Civic education: recent history, current status, and the future.

• Author: Quigley, Charles N.
• Position: Public Understanding and Perceptions of the American Justice System

INTRODUCTION

In addressing this topic the idea of a rather barren desert with oases comes to mind. A desert is appropriate because I think that civic education, as a formal part of the curriculum that is translated into effective instruction, does not exist in many schools in the United States today. Although there are some oases--outstanding teachers and curricular programs--unfortunately there are not enough. No thorough studies of the current state of civic education in our schools exist yet. In fact, a number of my colleagues and I estimate that at most fifteen percent of students at the pre-collegiate level receive an adequate education in this field.

Although a study of state curriculum guidelines will reveal that every state notes the need for civic education, this important part of the student's overall education is seldom given sustained and systematic attention in the kindergarten through twelfth grade curriculum. Inattention to civic education stems in part from the 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. Therefore, a number of my colleagues in the field and I have developed the following standards that should guide the development of educational policy in every state and school district in the nation:

Education in civics and government should not be incidental to the schooling of American youth, but a central purpose of education essential to the well being of American democracy;

* Civics and government should be considered a subject on a level with other subjects. Civics and government, like history and geography, is an integrative and interdisciplinary subject;

* Civics and government should be taught explicitly and systematically from kindergarten through twelfth grade either as separate units and courses or as a part of courses in other subjects; and

* Effective instruction in civics and government should include attention to the content of the discipline as well as to the essential skills, principles, and values required for full participation in and reasoned commitment to our democratic system.

I am not aware of any state or school district requirements that meet these standards.

The following is a brief overview of the recent history of civic education, its current status, including related research findings, and information regarding the current movement to develop increased support for the widespread implementation of civic education programs in our nation's schools.

1. THE RECENT HISTORY OF CIVIC EDUCATION

   "Modern" civic education as a recognized and discreet curriculum began a century ago in the effort to americanize the waves of "alien" immigrants who arrived on these shores--to ensure that they were assimilated into the then dominant Northern European culture with its Judeo-Christian, Graeco-Roman, and (in law and government) Anglo-American roots.(1) Sometimes referred to as "pressure cooker" civic education, these early initiatives tended to be catechistic and dull, but they carried on for more than half-a-century, sustained by the patriotic euphoria of two world wars and the "circle the wagons" mentality of the early years of the Cold War.(2)

   The sixties, of course, meant a "goodbye to all that." Vietnam, and then Watergate, brought disenchantment, rebellion, experimentation, a loss of faith in traditional institutions and traditional leaders, the break-up of consensus, weakening of the core culture, the advent of heterogeneity, and multiculturalism.(3) One of the great ironies of America's civic culture in this century is the fact that it has been so victimized by its success. The civil rights movement and the opening of the floodgates to immigrants from all corners of the globe have created a diverse society in many ways out of synch with the common (and admittedly ethnocentric) core values that underwrote civic education earlier in this century.(4) Redefining civic education in this polyglot world is the overriding challenge for civic educators today.

   Part of the problem in attempting to gain support for policies that require the inclusion of civic education in the schools is the checkered past referred to above. Although there have undoubtedly been outstanding teachers of civics and government since the first schools were established in this country, in the fifties and sixties civic education was not noted for its attention to the realities of our political history or contemporary events.(5) Furthermore, it was not noted for stimulating student interest.(6) Programs were not well designed to develop among students a thoughtful appreciation of our system of ordered liberty, and struggled to bring reality closer to the ideals of our system.(7) Most civic education texts were for the upper grades and they contained dry portrayals of the formal structure of our federal government, charts on how a bill becomes a law, and sometimes idealized portraits of the heroes of our political history.(8) The most common method of teaching was lecture, and more attention was paid to the memorization of facts, important as that may be, than to inquiry, discussion, and debate.(9)

   This image of education in civics, government, and history as dry, dull, and irrelevant, indeed an indoctrination that whitewashed our past and much of our present, led in the sixties to a reaction against the field. This resulted in the elimination of widespread requirements for civic education in our schools and a reduction of attention to political history in texts in favor of such topics as social history, the history of the labor movement, civil rights history, and the like.(10) While many of the new emphases were improvements, the reduction of attention to civics and government and political history was not.

   1. The Origins of the Current Movement to Improve Civic Education

      Reforms in education have almost always come from forces outside of the educational system.(11) Often these forces have been motivated by events that have revealed the shortcomings of one or more aspects of our educational programs. The movement to improve civic education that began in the sixties is no exception.

      Sputnik shocked concerned people in the United States and brought to our attention, among other things, the incredible knowledge gap between our universities and what was being taught in our schools, first in mathematics and science, and later in other fields.(12) As a result, Congress passed first the National Defense Education Act(13) and later the Education Professions Development Act.(14) Both acts supported training programs at universities for pre-collegiate teachers, the development of improved curricular materials, and research and evaluation.(15) In addition to other fields, these acts provided support for the involvement of departments of political science, history, sociology, schools of law, and other disciplines in the improvement of pre-collegiate programs in civics, government, and the law.(16) A number of major national programs working today, including several university-based programs, received their foundational support under these acts.(17) Unfortunately, the level of federal support provided under the acts no longer exists.(18)

      Controversies about the decisions of the Warren Court drew attention to the low level of public understanding of the Constitution and the role of the courts. In the early 1960s, Justice Brennan and other concerned members of the profession, including representatives of a number of law schools, the American Bar Association, and the bench, met near Washington, D.C.(19) The meeting addressed the same issues as this symposium, so much so that it could well have had the same title, Public Perception and Understanding of the American Justice System. Whether in fact this meeting was the event that triggered the nationwide involvement of the legal profession in the improvement of civic education, it did have a significant impact. Key participants at that meeting returned to their states and took leadership roles in initiating many civic education programs that continue to exist today.(20)

      The field of law has made valuable contributions, not only in drawing attention to the need to improve education in civics, government, political history, and the law, but also in helping to remedy some of the problems of earlier civic education programs. The emphasis on case studies brings reality and relevance into the classroom as well as the excitement of discussion and debate. The use of the interactive methodology of the law school fosters inquiry, reflection, and the development of analytical skills. The use of mock trials, moot courts, arbitration and mediation hearings, and other simulations of judicial procedures, brings excitement into the classroom and stimulates interest in and appreciation for our system of justice. The extension of the use of simulations to include town meetings, legislative and administrative hearings, coalition building, and lobbying exercises has helped to develop an understanding of our political institutions and procedures as well as the development of participatory skills.

   2. Improvements in Civic Education

      During the past thirty years, the increased participation of university-based scholars, members of the legal profession, and other public and private sector volunteers active in political life has led to significant improvements in civic education for many students. Most notable among these are the quality of curricular materials, the introduction of improved methods of instruction, and the improved training of our teachers.(21)

      There exists, therefore, a base upon which to greatly expand the offering of high quality education in civics...