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Todd Clark

Rebuilding a Strong Democracy

Rebuilding a Strong Democracy

What, or who influenced your attitudes toward becoming involved in civic life?  In asking that question of many people over the years, I have always been astonished that virtually no one remembers a teacher or a school experience.  My most vivid memory involved my father and his commitment to civic action.  Other’s memories may involve the 4-H or the Y, raising money door-to-door for an important cause, or running in a 10K to help obliterate a dread disease.  How about you, what memories come to mind?   Although few of us think of school as the place that caused us to become involved in our communities, it should be a more important source of inspiration.  What can we do to change that? 

Unfortunately, even though our nation created public education to prepare young people to be effective citizens, as educators, we rarely think about that goal or talk about how to achieve that end.  Recently, there has been growing attention given to preparing youth for civic engagement.

The Civic Mission of Schools report published by The Carnegie Corporation of New York and CIRCLE, a research center at the University of Maryland, looks at that issue.  Scholars and practitioners were asked to identify research and present ideas that can help strengthen current practice regarding this important, but largely overlooked aspect of schooling in America. If you haven’t seen it, the report is available on the Carnegie website: www.carnegie.org and on the sites listed below.

The report identified six promising approaches supported by research which, when they are part of a comprehensive school effort, increase the likelihood that students will become engaged citizens. These approaches offer few surprises for teachers who favor interactive classrooms that are connected to their school and community life.  1) Provide instruction in government, history, law and democracy. 2) Incorporate discussion of current local, national and international issues and events in the classroom, particularly those students view as important to their lives. 3) Apply what is learned through service connected to the curriculum. 4) Offer extracurricular activities that provide opportunities for young people to get involved in their schools or communities. 5) Encourage student participation in school governance by soliciting ideas and suggestions to improve the quality of school life as well as to engage in student government. 6) Encourage students’ participation in simulations of democratic processes and procedures.

For a more comprehensive look at the report, take a look at the national Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools website, www.civicmissionofschools.org or the website of our California Campaign; www.cms-ca.org to discover the range of materials and activities that you can integrate into your present work.  

Our California Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools is a collaborative effort of the Constitutional Rights Foundation and the Center for Civic Education. CRF regularly publishes The Bill of Rights in Action to support classroom instruction and has developed many materials that include simulations, and service learning opportunities. We also developed Active Citizenship Today, a framework for planning and implementing school and community projects.  Our CityWorks program can be used with traditional U.S. Government texts to teach about local government.   To learn more about CRF materials visit our website, www.crf-usa.org.    CCE sponsors “We the People” a state and national competition based on the U.S. Constitution and “Project Citizen,” a program which stimulates students to plan projects to improve their community.  Their materials can be viewed at; www.civiced.org . Many other groups have developed outstanding programs and materials for classroom use which are described on the websites of both the national campaign for the civic mission of schools and our California campaign.  Both these sites are listed above.   

Accept the challenge that we must do more to excite and prepare our young people to connect and engage in our democracy.

Let’s get busy; the health of our democracy is very important to our future!

Todd Clark

Constitutional Rights Foundation

Los Angeles, California

 

Published Wednesday, October 03, 2007 1:54 PM by Todd Clark

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emeast_06 said:

Mr. Clark:

Much of what you've touched upon has been happening right here in Columbus.  Wrapping up our second year of Citizen Action Projects through the Annenberg Civic Initiative, a group of 20 (or so) public high school Civics teachers have been attempting to implement all six of the objectives laid out in the Civic Mission of Schools report.  We have been testing and compiling useful strategies with the specific intent of raising civic awareness/participation in our students and many have repeatedly gone out into their communities and have engaged in local government.

I feel it would be constructive, however, to put together (at least among my colleagues) an "official" list of obstacles that we have found in our efforts.  Given that we have been assigned many of the same tasks outlined in the above report, and given that these objectives have been made clear, why not attempt to compile a list of the challenges we've all faced in the past two years of this "experiment?"  If there is some visible patterns, perhaps we can address them and come closer to circumventing these pitfalls next year.  Often much is said about what should be done and little is asked to those who've done it.

Eric

October 3, 2007 2:08 PM
 

yicfit04gc said:

Dear Mr. Clark,

It's not the designer or the work that gets most of the credit for the finished piece "student".  But it is the marvel and the creativity created in the finished peice we as educators take pride in having bein involved in its' creation as an individual that maybe active in their civic duties!!!!

Thanks,

Michael

October 3, 2007 2:09 PM
 

Raymond said:

Mr. Clark,

I must go on record and thank my High School Civics Teacher for introducing me to the "world" of Civic education and Democracy.  Government meant nothing to me until her class which I took in my last year of High School.  My parents always voted and my Father could discuss politics with anyone, especially about the famous Watergate Trials, however they were not very active in the political process.

I am one of the Teachers fortunate enough to be involved in the Annenberg Civic Education Project and we have been able to encourage youth to become actively involved as a Citizen.  Their passion to create change concerning a local government issue, whether it is decreasing the number of Abandoned Houses in a neighborhood or Raising the Minimum Wage, becomes the flame that motivates the teacher to provide the necessary resources and connections to produce a change or to have a small impact.  We have used many of the resources you mentioned, but we also emphasize a real hands on approach.

Many of the parents of our students are not active in democracy and are  too busy working, trying to make a living for their families.  When life gets this busy, being active in democracy takes the form of complaining about "what the government is not doing."  If we instill active democracy in our students early, it will become a part of their life and that is one of our goals.

Our Community Action Project is a great asset for our students and the community.  It gets the students involved, and allows them to really make a difference.  The "difference made" while they are young, will impact them to continue to make a difference in community and democracy as they get older.

We all should/must keep up the good work.

Thank You,

Raymond Sweet,

2nd year Annenberg Fellow

October 3, 2007 2:09 PM
 

Todd Clark said:

    emeast_06:

   Much of what you've touched upon has been happening right here in Columbus.  Wrapping up our second year of Citizen Action Projects through the Annenberg Civic Initiative, a group of 20 (or so) public high school Civics teachers have been attempting to implement all six of the objectives laid out in the Civic Mission of Schools report.  We have been testing and compiling useful strategies with the specific intent of raising civic awareness/participation in our students and many have repeatedly gone out into their communities and have engaged in local government.

   I feel it would be constructive, however, to put together (at least among my colleagues) an "official" list of obstacles that we have found in our efforts.  Given that we have been assigned many of the same tasks outlined in the above report, and given that these objectives have been made clear, why not attempt to compile a list of the challenges we've all faced in the past two years of this "experiment?"  If there is some visible patterns, perhaps we can address them and come closer to circumventing these pitfalls next year.  Often much is said about what should be done and little is asked to those who've done it.

Eric,

 Thanks for your response to my posting.  I think you've called attention to one of the most frequent omissions we are quilty of when we work together on a reform effort like yours.  Much time goes into the preparation and implementation phases, but the assessment process receives too little time.  I'm sure part of this lapse is due to the let down that we feel at the end of the effort to make change.  It also may partly be due to the fact that a formal study on impact is being carried out by a "professional."   Whatever the case,  a thorough examination of what has happened; what worked, what failed, and why, are important steps to take so that they inform your actions next time you try to strengthen what you do. In a project such as yours, it would be helpful for all of the participants to review what has happend and make whatever changes you believe could improve the quality of the effort the next time.

Todd Clark

October 3, 2007 2:10 PM

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