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| | | Source: RMC Research Corporation, Denver, CO, May
2004 | | |
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Recent surveys raise concerns about the decline of civic
education and the willingness of young people to assume active
citizenship roles (Keeter, Zukin, Andolina, & Jenkins, 2002;
National Association of Secretaries of State, 1999). These studies
indicate greater political disengagement among youth, a tendency to
avoid voting and political activity, and a lack of essential
knowledge about American history and government (Carnegie
Corporation & CIRCLE, 2003; Flanagan & Faison, 2001).
Schools also give less attention to civic education than they once
did, requiring fewer civics courses and neglecting civics outcomes
in state assessments (Miller & Piscatelli, 2003). Yet,
according to research, “Formal education is almost without
exception the strongest factor in explaining what citizens do in
politics and how they think about politics” (Nie et al.,
1996, p. 2).
Citizenship is complex and involves more than academic knowledge
and skills. Effective citizenship education should prepare young
people in three areas:
- Civic literacy – Fundamental knowledge
of history and government, political and community organizations,
and public affairs; skills for making informed judgments, engaging
in democratic deliberation and decision making, influencing the
political process, and organizing within a community.
- Civic virtues – Values, beliefs, and
attitudes needed for constructive engagement in the political
system and community affairs, such as tolerance, social trust, and
a sense of responsibility for others.
- Civically-engaged behaviors – Habits of
participating and contributing to civic and public life through
voting, staying politically informed, and engaging in community
service.
Studies confirm the ability of service-learning to strengthen
citizenship development and link engagement in service-learning to
civic outcomes (Carnegie, 2003; Melchior, 1999; Yates &
Youniss, 1998).Students active in service-learning and community
service during high school are more likely to be active in
communities and politics as adults.However, the connection between
service-learning and civic education is not automatic. Instead, it
occurs when service-learning programs address specific civic
knowledge and skills, and the link between service-learning
activities and civic development is made explicit to students as a
core learning outcome. Well-designed service-learning activities
with civic objectives have been shown to increase several student
capabilities, including:
- Knowledge of community needs;
- Awareness of social problems;
- Acceptance of diversity;
- Personal and social responsibility;
- Knowledge of government;
- Willingness to work toward social change;
- Involvement in and commitment to service.
The following resources will help you better ground your
service-learning program in the civic education responsibilities of
your school. | | |
| | | References | | | | | |
Carnegie Corporation of New York, and CIRCLE. The
Civic Mission of Schools. New York:
Carnegie Corporation, and College Park, MD: University of Maryland,
School of Public Affairs, 2003.
http://civicmissionofschools.org/site/campaign/documents/ExecutiveSummary.pdf
(81K pdf)
Flanagan, Constance, and Nakesha Faison. “Youth
Civic Development: Implications of Research for Social Policy and
Programs.” Social Policy Report 15, no. 1
(2001): 3–14.
Keeter, Scott, Cliff Zukin, Molly Andolina, and Krista Jenkins.
The Civic and Political Health of the Nation: A Generational
Portrait. College Park, MD: University of Maryland, Center
for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement
(CIRCLE), 2002.
Melchior, Alan.
Summary Report: National Evaluation of Learn and
Serve America (299 K pdf). Waltham, MA: Brandeis
University, Center for Human Resources, 1999.
Miller, Jeffery, and Jennifer Piscatelli. State
Policy Report for Citizenship Education. Paper
presented at the 3rd Annual International K–H
Service-Learning Research Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah,
2003.
National Association of Secretaries of State. New
Millenium Project–Part I: American Youth Attitudes on
Politics, Citizenship, Government, and Voting.
Washington, DC: Author, 1999.
Nie, Norman, Jane Junn, and Ken Stehlik-Barry.
Education and Democratic Citizenship in
America. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press,
1996.
Yates, Miranda, and James Youniss. “
Community Service and Political Identity Development in
Adolescence.” Journal of Social Issues 54, no. 3
(1998): 495–512. | | | | | | Web Resources | | | | | |
Funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Carnegie
Corporation, CIRCLE funds research on youth civic development and
education. The Web site offers a variety of resources, including
the highly praised report, “The Civic Mission of
Schools” (P-12).
The Center for Civic Education seeks to promote citizenship
education at home and abroad.CCE specializes in civic education,
law-related education, and international education programs.CCE is
the source of two widely used civics curricula, “Project
Citizen” and “We, The People,” as well as the
document, “Civitas: A Framework for Civic Education.”
CCE’s web site includes numerous ideas for lesson plans and
activities to promote civic skills. (P-12)
This site presents the results of the 1998 national assessment
of what U. S. students in Grades 4, 8, and 12 know and can do in
civics.It includes an explanation of the framework for the
assessment, sample questions, results on teaching practices in
social studies, and test results for students overall in different
grade levels and from different groups. (P-12).
This site reports the results of an international study of the
civic knowledge, skills, and attitudes of approximately 90,000
14-year-olds in 28 countries. (P-12).
Kids Voting USA seeks to promote citizen development by
educating young people about voting and other types of civic
engagement.The site includes teacher-developed lesson plans and
activities for students in Grades K–12.
(P-12).
- National Center for Learning and Citizenship
(NCLC): A project of the Education Commission of the
States (ECS)
http://www.ecs.org/nclc/
Consistent with the mission of ECS, NCLC has developed several
useful publications about civic education for state education
policy makers, many of which highlight the educational value of
service-learning.Publications include “Citizenship
Matters”, a monthly newsletter, and “Every Student A
Citizen: Creating the Democratic Self”(P-12).
-
Our Documents Initiativehttp://www.ourdocuments.gov/
The Our Documents Initiative is a collaborative effort by the
U.S. National Archives & Records Administration, National
History Day, and USA Freedom Corps.Its purpose is to strengthen
student mastery of American history and democratic principles by
encouraging the integration of historical documents into the
curriculum.The initiative provides teachers and students with
access to online versions of 100 foundational documents, such as
laws, treaties, and speeches. (P-12). | | | Print Resources | | | | | |
This report outlines components of high quality citizenship
education agreed upon by well-known experts in the field.It
discusses elements of effective citizenship education, including
goals, the fundamental role of the schools in civic education, and
suggestions for schools and policymakers for improving civic
education. (P-12).
- Special Section on Democracy and Civic
Engagement. Phi Delta Kappan 85, no. 1 (2003,
September): 8–67.
In this special section on the civic education responsibilities
of schools after September 11, 2001, articles address topics,such
as a new consensus on educating for democracy, ideas for designing
democratic schools, and strategies for promoting civic engagement
among marginalized youth. (P-12).
CIVITAS provides standards for civic education in Grades
K–12. Included in the document are a rationale for the
framework, as well as goals and objectives for the development of
civic virtues, civic participation, and civic knowledge and
intellectual skills across the grade
levels.(P-12).
The New Millenium Survey (1999) asked young people questions
about their political knowledge, attitudes, and involvement.It
concluded “young Americans have only a limited, vague
understanding of what it means to be a citizen in a democratic
society” (p. 1).The survey’s results demonstrated that
U.S. youth are skeptical and distrustful of politics and
politicians, and even though they are active in community service,
these activities are primarily social and unconnected to the
political sphere. (General).
- The National Commission on Civic Renewal. A Nation
Of Spectators: How Civic Disengagement Weakens Americaand What We Can Do About It. College Park,
MD: University of Maryland, 1999.
This report provides the results of a measure of the state of
U.S. political and civic health, the Index of National Civic Health
(INCH). INCH combines trends for political participation, political
and social trust, associational membership, family integrity and
stability, and crime.The report also includes sections on the role
of civil society in U.S. democracy, its relationship to business
and government, current status, and steps citizens can take to
revitalize it. (General).
- Verba, Sidney, Kay Lehman Schlozman, and Henry E. Brady.
Voice and Equality: Civic Voluntarism in American
Politics. Cambridge. MA: Harvard University Press,
1995.
This volume is an outstanding comprehensive analysis of the
extent and types of participation in American political life and
the factors that lead some citizens to be more active and
influential than others. (General). | | | Quick Guides are expert guides that provide a brief
discussion and a short list of the best resources on a
service-learning topic. |
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