Challenges to the value of active civic engagement are an increasingly common phenomenon in introductory American government courses as there is a rise in populist sentiment and a lethargic democratic public. Traditional methods of civic participation and ideal citizenship are difficult to model and teach against this backdrop. Here, we offer…

In the era of smartphones and 24-hour news networks, the State of the Union address is a major event. All national media outlets--in print, on television, on the Internet--report on the address, some almost exclusively in the days leading up to and after the speech. In this article, considering their experiences teaching about the address, and…

This article raises questions at the intersection of immigration, citizenship, and formal civics education. Drawing from positioning theory and critical discourse analysis, this article contrasts episodes in two twelfth-grade classrooms taught by the same teacher. In the general education government class, the teacher registered students to vote,…

This article presents the author's critique on a new report titled "A Crucible Moment: College Learning and Democracy's Future", and focuses on civic education and civic engagement. The Obama administration's new report confronts a genuine problem in American education. The decline of civic education and knowledge in America is one of the few…

Originally founded as a private means for diplomats' children to earn an internationally recognized high school diploma, today the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) serves students from a variety of backgrounds in 144 countries. The IB mission and Learner Profile--consisting of ten attributes to foster in students--suggest…

Prevalent models of secondary education in the United States have tended to privilege the acquisition of knowledge of scientific disciplines that is often peripheral to the experiences of students. My Advanced Placement Government classes were no different, and this caused me to wonder whether my classes were meeting the often-stated goal of the…

This article focuses on high school students' knowledge and notions of citizenship after taking the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Naturalization Test. The students' test results and responses show emerging support for the need to make changes to the test as well as the students' limited conceptions of citizenship. In…

The author distinguishes between the concepts of political socialization and political education. He argues that political socialization has come to dominate both our thinking and our teaching in the area of civic education. Suggestions for promoting political education are included. (DE)

An elective program for grades 10-12 replaced a rigid, sequential social studies curriculum to become a diverse and stimulating program for developing good citizens. (Author/KM)

Presents an overview of textbooks on government and politics published from 1793 through the nineteenth century. History and geography textbooks were the main vehicle for civic education until 1830 when political textbooks began to be published. (Author/KC)

This document consists of the documentation and question sheets that accompany an educational computer program available on diskette. This product is an oral review of all the questions asked on the Immigration and Naturalization Service oral test for U.S. citizenship. Student answers are recorded by the computer. The teacher reviews answers…

This student reader accompanies a teacher's guide of the same name. The essays in this book provide firsthand perspectives on how the federal government works. Essays by President Bill Clinton, Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, justices of the Supreme Court, journalists, lobbyists, and others who take an active role in this nation's democracy…

This Program of Studies (POS) outlines the Fairfax County (Virginia) instructional program for the subject area of Virginia/United States government. Noting that it has long been recognized since the founding of the nation that the general education of society has, at its core, a "civic mission," the POS aims to educate students about…

Instructors responsible for the education of aliens for citizenship status have recognized the value of incorporating a variety of audiovisual aids into their instructional program. This annotated compilation of videotapes, records, tapes, filmstrips, films, film loops, transparencies, charts and kits suggests useful supplements to the broad areas…

This article notes that the May 1987 release of the College Board's advanced placement exam in American government gives high school social studies departments good reason to reassess and improve their advanced placement programs. It shows how Alexis de Toqueville's classic 1935 work, "Democracy in America," may be used as a central…