The Revival of Civic Learning
A Rationale for Citizenship Education in American Schools
Description:... The ideal of good citizenship is examined in light of current social and political unrest brought about, at least in part, by the agitation of special interest groups. Emphasis is placed on the role of citizenship education in the schools. The monograph is intended particularly for educators who want to improve citizenship education programs. The document is presented in five chapters. Chapter one identifies the major citizenship education challenge of the 1980s as the conflict between privatism in politics (due to a deterioration of national trust in the political system) and pluralism in education (resulting from attitudes that glorified doing one's own thing and from the belief that authority for education should rest primarily with the diverse pluralistic communities in American society). Chapter two contrasts ideas of citizenship in modern democratic societies and in Greco-Roman republics. Chapter three presents an historical perspective on citizenship education in the United States from the 1770s to the 1970s. Chapter four identifies major approaches to reform of civic education, including academic disciplines (particularly, history and sociology), law related education, social problems, critical thinking, values education, moral development, community involvement, and institutional school reform. The final chapter offers suggestions for improving citizenship education programs, including incorporating political values, political knowledge, and the skills of political participation into the curriculum; encouraging common understanding of and commitment to democratic values; and encouraging student understanding of citizenship concepts such as justice, freedom, equality, diversity, authority, privacy, due process, participation, and international human rights. (DB)
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