citizenship education in the united states: a case study of three approaches within a decentralized...

Citizenship Education in the United States: A Case Study of Three Approaches within a Decentralized System

Beth C. Rubin, Ph.D.Rutgers [email protected]

Abstract

Education in the United States is decentralized, with most decisions about curriculum and instruction made at state and local levels. School-based citizenship education is no exception. States determine their own curricular standards and districts write their own curricula. National professional organizations author and disseminate discipline-based standards that are frequently taken into account by curriculum designers. The state of New Jersey exemplifies this phenomenon, with curriculum standards for social studies interpreted independently by the state’s over 600 school districts. This report describes three distinct approaches to citizenship education that all meet state and professional standards’ goals of creating of globally aware, socially responsible, informed, active citizens who respect diversity. The disciplinary, integrated and small learning community approaches to citizenship education depicted in this report provide vibrant examples of what is possible, and present a challenge to a nation in which citizenship education is often substandard or lacking entirely.

mailto:[email protected]

Three Approaches in a Decentralized System

Citizenship Education in the United States: A Case Study of Three Approaches within a Decentralized System

Beth C. Rubin, Ph.D.

I. Education in the United States

Education in the United States is decentralized, with most decisions about curriculum and instruction made at state and local levels. School funding comes largely from state and local tax revenue sources, and national oversight of local school decision-making is limited.

Recent federal legislation - the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) - requires states to develop basic skills assessment in mathematics and literacy to receive federal funding. These state-designed and administered tests vary widely in content, rigor and results. Almost a decade after the implementation of NCLB, the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) exam1 reveals continued disparity in student achievement from state to state and among students from different racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups.

Thus while NCLB has pushed the United States in the direction of national standards, curriculum and instruction remain largely under state and local control. States develop their own standards and assessments based upon those standards. Local districts develop their own curricula, which are approved by local school boards whose members are either elected by local communities or appointed by city and town mayors. Education in the United States remains largely under local and state control.

II. Citizenship education in the United States

While states determine their own curricular standards and districts write their own curricula, national professional organizations in the United States author and disseminate discipline-based standards that are frequently taken into account by curriculum designers. While the United States does not have a national curriculum, in some fields, most notably mathematics and literacy, professional organizations are moving closer to reaching consensus on what should be taught K-12.

The field of social studies, however, is far from such a consensus. Standards related to social studies education have been offered by various professional organizations, such as NCSS’s Expectations of Excellence, the National Center for History in the Schools’ National History Standards, The Center for Civic Education’s National Standards for Civics and Government, and the Council for Economic Education’s National Content Standards in Economics. States build their own curricular standards for social studies, taking professional organizations’ standards into account as they see fit.

1 The NAEP exam is periodic assessment of student progress conducted in the United States by the National Center for Education Statistics, a division of the U.S. Department of Education

2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Department_of_Education

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Department_of_Education

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Center_for_Education_Statistics

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Citizenship education falls under the purview of social studies education in almost any version of state and professional social studies standards in the United States. The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS), the premier professional organization for U.S. social studies educators and researchers, defines social studies as “the integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence [emphasis added].” In a recent position statement approved in May 2008, the NCSS tied citizenship education tightly to social studies, stating that “Powerful social studies learning leads to a well-informed and civic-minded citizenry that can sustain and build on democratic traditions [emphasis added].”

The NCSS Expectations of Excellence provides direction for the teaching of citizenship education within the social studies. Standards VI and X outline the citizenship goals of social studies:

VI. Power, Authority, & GovernanceSocial studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of how people create and change structures of power, authority, and governance.

X. Civic Ideals & PracticesSocial studies program should include experiences that provide for the study of the ideals, principles, and practices of citizenship in a democratic republic.

These standards tie the study of citizenship closely to the democratic nature of the United States’ system, calling for students to develop knowledge about the ideals and practices of democratic citizenship, without specifying the exact nature of such principles and practices.

The Center for Civic Education’s National Standards for Civics and Government also provides direction for civic education practices in the United States. They recommend that the study of civics and government in grades 9-12 be organized around the five large questions:

I. What are civic life, politics, and government?II. What are the foundations of the American political system?III. How does government established by the Constitution embody the

purposes, values and principles of American democracy?IV. What is the relationship of the United States to other nations and to world

affairs?V. What are the roles of the citizen in American democracy?

Similar to the NCSS standards, these standards value both knowledge of U.S. government, particularly the democratic nature of the system, and stress the role of the citizen within the democratic nation. As noted earlier, these standards are not mandatory. They do however emerge in state standards and in local curricula, as will be seen later in this report.

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III. Citizenship Education in the State of New Jersey

A. New Jersey

The state of New Jersey is located on the eastern coast of the United States in the mid-Atlantic region, bordered on the northeast by New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania, and on the southwest by Delaware. With a population of approximately 8,707,739 people in 8,729 square miles (22,608 kilometers squared), New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the United States. With a median income of $70,000, it is the second wealthiest state in the country.

New Jersey is one of the most ethnically and religiously diverse states in the United States. The 2005 census reports the population as approximately 64% white, 14% African American, 15% Latino and 8% Asian American. The state economy is based on the pharmaceutical industry, chemical development, telecommunications, food processing, electric equipment, printing and publishing and tourism. Many residents commute to New York City and Philadelphia where they work in retail sales, education, real estate and banking.

New Jersey’s public school system is characterized by strong funding levels (NJ is ranked first in the country in funding for k-12 education), strong local control and the large number of small school districts. Per pupil expenditures are second in country at $13,781 per student. New Jersey’s 1,387,945 students attend 2427 schools (288 of which are four-year high schools), in 603 districts. It is worth noting that each of these over 600 districts has its own curriculum, guided by state designed curriculum standards.

B. New Jersey State Curriculum Standards for Social Studies

In New Jersey, as in the rest of the nation, citizenship education falls clearly under the purview of the social studies in K-12 educational settings. The recently revised New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards for Social Studies (NJCCCSSS) place citizenship education at the core of the social studies mission. Indeed, the standards describe the mission of social studies education in the 21st century in the following manner:

Social studies education provides learners with the knowledge, skills, and perspectives needed to become active, informed citizens and contributing members of local, state, national, and global communities in the digital age [emphasis added].

According to the standards, the qualities of a population educated in social studies include some directly related to citizenship. The NJCCCSSS state that social studies instruction should foster a population that:

Is civic minded, globally aware, and socially responsible.

Exemplifies fundamental values of American citizenship through active participation in local and global communities.

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Makes informed decisions about local, state, national, and global events based on inquiry and analysis.

Considers multiple perspectives, values diversity, and promotes cultural understanding.

The New Jersey standards for social studies speak directly to the role of social studies in creating citizens, and specifically about the type of citizenship that should be fostered. These standards tie citizenship to social responsibility, participation, informed decision-making, and respect for diversity.

In direct relation to citizenship education, the third of the three major NJ social studies standards is called “Active Citizenship in the 21st Century.” This standard states that:

All students will acquire the skills needed to be active, informed citizens who value diversity and promote cultural understanding by working collaboratively to address challenges that are inherent in living in an interconnected world.

Within the three standards, content is framed by four strands, the first of which is Civics, Government and Human Rights. This strand is informed by two essential questions:

How do citizens, civic ideals, and government institutions interact to balance the needs of individuals and the common good?

How have economic, political, and cultural decisions promoted or prevented the growth of personal freedom, individual responsibility, equality, and respect for human dignity?

Social studies in New Jersey, then, is meant to be an interdisciplinary course of study that emphasizes, among other elements, the cultivation of informed, active citizens who value diversity and intend to participate fully in democratic processes.

To what extent are these worthy goals realized? As noted earlier, although some states have chosen to include social studies in state-wide mandatory assessments, NCLB does not require states to do so. Many states, therefore, do not require social studies testing for students. In New Jersey, the state in which the examples found in this report are located, the absence of standardized testing in social studies results in an even more localized approach to the subject than can be found in states in which social studies subjects are tested with a statewide instrument.

Despite commonly held state standards, local communities vary widely in their k-12 social studies curriculum and instruction, and no statewide assessment exists to measure adherence to standards. Social studies standards have tended to serve more as a guide for curriculum planners than a mandate. Furthermore, their broadly worded nature seems to allow for individual school districts to take a wide range of approaches to the ideas embedded within the standards.

In relation to citizenship education, the state does not mandate a civics or government course. It is therefore left to individual districts to decide how they wish to integrate citizenship education into their social studies offerings. Schools address the

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state social studies standards related to civics and citizenship in myriad ways, including failing to address the area at all.

IV. Three New Jersey Schools, Three Examples of Citizenship Education: Disciplinary, Integrated and Small Learning Community

Although citizenship education is a fundamental part of the New Jersey social studies curriculum standards, education in New Jersey is firmly under local control. Moreover, as the state mandates neither a course for students in civics and government nor an end of year civics and government assessment, there is no assurance that individual districts and schools will directly instruct students in the civics and citizenship principles outlined in state standards.

In a decentralized system that does not mandate a specific course for citizenship education, it is not possible to locate a “typical” example of this type of education. Indeed, as most New Jersey public schools focus their social studies curriculum almost exclusively on instruction in history what would be most typical, perhaps, would be the failure to address the citizenship goals found in the NJCCCSSS in any meaningful way.

This does not mean, however, that citizenship education is not occurring in New Jersey. Indeed, the state is home to some of the most innovative practices in the country. For this report I have chosen to examine three examples of citizenship education - a disciplinary approach, an integrated approach, and a small learning community approach. These three examples of were chosen to a) exemplify the objectives of citizenship education found in the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards for Social Studies and related professional standards; and 2) to provide a sense of the range of approaches possible for meeting these objectives.

As described in Table 1 below, this report will provide examples of these three approaches. The disciplinary approach, as exemplified by the Political Science and Constitutional Law course at Hunterdon Central Regional High School, is one in which students approach the study of government and politics as a discipline, with the entire course devoted to content and activities directly related to citizenship education. The integrated approach, demonstrated in this report by the United States History II course at Edison High School, is one in which citizenship education is integrated into historical study. The small learning community approach, shown here through an examination of the Civics and Government Institute at Montclair High School, is one in which students and teachers belong to a smaller school-within-a-school focused on civics and citizenship, with study on those themes occurring across several classes.

Table 1: Three Schools, Three Approaches

Hunterdon Central Edison MontclairApproach Disciplinary Integrated Small learning

communityCourse Context Political Science

and Constitutional Law

U.S. History II Civics and Government Institute (CGI)

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Lesson(s) - Evaluating Obama’s first year in office- “Crossfire” debate

Deliberation on U.S. strategy in Afghanistan

Student “Congress” discussing and ratifying new constitution for CGI

A. A disciplinary approach: Political Science and Constitutional Law with Mr. DeTample at Hunterdon Central Regional High School

1. School and community context: Hunterdon County and Hunterdon Central Regional High School

Hunterdon Central Regional High School is a large comprehensive, regional, four-year public high school that serves over 3,000 students from five municipalities in east central Hunterdon County, New Jersey, a relatively high-income county (4th highest income county in the United States) with a population of approximately 130,000 residents.

Table 3 provides demographic and academic performance data for Hunterdon Central Regional High School students. This is a high performing school, in which most students are college bound. Students do well on state proficiency examinations, take large numbers of Advanced Placement courses2, and exceed national averages for the Scholastic Aptitude Test (S.A.T.)3 Compared with the rest of the state, Hunterdon Central is more racially and ethnically homogeneous, with a large percentage of white students. Socioeconomically, Hunterdon Central serves an affluent student population, with very few students qualifying for free/reduced lunch under federal income guidelines.

Table 3: Hunterdon Central Regional High School

Hunterdon Central Regional High SchoolNumber of students 3,148Race/ethnicity African American Asian American Latino White

3% (17% statewide)4% (8% statewide)5% (19% statewide)88% (55% statewide)

LEP4 Students Language not English at home

7%2%

Free/reduced lunch eligible 4%Performance on statewide exam Language Arts Literacy

Partial 3.4% Proficient 57% Advanced 39.6%Mathematics Partial 6.4%

2 Advanced placement courses are high school courses intended to be taught at a college level, resulting in college credit for students passing the advanced placement examination at the end of the course.3 The Scholastic Aptitude Test (S.A.T.) is a national measure of scholastic aptitude in verbal, mathematic and writing skills. It is commonly required for admission to college.4 Limited English Proficient

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Jersey

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunterdon_County,_New_Jersey

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_high_school


Proficient 49.7% Advanced 43.9%

S.A.T. Results 89% taking test561 Math (national average 515)538 Verbal (national average 501)531 Writing (national average 493)

Advanced Placement Taking AP tests: 527# of subjects: 24# scoring 3 or above: 475

Post-high school plans(self-reported)

4-year college 73.32-year college 15.3Other educ. 1.8Military .6Work 1.7

2. Social studies at Hunterdon Central Regional High School

The Hunterdon Central Regional High School social studies department website states the department philosophy as follows,

Development of a reflective and active citizenry is the primary aim of social studies education. To achieve this aim, the HCHRS social studies program emphasizes four interrelated areas of study: knowledge, skills, values/attitudes, and social participation. Knowledge is drawn from a wide range of the humanities and social sciences, and is coordinated with emerging national trends and state requirements.

Skills are taught developmentally, with significant emphasis on research, critical thinking, and geography skills. Attitudes and values deemed crucial to the understanding of a democratic society and diverse world cultures are examined with emphasis on the reflective study of value conflict throughout the required program. Social participation behaviors are infused throughout the required and elective programs to assist in the training of students for lifelong active citizenship upon their entrance into adulthood.

The development of “a reflective and active citizenry,” linked here to knowledge, skills, values and social participation, is the cornerstone of the HCRHC social studies mission.

Course offerings in social studies are varied and extensive. Ninth graders can take Honors U.S. History I, regular U.S. History I, or Humanities I. Sophomores can take either Advanced Placement U.S. History, U.S. History II or Humanities 2. Juniors and seniors can take Comparative World Studies I and Comparative World Studies 2 or Honors Humanities. In addition, students can choose from elective courses, including World Geography, the Classical World, Anthropology, Sociology, Psychology, Human Rights and Genocide After World War II, Honors Intro to Western Philosophy, African Studies, Honors Economics, Advanced Placement Economics, Honors Psychology 2, Honors Sociology, Holocaust & Human Behavior, Advanced Placement Psychology, Contemporary American Problems: Violence/Poverty, Contemporary American Problems: AIDS/Discrimination, Advanced Placement Human Geography, Asian and

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Mid East Studies, Advanced Placement European History, Multicultural Studies, Independent Research in Archives and Local History, Comparative World Religions, Latin American Studies, and Political Science & Constitutional Law.

HCRHC’s social studies offerings are unusual in their breadth and sophistication. A large school, they can sustain the course variety; however the consistency of higher order thinking, global knowledge and understanding, and critical citizenship throughout the curriculum is noteworthy. It is the final offering of those listed above, Political Science and Constitutional Law, which is the focus of this section of the report.

3. The course5: Political Science and Constitutional Law

One approach to citizenship education in the United States is to enroll students in a disciplinary course directly related to citizenship. The Political Science and Constitutional Law course at Hunterdon Central High school which is described in this report is an example of such an approach. The first stated goal of the course is “To increase students’ awareness of their role as citizens in the process of government.” The course is described as follows:

This course heightens students’ awareness of the political process. The course prepares students to participate in politics as informed citizens. Students meet and question politicians through the guest speakers program and by attendance at a variety of political meetings. Students differentiate between the roles of the legislature, the executive branch and the judiciary. Themes emphasized include the interactive role of government on local, county, state, and federal levels and the significance of the political party system. Students are challenged to explore the decisions of the Supreme Court and their impact on society. Students visit the Statehouse in order to observe the process of government in action and participate in committee hearings.

Major course units include: political science, relationship between levels of government, political parties, the media, lobby groups, municipal government, property tax and local government needs, local officials, Hunterdon County government, voter registration, county officials, New Jersey state government, law-making process, elected state officials, unelected state officials, legislative branch, executive branch, judicial branch, law-making process, voting patterns, the Supreme Court, interpretation of the Constitution, judicial power, separation of powers, foreign affairs and constitutional crisis, federalism and state regulation, congressional powers, Bill of Rights and the 14th Amendment.

During the course students take part in activities that emphasize active learning and critical thinking, including: a scavenger hunt on controversial topics, analysis of newspaper articles and editorials, political awareness and ideology surveys, political philosophers jigsaw, examination of zoning maps, analysis of county government issues

5 This course and the lessons described below were all developed and written by Darren DeTample, social studies teacher at Hunterdon Central High School, Hunterdon County, New Jersey. My gratitude and appreciation to Mr. DeTample for sharing his work and allowing me to see it in action.

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from local newspapers, analyze polls, poll creation and administration, visiting the state house visit, Congressional budget simulation, mock press conference, debate on critical issues, writing legislation and lobbying for passage.

The course content and methods are linked clearly and closely to citizenship education, and are in alignment with state and professional organization standards for citizenship and civic education. This political science course, then, provides an excellent example of a disciplinary approach to citizenship education at the high school level.

4. Sample lessons: Crossfire Survivor and Assessing Obama

a. Crossfire Survivor Lesson

This lesson takes repeatedly throughout the Political Science and Constitutional Law course. For this lesson, students chose a current political issue to debate. They prepare outside of class for the debate, and debate in pairs, two students per class session. Figure 1 is the assignment sheet, given to students, that describes the lesson.

Figure 1: Lesson Assignment Sheet for Students

Crossfire SurvivorOutresearch -- Outdebate -- Outlast

In the tradition of the 23 year CNN political debate television program Crossfire and the popular reality television show Survivor, you will compete with your classmates in current political issues debates. Twice a week, two students will square off against each other in a topic of their choice and, with the help of the class, one will be chosen as the winning debater. The winning debater will move on to the next round. This will continue every week until there is only one "Ultimate Debater."

Match-Ups Match-ups will be chosen randomly at the start of each round. Byes will be used if there are an odd number of people at the start of each round. The student receiving the bye will be chosen randomly.

Topics Selection The two students competing will need to agree to a current topic at least two days prior to their competition date. They will also need to decide which side each one will argue. If the two students do not choose a topic, one will be chosen for them.

Topic Parameters

Topics can be any current political issue that is being discussed at any level of government (federal, state, or local) and/or in the media. When choosing a topic, the two students should attempt to pick one in which they have some disagreement. However, one student can argue a side that they do not actually support. Please avoid generalized topics such as abortion, the death penalty, etc… There must be a current, specific debate taking place about your topic. We will discuss this in detail in class.

Moderator/Role Mr. DeTample will act as the moderator and will prepare

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questions prior to the debate and ask questions during student responses. The moderator will choose the winning debater based on the scoring criteria and feedback of the class. The winning debater will be announced on the next school day.

Debate Format Each debate will last 16 minutes: 1 Minute Opening by each debater (2 minutes) Question 1 to Debater A with response (1 minute) Question 1 Rebuttal by Debater B (1 minute) Question 2 to Debater B (1 minute) Question 2 Rebuttal by Debater A (1 minute) Question 3 to Debater A with response (1 minute) Question 3 Rebuttal by Debater B (1 minute) Question 4 to Debater B (1 minute) Question 4 Rebuttal by Debater A (1 minute) Question 5 to Debater A with response (1 minute) Question 5 Rebuttal by Debater B (1 minute) Question 6 to Debater B (1 minute) Question 6 Rebuttal by Debater A (1 minute) 1 Minute Closing by each debater (2 minutes)

Audience Role Each student not competing will complete an analysis sheet during/after the debate. Part of the analysis will involve selecting the winning debater. Remember, you are judging the ability of your classmates to debate, not deciding which side of the issue you agree with.

Scoring Points1 Point - Opening1 Point - Each Question (6 Total)2 Points - Closing9 Points TotalPlease refer to the rubric for the specific scoring guidelines.

Grading/Prizes Each student will receive a grade for their participation at the end of the competition. The grades will be based on the following:

1. Points earned during your debate (up to 9 per debate);2. Weekly analysis sheets worth 5 points each.

Total Points of Project: TBA (Grade Will Be In Second Quarter)

The "Ultimate Debater" will receive a congratulatory handshake from the moderator and an additional prize to be determined later. Time permitting, the “Ultimate Debater” will go against Mr. DeTample.

In this lesson, then, students prepared to represent two different sides of a political issue and respond to questions from the teacher and to one another on the issue. The rest of the class carefully listens to the debate and evaluates the debaters using a scoring rubric. Figure 2 presents the scoring rubric used by the teacher and other students to

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judge the quality of the debating pair’s presentation. Figure 3 is the form used by the students in the class to analyze the debate and determine a winner.

Figure 2: Scoring Rubric

Scoring RubricOpenings Argument Clearly Presented (thesis);

Argument Introduced Effectively (lead);Question Response

Question Answered (not evasive); Maintaining Composure (avoid showing

anger/frustration); Use of Strong Evidence;

1. Quotes from experts and testimonials;2. Relevant Statistics (including polls);3. Correct and Relevant Factual Information (dates,

events, etc…)4. Relevant Moral Arguments.

Avoiding Weak Evidence.1. Quotes from blatantly biased individuals;2. Irrelevant statistics;3. Incorrect or irrelevant Factual Information;4. Irrelevant Moral Arguments

Question Rebuttal Rebuttal Opponents position clearly refuted; Use of evidence (see box above); "Trapping" Opponent (questioning opponent on weak or

incorrect evidence presented during Question Response); Maintaining Composure (avoid showing

anger/frustration).Original Responder Use of Evidence to Respond Effectively to Opponent's

Attack; Maintaining Composure (avoid showing

anger/frustration).Closings Argument Clearly Presented

Restatement of Your Strongest Arguments (from Question Portion);

Refuting Opponents Arguments

Following the official debate and scoring by the class, the audience will have an opportunity to question the two debaters.

Figure 3: Debate Analysis Form

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Debate Analysis Form

Your Name: Date:

Debater:Mark Winner of Each Round Debater:

Comments Comments

Openings← (1 Point)

→

Question 1← (1 Point)

→


→


→


→


→


→

Closings← (2 Points)

→

Totals

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One example of a student-chosen debate topic was “Afghanistan War - Surge or Withdraw.” Students prepared to represent each side of this debate. Mr. DeTample prepared questions both in favor of (saving Afghan lives, increasing possibility of success, increased public and presidential support) and against (cost, lack of national security interest, futility of the effort) increasing troop presence in Afghanistan.

b. Lesson 2: Foreign Policy Discussion and Activity on Judging President Obama’s First Year in Office

The next lesson I will describe is one that I observed on December 18, 2009. Students were scheduled to hold the Crossfire debate on the surge in Afghanistan described above, but one of the debaters was absent. As a consequence, I had the opportunity to observe another lesson from the foreign policy unit of the course.

This lesson began with a discussion of checks and balances in U.S. foreign policy. The teacher projected a slide on the board (see figure 4):

Figure 4: Slide from Foreign Policy Checks and Balances Discussion

Foreign Policy

Checks and balances in Foreign PolicyWar Powers ‘Act of 1973

Provisions Only sixty-day commitment of troops without declaration of war; (Who must

declare war?) All commitments reported within forty eight hours; Legislative veto to bring troops home. Unconstitutional. (See Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Chadha)

No president has acknowledged constitutionality of Act.

Mr. DeTample posed the following question to the class, “What do you think would happen if these two provisions went to the Supreme Court.” A twenty five minute discussion ensued, in which students raised points, agreed and disagreed with each other, and responded to probing and clarifying questions from the teacher.

Student: There are two things in balance. One is that the president is the commander of the armed forces, and two is that the senate has the power to declare war. It becomes a question of the definition of war, becomes a question of are these wars or military engagements. So I don’t know what the Supreme Court would say.

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Teacher: You said ‘I don’t know,’ thereby avoiding my question. What do you think the Supreme Court would say?

Student: The president’s powers are limited. Ultimately the Supreme Court would say the senate does have oversight.

The discussion continued in this manner.

Student: If you repealed the War Powers Act entirely that would send a message that the President has all the authority to use troops,” said a boy. “It would set a precedent for ridiculous action all over the world with our troops.

Teacher: So you’d say this is constitutional because it defines what it means to declare war?

Student: It depends on the definition of commitment and the definition of war.

Student: I agree with Josh, it’s a matter of opinion. You may think invading Mexico is a good idea. Others will disagree. No one will agree 100%.

Student: I like how there is a check on this. I think it is constitutional.Student: I like the way Sean said it the best. We need checks in the

legislative branch. I don’t know if this is the best way to do it, but we need to find some way to check the president.

Student: I still have a problem with the commitment thing. “Commitment” is very vague.

Student: A lot of this argument comes from the fact that the Constitution was written so long ago. They were trying to take power away from a monarch.

Teacher: Good point. When it was written, what did our military look like?

During this part of the lesson, students took most of the conversational turns with the teacher speaking to press students to explain their perspectives and to pose questions to clarify the issue.

The next activity was on evaluating U.S. President Obama’s first year in office. The teacher distributed a packet of articles written about Obama’s first year by policy experts with varied perspectives, all from the January/February 2010 issue of The American Interest (volume v, no. 3, pages 5-31), a non-partisan quarterly review of U.S. foreign policy.

Each student was assigned a different article to read. They were then to summarize the article in one sentence and write the sentence on a poster. They then came up to the front of the room one at a time, presenting their sentence, and attached their poster to the whiteboard at the front of the room on which was drawn a spectrum, with “complete failure” on the far left side and “complete success” on the far right (see figure 5).

Figure 5: Spectrum of Opinion on Obama’s First Year

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Complete CompleteFailure Success _______________________________________________________

Students took about 15 minutes to read their articles and construct the sentence-long summaries. They then came up to present their sentences and place them on the spectrum.

Student: My author says Obama is a complete failure in domestic policy, that he has divided the nation. He thinks his foreign policy is sucking up to hostile nations.

The student placed his poster on the far left of the spectrum, beneath “complete failure.”

Student: Obama came into office with great ideas, has gotten somewhere, but not where we expected him to be.

The student placed her poster in the middle of the spectrum.The activity continued in this manner, until each of the students had come up to

the front of the class, presented the opinion of their assigned article, and posted their poster on the spectrum. In the end the spectrum seems slightly weighted towards the “complete failure” end, but with a range of opinions across the board. The teacher wrapped up the discussion by asking “Is this fair? Is this fair to be evaluating the success or failure of the president 11 months into his administration?” Students discussed this question, generally agreeing that it was fair to evaluate the president at this point.

5. Analysis

This course and lessons are an example of a disciplinary approach to citizenship education. With such an approach, students can engage directly and intensively with the study of government at all levels, examine U.S. policy in depth, and consider the rights, obligations and roles of citizens. With this disciplinary approach, students address the topic of citizenship though the lens of political science, learning the tools and frameworks of the discipline to analyze events and issues. Figure 6 examines the NJ standards citizenship objectives in relation to the course.

Figure 6: The course in relation to NJ Standards

NJ Standards Related to Citizenship Political Science and Con. Law CourseIs civic minded, globally aware, and socially responsible.

Global awareness shown in analysis of war in Afghanistan, analysis of Obama’s first year in office

Exemplifies fundamental values of American citizenship through active participation in

Course highlights local governance and promotes detailed knowledge of all levels

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local and global communities. of government; does not focus on actionMakes informed decisions about local, state, national, and global events based on inquiry and analysis.

In-depth pursuit of understanding on key, current civic issues


Debate emphasizes multiple perspectives, activity on Obama’s first year also designed to reveal varied perspectives

There are several other notable features of this approach:

Perspective: These lessons emphasize the notion of perspective; that different actors hold different perspectives on the same issue and that people operate from particular perspectives when expressing their views. Texts are read critically to identify perspective.

Expression: These lessons emphasize the students’ ability to express himself or herself clearly on complex issues. The teacher pushes students to clarify their perspectives when they are vague. Students must speak frequently in front of their classmates.

Listening: Students are expected to listen to each other and build upon, critique, and engage with each others’ comments.

Evidence: Students are expected to provide evidence for their views from texts and research.

Controversy: Engagement with controversial issues is promoted rather than avoided. Lessons are structured to encourage direct engagement with different sides of an issue. Students are allowed to state their own views. Students are not expected to come to agreement, to agree with a particular position, or to avoid conflict.

Current: Class topics revolve around issues that are of current import. Historical topics are studied only in relation to a current event or issue or general political science concept.

Enduring questions: Students engage with enduring civic questions, such as “Who has the power to declare war?”

Civic “fundamentals”: Students engage with fundamental aspects of civic knowledge in relation to dynamic issues, such as discussing the Constitution in relation to the constitutionality of the War Powers Act. Civic “fundamentals” are seen as

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interpretable and changeable rather than static. Law is presented as evolving, government decisions are seen as contested and reinterpretable over time.

This disciplinary approach allows students to develop a sophisticated approach to the study of government, politics and citizenship. Students are not limited to memorizing facts about the U.S. political system, but rather learn about all levels and aspects of the system through interactive practices that emphasize expression, interpretation, analysis and engagement with controversial and current topics. In these ways, the course connects directly to the goals of citizenship education expressed in state and professional standards.

B. An integrated approach: U.S. History II with Ms. Blevins at Edison High School

1. School and community context: Edison and Edison High School

Edison New Jersey is a town of roughly 100,000 which has experienced rapid growth in the past 10 years. A suburban, bedroom community, Edison’s population is racially and ethnically diverse, with a population that in the 2000 census was 55% white, 6.9% African American, 27% Asian American (including south and east Asian), and 6.4% Latino. The town has the highest concentration of (Asian) Indian heritages residents in the United State, with 17.75% of Edison residents identifying themselves as being Indian American.

Edison High School, one of two comprehensive high schools in Edison, is located in the southern region of the town and serves a less affluent slice of the Edison population than the town’s second high school in the north. Edison High school’s population of almost 2,000 students is 48% white, 27% Asian American (including students whose families come from many different national backgrounds - Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, etc…), 13% Latino (again, with considerable within-group diversity) and 12% African American. Although the township is affluent, with median household income of $80,581, 14% of Edison High students qualified for the free/reduced lunch program.

Table 4: Edison High School

Edison High SchoolNumber of students 1,997Race/ethnicity African American Asian American Latino White

12% (17% statewide)27% ( 8% statewide)13% (19% statewide)48% (55% statewide)

LEP6 Students Language not English spoken at

2.2% 42.4%

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homeFree/reduced lunch eligible7 14%Performance on statewide exam Language Arts Literacy

Partial 6% Proficient 74.5% Advanced 19.4%Mathematics Partial 13.7% Proficient 59% Advanced 27.2%

SAT Results taking test 384Math 533Critical Reading 500 Writing 496



4-year college 49.2%2-year college 39.6%Other educ. 2.5%Military 1%Work 2.5%Undecided 5.2%

2. Social studies at Edison High School

The Edison High School social studies department does not have any stated philosophy or goals. Course offerings are somewhat limited in comparison with the other two schools in the report, although perhaps typical of U.S. high schools in general. In ninth grade, students must take either World History Honors or World History Level 1 or Level 2. In tenth grade, students must take U.S. History I, with the same three level options. In eleventh grade students must take U.S. History II, and have an additional advanced placement level option. One semester of Economics is required. Electives include A.P. American Government, A.P. European History, Youth and the Law, Sociology, Psychology, and Current World Issues.

3. The course8: Thematic United States History

U.S. History II, as taught by Ms. Jennifer Blevins, differs substantially from a traditional U.S. History course, even those taught by other teachers at Edison High School. In the U.S. high schools, U.S. History is usually taught chronologically, with an

6 Limited English Proficient7 This is a common measure of income. Students whose families earn 130% or less than the poverty level (28,665 for a family of four) are eligible for free lunch. Students whose families earn between 130% and 180% of the poverty level ($40,793 for a family of four) can receive reduced price lunch.8 The course described in this section of the report was developed by Ms. Blevins, in conjunction with a research team based at Rutgers University. The approach is described in Beth C. Rubin (forthcoming). Youth civic identity in the U.S. History course. Social Education. My thanks to Jennifer Blevins for sharing her lesson with me and allowing me to witness it in action.

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emphasis on political history. As a member of a research team working on a redesign of the traditional U.S. History II course to incorporate meaningful civic learning, Ms. Blevins developed a thematic approach to U.S. History II that emphasizes large civic questions that connect history to current issues and to students’ own lives.

Ms. Blevins’ approach to U.S. II is based upon four design principles, described below in figure 79:

Figure 7: Design Principles for Transforming Civic Learning in Diverse Social Studies Classrooms

1. Civic education should build upon students’ own experiences with civic life, including daily experiences with civic institutions (e.g. schools, police),

2. Civic education should provide opportunities for students to consider and discuss key issues and controversies in civic life,

3. Civic education should build students’ discussion, analysis, critique and research skills,

4. Civic education should build students’ knowledge of their rights and responsibilities as citizens in a way that connects directly to their own concerns.

Based upon these principles, Ms. Blevins participated in the redesign of the U.S. II course, and piloted the new approach in the 2007-2008 academic year. She is now in her third year of using and refining the approach. Figure 8 describes the organization of Ms. Blevins’ U.S. II curriculum, the thematic units, essential questions, and related content that comprise the course. Figure 9 describes the civic skill building strands that run throughout the curriculum.

Figure 8: Curriculum Grid for Thematic U.S. History II

Theme Government Economics Conflict and Resolution

Movement of People

Social Change

Overarching Question

WHAT IS AN AMERICAN?

Essential Questions

What purpose does government serve?What is a good American citizen?Am I a good American citizen?

What do Americans owe each other?Why are some rich and some poor?Is the American economy fair?

What is America’s role in the world?Why does the U.S go to war? When should it?Can nations cooperate?

Who is an American? Why do people come to America?How do different groups define their American identities?

Are all Americans equal?How do Americans make social change?Who has the power to make change? Do you?What forces shape society?

9 These principles were first suggested in Beth C. Rubin (2006). Aware, complacent, discouraged, empowered: Diverse students’ civic identities. Social Studies Research and Practice, v. 1 n.2, 223-232.

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Content(not inclusive)

Branches of governmentNature of democracyFederal system Political ideology Bureaucracy, institutionsElectoral politicsCivic participation

Capitalism: stock Market, Great Depression, IndustrializationRole of governmentEconomic reformsWorld economyPersonal economics

Race/Civil rights movementLatino rights movementGender/Women’s rights movementSocial protest

ImmigrationMigration: Native Americans, African Americans, Japanese internment, Puerto RicansContemporary challenges: Deurbanization, suburban- ization, gentrification, globalization

Race/Civil rights movementLatino rights movementGender/Women’s rights movementSocial protest

Figure 9: Skill Building Strands

Strand Discussion Writing and Expression

Civic Action Research

Current Events

Civic Fundamentals

Activities SeminarTake-a-StandStructured Conversation

Social studies journalsPersuasive Letter Persuasive SpeechNewscastFive Paragraph Essay

Problem identificationResearchSolutionsPresentation

As related to themesConnected to questionsConnected to election

GovernmentCitizenshipJustice

Purpose Develop discussion and listening skills, ability to analyze and present a well-supported opinion on a controversial issue.

Develop skills of written and oral expression, ability to work alone or in a group to prepare/present.

Develop ability to investigate public issues and concerns using primary and secondary sources, to develop a plan for action.

To weave students’ consideration of current events into themes, events and questions under study.

To weave students’ exposure to civic fundamentals into the themes, events and questions under study.

This approach to United States history is a departure from way the course is traditionally taught. By intentionally placing civic goals at the center of the curricular and instructional design, Ms. Blevins’ version of U.S. II represents an attempt to integrate citizenship education into the very fabric of the course.

4. The lesson: Deliberation on U.S. policy in Afghanistan

This lesson took place during the “Conflict and Resolution” theme of Ms. Blevins’ U.S. History II course. The essential question, “When should the U.S. go to war?” was central to the theme and discussed in relation to each conflict the students learned about. Prior to the lesson (which focused on the current conflict in Afghanistan),

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students had learned about previous conflicts, including World Wars I and II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, and the war in Iraq.

In this lesson10, students learned about, deliberated on, and finally took positions on U.S. policy in Afghanistan over the course of two class periods. During the first day, students discussed what they knew about Afghanistan and filled out a “KWL” chart (see figure 10), a common instructional tool in the United States in which students identify what they “know,” what they “want to know” and then, after the lesson ends, what they “learned.”

Figure 10: Afghanistan KWL Chart

Afghanistan - KWL

KWhat we know

WWhat we want to know

LWhat we learned

Summary of the situation in Afghanistan

Students filled out the first two columns of the chart in class on the first day and learned about three options for U.S. policy in Afghanistan: 1) launch a counterinsurgency against the Taliban in Afghanistan; 2) use counterterrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan to fight Al Qaeda, not the Taliban; 3) support a regional approach to the problem of Afghanistan and withdraw our troops.

For each option, students received a handout describing the option, outlining the beliefs and assumptions underlying the options, and raising questions for students to consider. Students then prepared at home for the next day’s deliberation by finishing the 10 Ms. Blevins constructed this lesson using materials from the Choices for the 21st Century Education Program of the Watson Institute for International Studies at Brown University, www.choices.edu.

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questions and watching President Obama’s December 1, 2009 speech on U.S. policy in Afghanistan, reading a New York Times article on the policy, and blogging on the issues.

During the second day of the lesson (which I witnessed), students deliberated on the three options, then took part in a “take-a-stand” activity in which they expressed their own perspectives on the issue. At the beginning of class, Ms. Blevins instructed the students to move into three groups, each group representing one of the three options they had studied the previous night. Students moved quickly into their groups, each group containing 6-8 students. The teacher then instructed the groups to form a circle and go through together the questions they had answered at home individually, giving them five minutes to do so.

After this preparation period, the Ms. Blevins then asked the students to move into three lines, each representing a different option. She then asked for a volunteer from each group to present the option, and told the class that after these opening statements they would then open up the floor to debate. “Remember,” she told the students, “you are representing your [assigned] option, and at the end of class you’ll have a chance to express your own opinion.

The deliberation then began, with many students participating and no teacher intervention. A portion of the conversation is presented below.

Option 1 student: This option is officially called “launching a counterinsurgency against the Taliban. The Taliban is a cancer. If you only take out Al Qaeda but leave the Taliban, the Taliban will come back.

Option 2 student: Use counterterrorism to defeat Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan. It’s Al Qaeda that’s the big threat. The Taliban is not a big threat. We drove them out in 2001. They are not the root of the problem, Al Qaeda is, and we should just go after Al Qaeda.

Option 3 student: We support a regional approach to the problem; we should pull our troops out. Those countries in the region are in a better position to solve the problem. This war is costing us numerous lives, making a big deficit, costing massive amounts of money. We should remove our troops. There will be fewer causalities and we can focus more on homeland security and bring home the troops. We need the countries around the region to encourage Afghanistan to be more democratic. We don’t want to pressure them ourselves, it goes against democracy.

Option 1 Student: Don’t you feel if you withdraw we’ll be back where we were before?

Option 3 Student: We want to enforce democratic rule, but not with troops.

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Option 1 Student: How, if you are pulling out all troops?

Option 3 Student; That’s why we’re encouraging regional help.

Option 1 Student: What if they don’t?

Option 2 Student: If you take your hands off, won’t Al Qaeda and the Taliban feel powerful again, and they’ll go back to running the country?

Option 3 Student: How much of Al Qaeda is actually in Afghanistan? It’s more important to focus on our national security.

Option 2 Student: If we pull out we’ll be sacrificing our security.

Option 1 Student: With increased troops they aren’t all necessarily going to be fighting. There is safety in numbers.

Option 3 Student: Why risk their lives?

Option 1 Student: If you don’t want to risk your life, don’t be in the army.

Option 1 Student: If you have an ant problem or a roach problem in you house, you would want to kill all of your roaches, not leave some.

Option 3 Student: How do you know if you have them all?

Option 1 Student: If you take away their bases you take away the grip they have on the citizens.

Option 3 Student: We’re going to have more than 30,000 soldiers there, and we still haven’t beat the Taliban. We haven’t found all of the terrorists there. Think about the cost put into fighting.

Option 1 Student: Don’t you want to get rid of those who attacked us on 9/11?

Option 3 Student: We’ve been there for 8 years already, what have we accomplished?

Option 1 Student: They have a democracy now.

Option 3 Student: We forced the democracy on them.

Option 1 Student: We forced it on them because there were people there who wanted it.

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Option 2 Student: We need to demand more cooperation from Pakistan. There are at most 100 members of Al Qaeda in Afganistan. Most are in Pakistan. We need more cooperation from Pakistan to defeat Al Qaeda forces that are mostly in Pakistan.

Option 3 Student: If we leave Afghanistan we’ll still be in Pakistan. We can still try to get cooperation from Pakistan. We’re not even sure if Pakistan is firmly on our side.

After about 25 minutes of this exchange the Ms. Blevins seamlessly segued into the next activity, a Take-a-Stand11 on the issue.

Teacher: Yield! President Obama was correct in sending 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan. That side [pointing to the right hand side of the room] is ‘YES,’ the other side [pointing to the opposite side] is ‘NO.’

The words “YES” and “NO” were written on opposite sides of the whiteboard at the front of the room.

Teacher: Those in the middle, you have four comments and then you have to choose a side.

Without hesitation all of the students stand up and move to different positions in the room. Ten are standing by the YES side, six by the NO side and four are in the middle. They begin to discuss.

“Yes” student: I agree he did the right thing. He’s thinking more about our security than about his popularity.

“No” student: Why? Why did he have to send more over there? Why not leave the same amount?

The discussion continues, with many different students speaking. Throughout the discussion students shift sides as their opinions change, and the students sitting in the middle move to one side or the other. After several minutes the teacher changes the statement.

Teacher: Yield! Terrorism is the biggest threat to our national security.

11 A Take-a-Stand is a classroom activity in which students must physically “take-a-stand” on a statement, moving to the side of the room which best represents their stance on an issue (agree/disagree or yes/no). Some students may choose to stand in the middle. Students then speak to explain their positioning and move positions as their opinions shift.

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The students move to the different sides of the room, ten standing by the “yes” side, three by the “no” side and six in the middle.

“Yes” student: What else is a possible threat?

“No” student: There are lots of countries that don’t like us and have the capacity of building nuclear weapons. That’s more of a threat than terrorism.

The conversation continues for several minutes. Eventually there are eight students on the “no” side and eleven on the “yes” side. The teacher changes the statement.

Teacher: Yield! Pakistan is our ally.

The students again move around the room, taking stands on this statement. Two students are by the “yes” side, twelve stand by “no” and five are in the middle.

“No” student: If they were our ally wouldn’t they let us come in and search for Al Qaeda?

“Yes” student: Name one of our closest allies. [someone shouts “Britain”] OK, would Britain just let us come in and search for Al Qaeda?

The discussion continues, again with many students speaking and students moving sides throughout. Maria, a student from a Pakistani family, has the final comment, saying “I think terrorists are ruining lives in Pakistan, killing innocent people. People I even know, they died because of terrorist bombing there.”

Ms. Blevins tells the class to “yield to Maria’s last comment,” and then asks them to “assess what we know about the war with our six criteria, our six reasons for war to start. The students begin to discuss the war in Afghanistan in relation to the six criteria they previously developed (power, land, misunderstandings, disagreement, discrimination and attack), but the period ends before they can spend too long on this.

5. Analysis

This course and lesson are an example of how United States history can be studied in a way that integrates ongoing civic issues and current events. Although it was in the first half of the academic year in a United States history course, when, in a traditional course, students would be strictly engaged in the study of past events, students were actively researching and discussing a current issue, the United States’ involvement in Afghanistan. By using a thematicized curriculum that linked together related events from different time periods and essential questions that engaged students in discussion of enduring civic dilemmas (i.e. When should the U.S. go to war?) the citizenship aims of the NJ standards were realized within a history course. Figure 11 below describes the course in relation to the NJ standards related to citizenship.

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Figure 11: The Course in Relation to NJ Standards

NJ Standards Related to Citizenship Thematic U.S. II CourseIs civic minded, globally aware, and socially responsible.

Global awareness shown in deliberation on war in Afghanistan, emphasis on big questions “When should the U.S. go to war,” “What is the role of the U.S. in the world?”


Course examines social movements and big questions related to social change; does not focus on actual action

Makes informed decisions about local, state, national, and global events based on inquiry and analysis.

In-depth pursuit of understanding on key, current civic issues and global events


Deliberation emphasizes multiple perspectives

Similar to Mr. DeTample’s class at Hunterdon Central High School, this course promoted expression, use of evidence, active listening, engagement with controversy, understanding perspective, encouragement of varied opinions. Even more so than the HCRHS class, this course built the consideration of enduring, “essential” questions into the very fabric of each lesson. In the showcased lesson, for example, students returned to the semester question “When does the U.S. go to war?”, as they did periodically throughout the unit, to relate the current topic of study to that question.

This integrated approach to civic education differed from the disciplinary approach in that civic learning was integrated into a U.S. history course. Students studied key historical themes and events, with large civic questions (e.g. What is an American?) and civic skills (e.g. discussion) integrated throughout. Students in this course spent far less time studying political institutions, civic “fundamentals” (such as the Constitution) and the mechanics of government than did students in Mr. DeTample’s political science course; the demands of pairing civic learning with history study did not allow for in depth study of government. The study of U.S. history, however, was enlivened and made more relevant by the civic framing of the course.

C. A small learning community approach in the Civics and Government Institute at Montclair High School

1. School and community context: Montclair and Montclair High School

Montclair, New Jersey is a town of around 40,000 residents located in northern New Jersey. An affluent community, the median household income in the township was

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estimated at $92,000 in 2007, although 5.6% of the population was below the poverty line. Montclair High School serves students from diverse economic and racial backgrounds. Montclair High School has a more polarized spectrum of wealth than the other two schools, with both affluent and lower income students.

Table 5: Montclair High School

Montclair High SchoolNumber of students 1,655Race/ethnicity African American Asian American Latino White

47% (17% statewide)4% (8% statewide)5% (19% statewide)43% (55% statewide)

LEP12 Students Language not English spoken at home

1.34%

Free/reduced lunch eligible13 17%Performance on statewide exam Language Arts Literacy

Partial 17.5% Proficient 64.2% Advanced 18.3%Mathematics Partial 32.2% Proficient 42.7% Advanced 25.1%

SAT Results 87% taking testMath 522Verbal 523



4-year college 80%2-year college 12%Other educ. 1.9%Military 1%Work 4.6%

2. Social studies at Montclair High School

The Social Studies department at Montclair High School provides a variety of course opportunities to students. According to the departmental description,

The Social Studies faculty place an emphasis on best practices, including project-based learning, authentic assessments, interdisciplinary instruction and the use of technology. Students are encouraged to engage in problem solving methods and

12 Limited English Proficient13 This is a common measure of income. Students whose families earn 130% or less than the poverty level (28,665 for a family of four) are eligible for free lunch. Students whose families earn between 130% and 180% of the poverty level ($40,793 for a family of four) can receive reduced price lunch.

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decision making activities that will provide them with the tools to address the complex issues they will face in the future. An emphasis is placed on differentiated instruction, where students in select courses may take courses for honors or high honors credit.

Examination of course offerings bears this out. Students have a variety of options, but offerings are designed to reduce stratification among the student body while allowing students to challenge themselves.

Ninth grade students at the school take Global studies, a course designed to “introduce students to the complexities of our inter-related and inter-dependent world.”U.S. History I is required in tenth grade and U.S. History II is required in eleventh. Elective offerings include: Pop Culture in American History, History of American Foreign Policy, Social Change in American History, History of American Law and Politics, Modern European History, African American History, Cultural Pluralism, Law I, Law II, Analysis of Monetary Policy, Macroeconomics, Economics, and Issues of Globalization.

The department reflects the varied interests of a passionate and well-educated staff who have been allowed to develop and offer courses in accordance with their own knowledge and interest. It also expresses the progressive orientation and value on racial and cultural diversity expressed by many town citizens.

3. Small learning community: The Civics and Government Institute14 at Montclair High School

Students at Montclair High School have the option of choosing a “small learning community,” a smaller school within the high school, to spend a portion of the school day. The Civics and Government Institute (CGI) is one such option. The social studies department guide describes CGI in the following way:

Founded in 1997, the Civics & Government Institute (CGI) is a small learning community within the walls of Montclair High School which focuses on the study of citizenship, government, and social issues. Students who choose to join the Institute in their sophomore year participate in student-run government, debates, elective courses, international relations, and community service partnerships, US History and British and American Literature. This constitutes three periods of the students’ day, while they leave the Institute for he remainder of their academic requirements. Throughout their three years in the Institute, students are given many opportunities to develop leadership skills to be used during their years at MHS and in the future.

Started with four teachers and forty students in 1997, CGI has become a popular option at Montclair High School, growing to its current size of 230 students and nine teachers. 14 CGI was developed and is led by an outstanding group of teachers. I especially want to thank CGI social studies teacher Shana Stein, who welcomed me into her classroom and answered all of my questions, lead teachers Andrea McCarthy and Tom Manos, who allowed me to make repeated visits to the Institute, and founding teacher Dennis Murray, who shared CGI history with me.

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The CGI mission statement, found on the Institute’s website http://www.civicsandgovernment.com, states that:

CGI has as its primary mission the instilling of civic values in its student body. The Institute has two primary purposes: to help students realize their potential and to educate them so that they may contribute to society as worthy citizens in the home, the school, and the community.

CGI students have a voice in the government of their Institute through department work, student government, and event planning.

Students, individually and collectively, are the focus of the Institute. It is the intention of the Civics and Government Institute to:

Prepare students to participate in a democratic society and fulfill the responsibilities of citizenship.

Provide students with the skills that will encourage them to form attitudes which will help them achieve their fullest potentially academically, socially, and emotionally.

Provide them with a basic set of values which they can use as a foundation for their own personal growth.

Impart to students the ability to perceive and adjust to change in our society, the ability to realize the value of diversity and the need to treat individuals in a humane and equitable manner.

This report will describe how this mission in instantiated in the day-to-day operation of CGI.

Students participating in CGI spend three periods a day in the Institute: history, English and a special CGI period. During the CGI period,

Utilizing the theory of the democratic classroom, students engage in self-directed department activities and a student-run Congress, which operate under a student-written Constitution. Students practice debating skills on a variety of local, national, and international issues, becoming familiar with parliamentary procedure.

On Mondays during the CGI period students meet in departments (Global Action, National Action, Internal Affairs, Media, Arts, Finance, Environment, Special Programs, and Education) and draft resolutions related to the mission of their department. On Tuesdays during the CGI period, students discuss, debate and vote on which resolutions to bring to the whole Congress. On Wednesdays the entire Congress meets, all 230 students, to deliberate and vote on resolutions.

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http://www.civicsandgovernment.com/

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4. CGI Moments

As a small learning community devoted to civics and government, citizenship education takes place throughout CGI students’ day-to-day experiences in the Institute. This section will spotlight three distinct moments.

a. The Department of National Action: Discussing a resolution on a Tuesday

On Tuesdays during the “CGI period,” students meet in their departments to discuss, debate and vote on resolutions. I observed the Department of National Action, with teacher Shana Stein. Before they began the day’s business - discussing and voting on student-drafted resolutions - a student came in from another department to make an announcement.

Ms. Stein: John, from the Department of Global Action, has been working on a rails to trails15 initiative and wanted to talk to you about the letter writing campaign.

John: Some of you might be interested in writing a letter. You can write a small letter expressing your opinion to the railroad. I have an outline. It’s easy. Handwrite it and give it to Ms. Stein. I have an outline of what to do.

Ms. Stein: Can you put it up on the CGI website? Should they email it to Julie and Lucas?

John: You can email me. It may be better if you handwrite them, so it doesn’t look like it is one middle aged guy at his computer 24/7 pretending he’s a student.

Ms. Stein then directed the class to begin working on the resolutions for the day. There are four resolutions to go through. She asked for volunteers to chair the session. Two seniors volunteered, and she asked for a tenth grader to volunteer. The CGI period has students from all three grades - tenth, eleventh and twelfth - so as to apprentice the younger students into the procedures and values of the Institute. One senior stepped down so a tenth grader (Sarah) could have a chance to chair with the remaining senior (Jeff).

Jeff: Decorum, decorum. Any points or motions?

Sarah put a motion up on the board, using an overhead projector. Jeff used a cell phone to time each speaker, and discussion ensued over the resolution, which had to do with bridge safety. Students debated and ultimately defeated the bill. They then discussed a bill having to do with making a particular section of road in the town into a no parking zone. The students used parliamentary procedure to discuss each resolution, voting on

15 “Rails-to-trails” are unused train tracks that are rehabilitated for use as bike paths.

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whether the discussion would be a “moderated” or “unmoderated” caucus, and on how long each speaker should have to speak. Students learned parliamentary procedure in a special course during their first semester in the Institute.

b. A Human Rights Symposium organized by Department of Global Action.

On December 8, 2009 the entire Institute gathered for a Human Rights Symposium organized by the Department of Global Action. The symposium brochure, produced by the student organizers, read: Why human rights?

It is acknowledged by the vast majority of the world that there are certain rights that humans have, just because they are human, and even through nearly everybody believes in these rights they are being widely violated. This symposium is meant to bring more awareness to human rights violations as a whole, and to instill insight to the viewer so that the viewer may be moved to do something about these issues. We will have multiple speakers and presentations to inform you of the different rights violations. We urge you to get involved by donating money, volunteering and helping to spread awareness, just like through this symposium.

The symposium included an activist from Rwanda speaking about the Rwandan genocide and post-genocide peace building, the deputy vice president of the International Rescue Committee, an exchange student from Gaza, a teacher speaking about arriving in the United States as a refugee, and a retired businessman speaking about global challenges and solutions.

c. Whole Congress debate on new CGI constitution

On December 9, 2009, all CGI students met as a body to discuss and debate a proposed new Constitution for the Institute. Figure 12 presents an excerpt from the CGI Constitution. This Constitutional Convention was an ongoing process, taking place over the course of several weeks during the Wednesday Institute meeting during the CGI period.

During meetings of the entire Institute, students use parliamentary procedure. Students serving as sergeants-at-arms are positioned in the aisles and call “decorum!” when they hear out of order comments or chatter. During the session I attended, students were debating changing the current tricameral structure of the legislature (house, senate and council) to a bicameral (house and senate) one. The debate lasted for over 30 minutes, with students articulately debating the merits of each set-up. Eventually the motions carried.

Figure 12: Except from the CGI Constitution

The Constitution of the Civics and Government Institute

We the students of the Civics and Government Institute in order to further our

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understanding of the process of government, the experience of producing legistlateion, and the dynamics of politics, do hereby ordain and establish this Constitution of the Civics and Government Institute. We acknowledge that the students of the Civics and Government Institute have come together to form a student-driven government. It is the duty of this Institute to provide that government and to educate its students in the business of government. The students of the Civics and Government Institute hereby pledge to uphold the mission and laws of the Civics and Government Institute.

Article IStructure of Government

Section OneA government is hereby established with three distinct branches: Executive, Legislative and Judicial. No member holding a position in one branch may hold a position in any other branch. It is the duty of the Legislative Branch to create law that ensures the goals of the Civics and Government Institute (hereafter referred to as CGI) are attained. It is the duty of the Executive Branch to ensure the execution of the laws of CGI. It is the duty of the Judicial Branch to interpret legislation and conduct trials in the Ethics Court.*

* This document continues for seven pages and includes five articles - The Legislature, The Executive, The Judiciary, Maintenance of the Constitution - and three amendments. See http://www.civicsandgovernment.com/constitution.php for complete text.

5. Analysis

This small learning community is an example of how citizenship education aims can be met through a student-run a government and promotes debate on current local, national and global issues. The Civics and Government Institute at Montclair High School approaches citizenship education by engaging students actively in legislative and other governmental processes. Students experience first-hand how government works. As part of CGI requirements, students research and participate in discussion and debate on a panoply of civic issues. Figure 13 describes how CGI addresses the goals of the NJ standards in relation to citizenship.

Figure 13: The Civics and Government Institute in Relation to the NJ Standards for Citizenship

NJ Standards Related to Citizenship Civics and Government InstituteIs civic minded, globally aware, and socially responsible.

Global awareness shown in Human Rights Symposium, Global Action department; social responsibility shown in students’ participation in various community service projects


Daily enactment of government processes; promotion of active citizenship through resolutions and

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http://www.civicsandgovernment.com/constitution.php


community servicesMakes informed decisions about local, state, national, and global events based on inquiry and analysis.

Decision-making on local, state, national and global levels through resolution process


Multiple perspectives considered during legislative debate and activities

Students in the Civics and Government Institute at Montclair High School experience some features of civic education similar to those found in the other two examples in this report. CGI emphasized expression, active listening, discussion of varied opinions, and current topics.

CGI differed from the other two examples in several ways. The emphasis on actual enactment of government processes was a unique feature of CGI; in the Institute, students lived these processes rather than studying them. Daily they experienced the frustrations, setbacks, gains, and excitement of participating in the legislative process. CGI also differed by it’s student-run nature - during the CGI period on Tuesdays and Wednesdays students took primary responsibility for running class sessions. Finally, the emphasis on action distinguished CGI from the other two examples, with students working continually on projects that were meant to have a direct impact on the world outside of the classroom (e.g. petitions, human rights symposium).

V. Conclusion

This report described three different examples of how state and professional standards for civics and citizenship education in the United States can be met. A disciplinary approach addresses civic learning through in-depth study of politics and government. An approach integrating civic learning into the study of United States history addresses civic education goals by organizing historical content along key civic themes, questions and skills. A small learning community approach allows students to enact the processes of government and engage actively with civic issues beyond the classroom. All three of these approaches emphasize expression, active listening, engaging with controversy, use of evidence, current issues, and analyzing for perspective.

It is striking how the civic goals expressed in state and professional standards can be met in such varied manners. Each of these three quite different approaches, in its own way, is an exemplary example of how the relevant standards for civic education can be met in ways that engage young people in exciting, relevant learning. It is also striking, however, how non-pervasive these approaches are in New Jersey social studies classrooms, and in U.S. schools, in general. Despite the ability of schools to meet civic learning goals in varied ways, active and engaged civic learning such as was described in this report is not taking place in a systematic way within U.S. schools.

Indeed, even within the schools described within this report there is great variation in students’ civic learning experiences:

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At Hunterdon Central High School, Political Science and Constitutional Law is an elective course - students can graduate without ever having taken a course directly related to civic education.

At Edison High School, Ms. Blevins is the only teacher who is teaching U.S. history in the integrated fashion described in this report. Students not in her class take a chronological version of the course that does not foreground civic themes, questions or skills, and again, there is no required civics and government course at the school to directly address civic learning.

At Montclair High School, 230 students elect to participate in CGI. Other students are not required to take a course that directly addresses the state’s civic education standards.

Thus while the decentralized, non-standardized nature of civic education in the United States gives rise to outstanding practices, such as those described in this report, there are also many students who receive little civic education, or poor quality civic education that does not meet the goals of active, engaged, global citizenship described in state and professional standards. Moreover, high quality citizenship education is unequally distributed, with schools in higher income settings more likely to have engaging options for their students.

The challenge for those concerned with civic learning in the United States is to preserve the vibrancy of successful approaches, such as those described in this report, while extending them to more settings. Fueled by inspired and dedicated teachers, such approaches are the exception rather than the rule, but, as this report indicates, they can cultivate active, articulate, globally aware citizens that are envisioned by state and professional standards and needed for a complex, interconnected and changing world.

References

Center for Civic Education. National Standards for Civics and Government. http://www.civiced.org/index.php?page=stds

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http://www.civiced.org/index.php?page=stds


Civics and Government Institute of Montclair High School, http://www.civicsandgovernment.com/

Council for Economic Education. National Content Standards in Economics. http://www.councilforeconed.org/ea/standards/

DeTample, Darrell. (2007). Hunterdon Central Regional High School. Political Science and Constitutional Law Content Outline.

DeTample, Darrell. (2007) Hunterdon Central Regional High School. Political Science and Constitutional Law Curriculum Objectives.

Hunterdon Central Social Studies Department, Hunterdon Central Regional High School. Department Philosophy; downloaded from http://central.hcrhs.k12.nj.us/socialstudies/ on December 21, 2009.

Montclair High School Social Studies Department, Montclair High School. Department Philosophy.

National Center for History in the Schools. (1996). National Standards for History. http://nchs.ucla.edu/standards/

National Council for the Social Studies. A Vision of Powerful Teaching and Learning in the Social Studies: Building Social Understanding and Civic Efficacy; A Position Statement of National Council for the Social Studies; downloaded from http://www.socialstudies.org/positions/powerful on December 21, 2009.

National Council for the Social Studies. (1994). Expectations of Excellence: Curriculum Standards for Social Studies. (Silver Spring, MD: NCSS).

Public Schools of Edison Township. Program of Studies, Grades 9-12, 2009-10. Downloaded from http://www.edisonpublicschools.org/Curriculum/CurriculumPage.htm on January 5, 2010.

State of New Jersey, Department of Education. 2009 Core Curriculum Content Standards. New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards for Social Studies; downloaded from http://www.state.nj.us/education/cccs/2009/final.htm on January 5, 2010.

State of New Jersey, Department of Education, School Report Card, http://education.state.nj.us/rc/

U.S. Department of Education. Institute of Education Sciences. National Center for Education Statistics. National Assessment of Educational Progress. http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/

U.S. Department of Education. No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/index.html

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http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/index.html

http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/

http://education.state.nj.us/rc/

http://www.state.nj.us/education/cccs/2009/final.htm

http://www.edisonpublicschools.org/Curriculum/CurriculumPage.htm

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http://central.hcrhs.k12.nj.us/socialstudies/

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