{"id":729,"date":"2022-05-03T11:41:54","date_gmt":"2022-05-03T19:41:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.sandiego.edu\/character\/?p=729"},"modified":"2022-05-03T11:42:31","modified_gmt":"2022-05-03T19:42:31","slug":"character-civic-education-you-cannot-have-one-without-the-other","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.sandiego.edu\/character\/blog\/2022\/05\/03\/character-civic-education-you-cannot-have-one-without-the-other\/","title":{"rendered":"CHARACTER And CIVIC EDUCATION: You Cannot Have One Without the Other"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Edward F. DeRoche, Ph.D.<\/p>\n

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap\u00a0but by the seeds that you plant.” -Robert Louis Stevenson<\/p>\n

“You are a citizen, and citizenship carries responsibilities.” –\u00a0Paul Collier<\/p>\n

We know that\u00a0the primary responsibility for the cultivation of ethical behavior and the development of private and moral character lies with\u00a0families, religious<\/strong>\u00a0institutions, schools, work settings, and the communities in which we live.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We also know that social studies teachers have a responsibility and a\u00a0duty to teach all students character and civic virtues.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The question is, given the current political climate, how can civic education strengthen and complement the development of character and civic\u00a0virtues?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let talk about\u00a0teaching civics<\/strong>\u00a0in today\u2019s classrooms.<\/p>\n

Several years ago, two Wisconsin Social Studies educators wrote that a multicultural society needs \u201croots.\u201d\u00a0 These roots, they said,\u00a0\u201care described in our founding documents, in our symbols and slogans, and in our personal and public civic virtues.\u00a0 Our schools, therefore, are called to educate the young to uphold (and sometimes challenge) core virtues, such as, trustworthiness, fairness, patriotism, justice, courage, responsibility, respect, and honesty.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Today<\/strong>\u2014a warning from Jeremy Knoll, a 20+ high school teacher.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am telling you civics education is gasping for breath.\u00a0 Too often, people mistake teaching civics as teaching politics.\u00a0 Civics is the study of rights and duties of citizenship.\u00a0 It is a close examination of the privileges and obligations of our citizens.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

A report from\u00a0neaToday\u00a0<\/em>(2017) notes that \u201cIt\u2019s not an exaggeration to say that civics education is in crisis.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0The proof:<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly 25 percent of U.S. students reach the \u2018proficient\u2019 standard on the NAEP Civics Assessment.\u00a0 White, wealthy students are four to six times as likely as Black and Hispanic students from low-income households to exceed that level.<\/em><\/p>\n

Students in wealthier public school districts are far more likely to receive high-quality civics education than students in low-income and majority-minority schools.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

As an educator in California you should know about\u00a0The California Survey of Civic Education\u00a0(www.cms-ca.org<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\u201cPolls show that the vast majority of young people distrust political institutions and processes.\u00a0 Studies find that most students lack a proficient understanding of civics, U.S. history, or our Constitution.<\/em><\/p>\n

Civic education is no longer a priority in California\u2019s overburdened public schools.\u00a0 History and civics have all but disappeared in many elementary grades as educators concentrate<\/em>\u2028<\/em>on teaching reading and math.\u00a0 In high school, few students even have social studies in the ninth grade.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2001, the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement\u00a0(<\/strong>CIRCLE) published a report titled,\u00a0The Civic Mission of Schools<\/strong>, which identified six promising approaches that research shows can improve civic education.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery school should:<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n