social justice aspects of citizenship.  The ubiquitous nature of standards prohibits specific recommendations for active or communitarian aspects of citizenship.  It is the responsibility of educators to encourage students to participate in democracy in order to develop habits associated with active citizenship, rather than to simply reap its benefits as passive spectators.” (p. 357)

Journell, W. (2010). Standardizing citizenship: the potential influence of state curriculum standards on the civic development of adolescents.  PS: Political Science & Politics, 43, 351-358.

     This passage appears in the conclusion of Wayne Journell’s article on the current state citizenship education.  Journell bases his research on the Virginia Standards of Learning for civics and government courses; he examines the types of citizenship standards advocate, the differences between civics and government standards, and how well those standards prepare students to participate in our society as citizens.  Upon inspection, Journell finds that if teachers design instruction based on standards alone, their students will not necessarily practice group discussion or deliberation of complex ideas.  He also suggests that Virginia’s SOLs do not ask students to simulate democratic participation, think about social justice, or focus on their role in the community.  He acknowledges that this is likely due to the seemingly “political” nature of such topics. However, Journell argues that the subject is inherently political and if we remove all items that could be construed as advocating a particular political ideology, we will distill civics education to an unhelpful list of facts.  The author urges classroom teachers to create lessons that push students beyond memorizing the function of politics and government to practicing the habits they will need to take full advantage of their status as members of American society.  He says that because the standards are not sufficient for fostering effective citizenship on their own, teachers should supplement them with opportunities for students to act in their classrooms, schools, and communities.  The Civic Mission of Schools report agrees with Journell.  The report finds a lack of civic knowledge, low level of civic engagement, and civic achievement gap among the American populace.  These results offer evidence for the author’s argument; teachers need to do something differently to ensure students receive effective civics education.  

    I wholeheartedly agree with Mr. Journell.  Civics education must change in order to prevent the deficiencies we continue to see American adults.  The Civic Mission of Schools report found that a shocking number of adults do not retain an accurate understanding of how our institutions function.  For example, the report shows that “only one-third of Americans could name all three branches of government; one-third couldn’t name any”, “almost a third mistakenly believed that a U.S. Supreme Court ruling could be appealed”, and “Only one in five Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 read a newspaper, and only one in ten regularly click on news web pages” (p. 4, 14).  Statistics such as these indicate that we need to change our approach to educating our citizens.  Instead of merely teaching a collection of facts about the Electoral College, the three branches of government, and the Constitution, we need to teach our students in a way that is relevant to their lives.  I believe one way we can begin showing students the importance of civic knowledge would be to move beyond discussing the “whats” and diving into the “whys” of our governmental structure.  If we ask our students to think about how our political system and social structure came about they will start to see how they are relevant to their lives.  We need to explain the social contract AND help them develop their political agency.  If social studies teachers are committed to educating students to be effective citizens, we must use the standards as a guide, but we should build upon them.  We need to find creative ways that teach students the facts they need to know for their standardized assessments and prepare them to apply what they have learned in their lives.  Relevance is key.