Revitalizing civic education: a case study.

• Author: Doyle, John
• Position: Florida

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be"--Thomas Jefferson

Forty state constitutions mention the importance of civic literacy among citizens, and 13 constitutions state that the central purpose of their educational system is to promote good citizenship, democracy, and free government. (1) Schools, as institutions, are systematically responsible for developing citizen norms and building civic knowledge and skills such as critical thinking. (2) Within this framework for developing effective citizenship skills, our democracy can improve and flourish.

A study released by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) and the Carnegie Corporation of New York, suggests that formal school-based civic education classes are on the decline. (3) Today's civic education curriculum is a matter of too little, too late--consisting of a one-semester high school government course, usually in the senior year. Disturbing trends are emerging. With civic education declining, so too are students' interest in public affairs, their political and civic knowledge, voter participation, and attitudes toward government. (4) Students need practice developing the skills of effective citizens and opportunities to grow in their knowledge of public issues.

Florida's Civic Education Curriculum

A recent survey took an inventory of Florida school districts to identify how civic education is addressed in the curriculum. Most districts reported little time available in elementary school to teach civics, mainly because of FCAT related priorities. At the high school level, students are required to take a semester of American government before graduating. In reviewing the middle school curriculum, however, we found fewer than 10 percent of Florida's school districts have a required civics course in middle school. The majority of Florida school districts reported offering two years of geography and one year of history at the middle school level or two years of history and one year of geography. Some school districts, however, including the Miami-Dade County Public Schools, have implemented a more practical and applied curriculum for 6th--8th graders designed to prepare them not only for high school, but also for active participation in a democracy. The Miami-Dade County Public Schools, along with a handful of other districts in Florida, require a year-long civics course in middle school in addition to one year of geography and one year of history.

The lack of civics in middle school will change this year, however, with the passage of legislation requiring Florida students to take a semester of civics in grades six, seven, or eight, before progressing to high school. This new mandate will provide middle school students with the opportunity to improve their civic knowledge and skills throughout Florida. The Miami-Dade County civics curriculum can serve as a model for other districts to implement the legislatively mandated middle school civics education course.

The Miami-Dade County Public Schools' Approach to Civic Education

The goal of civic education is to develop knowledgeable, responsible citizens whose words and actions at school and home, in the community, and in the voting booth reflect a commitment to the fundamental values and principles of the American constitutional democracy. To maintain our nation's "civic health," students must understand the structure and function of government. Furthermore, students must understand, analyze, and evaluate public issues, and learn to defend positions on those issues. In Miami-Dade County Public Schools, the responsibility for helping students acquire a sense of civic participation rests primarily with social science educators.

The Social Science Competency-based Curriculum

Miami-Dade County Public Schools' Division of Social Sciences and the district's social science teachers reinforce civic responsibility and civic activism through a required Social Science Competency-based Curriculum. The "civic responsibility" competencies (the content knowledge or skills a student should be able to demonstrate following instruction) and objectives emphasize democratic principles and the...