School Improvement in Maryland

POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

School Level

  • Sustained and systematic attention should be given to civic education in the K-12 curriculum. Although the National Education Goals, as well as the goals, curricular requirements, and policies of every state, express the need for and extol the value of civic education, this vital part of the student's overall education is seldom given sustained and systematic attention in the K-12 curriculum. Inattention to civic education stems in part from the false assumption that the knowledge and skills citizens need emerge as by-products of the study of other disciplines or as an outcome of the process of schooling itself.

    While it is true that history, economics, literature, and other subjects do enhance students' understanding of government and politics, they cannot replace sustained, systematic attention to civic education. Civics should be seen as a central concern from kindergarten through twelfth grade, whether it is taught as a part of other curricula or in separate units or courses.

    We recommend that states and school districts give serious consideration to the allocation of sufficient time for civics and government. A proposed allocation is offered below for purposes of stimulating discussion.

    Requirements by Grade
      Grade   Specific Treatment Treatment in Other Subjects
    K - 2 30 hours per school year at each grade, e.g., focus on rules, authority, justice, responsibility Primary and elementary - a minimum of 30 hours per school year, e.g., as part of instruction in reading, language arts, math, science, physical education, etc.
    3 - 4 40 hours per school year at each grade, e.g., community and state studies focusing on local and state government
    5 40 hours per school year, e.g., integrated into a course in US History/Civics and Government/Geography Teams of middle-grade teachers develop integrated curriculum units infusing content standards for civics and government, e.g., a language arts/literature unit focusing on the theme of power and authority; a science unit on environmental pollution focusing on the public policy aspects of the issue
    6 - 7 Four two-week units at each grade (approx. 30 hours per school year), e.g., focus on comparative government as part of a World Civilization/Area Studies program
    8 One semester course (approx. 60 hours), e.g., US Constitutional Government
    9 - 10 Six two-week units at each grade (approx. 40 hours per school year), e.g., focus on comparative political philosophies and political systems in a World History/Global Studies course Teachers planning high school courses in other subjects could use the content standards for civics and government to develop thematic organizers, e.g., a technology education class exploring how safety procedures and work place rules protect everyone.
    11 60 hours per school year as an integral part of specific social science course work, e.g., 20th-Century US History and Government
    12 Full-year course (120 hours), e.g., Applied Civics/Participation in Government
    NOTE: For grades K-4, 30 minutes per day was used as an average instructional period. For grades 5-12, 40 minutes per day was used as an average instructional period.
  • Schools should thoroughly examine the "informal curriculum," or the governance of their school community and the relationships among those within it. The importance of the governance of the school community and the quality of the relationships among those within it can scarcely be overemphasized. Classrooms and schools should be managed by adults who govern in accord with democratic values and principles and who display traits of character, private and public, worthy of emulation.
  • Student participation in the governance of their classrooms and schools should be an integral part of civic education beginning in the earliest grades and extending throughout the span of their formal schooling. Classrooms and schools should be considered laboratories in which students can employ participatory skills commensurate with their maturity. They should learn to interact effectively, as well as learn how to monitor and influence school and public policies. Governance, as used here, means more than seeking or serving in a class or school office. It means having a voice in such matters as school rules and disciplinary procedures. Governance means that each student is a citizen possessed of the rights and charged with the responsibilities that accrue to citizens in a constitutional democracy.
  • Civic education should help students develop a reasoned commitment to those fundamental values and principles necessary for the preservation and improvement of American constitutional democracy. Civic education, however, must distinguish between education and indoctrination. Civic education enables citizens to make wise choices in full awareness of alternatives and provides the kind of experiences and understanding that foster the development of a reasoned commitment to those values and principles that enable a free society to exist.
  • Every student should become familiar with the nation's fundamental documents through age-appropriate instruction. These documents would include but are not limited to the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, The Federalist Papers, landmark decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court, the constitution of the state in which they reside, and other significant writings and speeches.
  • Students at all grade levels can profit from the study of exemplary citizens, both the famous and not-so-famous, those from the past and from the present. The use of a wide variety of age-appropriate historical narratives, biographies, autobiographies, and current accounts in the media should be encouraged. Students, particularly in an age of anti-heroes, should have many opportunities to learn about people who have defended human rights and political freedoms, fulfilled civic responsibilities, or had the courage to make ethical and moral decisions when they were in the minority.
  • Co-curricular activities that support and extend civic education should be encouraged. Activities such as mock elections, mock trials, and simulated legislative hearings promote greater interest and understanding of government and civil society. The worth of such activities is attested to by abundant research. Teachers who devote time to the sponsorship of co-curricular activities allied to civic education should be recognized and appropriately rewarded for their endeavors.
  • The opportunity for school and community service should be made available to all young people as a part of their civic education. Students should be prepared for age-appropriate service, adequately supervised during their service, and expected to reflect on their experiences under the guidance of qualified teachers or mentors.
  • Community service should bring students into direct contact with government at every level and with sectors of civil society appropriate to their study of civics and government. Students should go out into the community to observe, to interview, and to contribute their time and talents in the interest of the common good. Members of the community-government officials, civic leaders, and other knowledgeable persons-should be invited into schools to share their insights and expertise with students.
  • States and school districts should be more attentive to the professional development needs of beginning and less experienced teachers. Requirements for renewal of credentials or licenses should ensure that K-12 civics and government teachers deepen their understanding of the discipline, hone their instructional skills, and broaden their knowledge of and interaction with the civic community.
  • State and school districts should recognize, reward, and retain teachers who are outstanding civic educators so that they are not lost to the nation's classrooms. More than 200 studies have found that teachers who have greater training in both their subject matter and in how to teach it well are more effective with students. All too often, however, master teachers move into school administration or other professions where financial or other rewards are greater. Efforts need to be made, therefore, to see that recognition and rewards are sufficient to persuade the best teachers to remain in the classroom.

National, State, and Local Level

  • Because the maintenance and improvement of our constitutional democracy is dependent upon the knowledge, skills, and traits of public and private character of all our citizens, we recommend a national initiative to revitalize civic education. A nationwide initiative in civic education could focus on the importance of civic education for every child in America which provides a grounding in the rights and responsibilities of members of a constitutional democracy. Such an initiative would increase civic literacy, foster civility among citizens,promote understanding and appreciation of democratic institutions and processes, and enhance a sense of political efficacy.

    The groundwork for the renewal of civic education has already been laid by more than two decades of commission reports, books, and articles by educators, scholars, and journalists. In 1987 the bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution occasioned an outpouring of interest in the substance of civic education. In 1991, CIVITAS: A Framework for Civic Education was published; and in 1994, the National Standards for Civics and Government were completed. These Standards, developed in response to the Educate America Act, continue to receive national and international acclaim. They delineate what students should know and be able to do when they complete grades 4, 8, and 12. The most recent call for action is the final report of the National Commission on Civic Renewal released in June, 1998. That report, A Nation of Spectators: How Civic Disengagement Weakens America and What We Can Do About It, calls upon the American people to "once again rise to the challenge of self government" and "to advance the cause of school-based civic education."

    The time is ripe for a nationwide initiative that could promote increased citizen interest, understanding, and participation in local, state, and national government, as well as in the civic associations, processes, and purposes of civil society.

    The principal aims of this initiative would be to:

    • deepen understanding of the historical, philosophical, political, social, and economic foundations of American constitutional democracy.
    • promote understanding of how a constitutional government operates and an appreciation of the rights and responsibilities of citizens.
    • promote informed and responsible participation in civic life.
    • foster the civic dispositions or traits of public and private character conducive to the preservation and enhancement of American constitutional democracy.
    • foster a reasoned commitment to the fundamental values and principles as expressed in core documents, such as the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, that bind us together as a nation and provide a common ground for working together.
    • promote understanding of the essential role that the institutions and values of civil society have historically played and continue today to play as foundations of American constitutional democracy. Such understanding includes the idea that the autonomous character of civil society protects society from the abuse of power by government and is therefore a chief support for constitutional government.

    Revitalized civic education can provide significant benefits for all Americans. A nation-wide initiative can:

    • increase understanding of the importance and relevance of politics and government and of civil society to the daily lives of all Americans, e.g., their safety and security, education, employment, health, recreation, and overall quality of life.
    • promote the development of civic character by fostering recognition of public and private responsibilities and encouraging adherence to the values and principles of American constitutional democracy.
    • elevate the sense of civic efficacy, the impact citizens can have on policies at all levels of government and on the character and purposes of the associations and endeavors of civil society.
    • build upon the natural idealism, energy, and hopes of American youth to revitalize civic life.
  • The importance of civic education should be communicated to the general public through televised public forums, print media, and public service television announcements. Parents, civic leaders, and the media are important influences and have significant contributions to make to civic education, and their support should be enlisted.
  • A renewed emphasis on the common core of civic culture that unites individuals from many ethnic, linguistic, religious, and social groups is needed. We join with the U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform and other groups in making this recommendation.
  • Americans should be kept informed on a regular basis of the nation's civic health through publication and wide dissemination of a index such as the one proposed by the National Commission on Civic Renewal (1998). That index could include, but not be limited to, such items as political participation, political and social trust, membership in voluntary associations, community service, achievement levels in civics and government, and other pertinent information.
  • State legislatures, boards of education, schools, and parent groups should reexamine the formal curricula and assessment practices to determine the adequacy and effectiveness of their education programs and they should take appropriate action to strengthen the formal curriculum and their assessment practices.
  • Every state should require all students to demonstrate mastery of basic civic knowledge and concepts as a condition of high school graduation. We join with the Commission on Civic Renewal and other groups in support of this recommendation.
  • To improve and professionalize teaching that the National Commission on Teaching & America's Future say it is "time to get serious about standards for both students and teachers." We concur with that National Commission that there must be agreement on what teachers should know and be able to do in order to help their students meet higher academic standards. Teacher licensing should be based on demonstrated competence, including adequate academic preparation with a major or minor in a field appropriate for civic education, tests of subject matter knowledge, and command of skills and classroom strategies that research has shown to be effective in civic education.
  • To reverse the cycle of low expectations and low achievement, states and school districts need to set standards which meet certain criteria. Standards should
    • be clearly focused on academic achievement.
    • be rigorous and substantive.
    • reflect the best current scholarship in the disciplines from which the substance of civics and government is drawn-political science, political philosophy, history, economics, law, and jurisprudence.
    • state clearly what students should know and be able to do, and be expressed in language understandable to young people, their parents, and the general public.
    • be clear, specific benchmarks against which an individual's performance and progress can be judged.

  • Attention needs to be given to the assessment of civic education which presently is inadequate in terms of both content and frequency.

    • Despite the fact that National Education Goals 3 and 6 prominently feature citizenship, the annual reports of the National Education Goals Panel have yet to report on achievement in civic and government or on progress toward "responsible citizenship."
    • The National Assessment Governing Board is to be applauded for undertaking the Civics Framework for the 1998 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). However, the Board allowed ten years to elapse between the present and the last assessment of civics. It is recommended that in the future civics be assessed with the same frequency as mathematics, science, reading, or any other core subject.
    • Many states and districts mandate testing programs in mathematics, reading, and language arts for elementary grades. Seldom is civic education included in these mandates. Consequently, teachers spend considerable more time working with students on math and reading and neglect civic education. We recommend that all of the eight disciplines identified in the Goals 2000: Educate America Act-English, mathematics, science, foreign languages, civic and government, economics, arts, history, and geography-be given attention.
    • When assessments in civic education do occur, they are primarily in secondary schools and generally take the form of multiple choice tests. Such tests require students to select the correct answers from a number of possibilities and are useful for determining students' knowledge and understanding of basic facts and concepts. However, they fail to assess students' acquisition of a variety of civic skills such as evaluating, taking, and defending positions on political and civic issues, speak and writing on these issues, and monitoring and influencing public policy.