Participation+in+Government+Requirement

==The sources analyzed herein are intended to address this portion's essential question(s): How does democratic theory influences civics education in U.S. public schools, and how does civic education in turn impact contemporary democratic life within the U.S.?==

John Dewey’s // Democracy and Education //

Chapter 7, “The Democratic Conception in Education” – Dewey asserts that quality of education varies dependent upon the quality of life of their socio-economic community’s circumstances  – Dewey perceives democracy as more than a form of government, instead as an experience of interdependent responsibility which has the potential to minimize race/class/ethnicity’s impact on daily activities   – Dewey feels education essential to social mobility in a capitalist democracy

Source: Phi Delta Kappan, Date: September 1, 2003
• When comparing today’s young people to previous generations when they were young there is “evidence of diminished civic engagement”    • Within public schools, opportunities to “develop non-market skills and dispositions has narrowed”     • Civics knowledge is assessed once a decade by the National Assessment of Educational Progress, last results (2000) indicate 75% of 4 th, 8 th , and 12 th graders ranked below proficiency • Until 1960s, public school students took 3 civics courses, now typically only 1     • Social studies teachers charged with teaching civics courses have little formal preparation in teaching civics specifically      • Author feels public schools tend away from emphasizing civics because it draws upon controversial issues, which parents tend to be vocal about when they disagree with the stance presented

Political Knowledge, Political Engagement, and Civic Education, William A. Galston, Source: Annual Review of Political Science, Date: June 1, 2001 • Galston states, “there is a level of basic [civic] knowledge below which the ability to make a full range of reasoned civic judgments is impaired”     • Galston senses that today’s young adults lack belief in the efficacy of collective civic acts, and instead focus efforts on private volunteering     • Galston cites that citizens who lack civic understanding “are more likely to judge officials according to their perception of noncontextual personal characteristics”

Conclusions regarding the interaction of democratic theory and civics education in the U.S.
• Informed by Galston, the combination of standardized testing of core subjects and the controversial nature of civics curriculum, most public schools do not place an adequate emphasis on civics resulting in young adults who are not engaged with community life  • The New York State Learning Standards/ Curriculum for PIG seem to emphasize nascent understanding rather than internalization through methods such as service learning, which according to Galston, students seem interested in       Sources:     Ø NYS Participation in Government Standards and Core Curriculum   Ø John Dewey’s Democracy in Education   Ø “Civic Education and Political Participation” by William Galston   Ø “Political Knowledge, Political Engagement, and Civic Education” by William Galston