Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child provides for the views of the child to be given due weight in accordance with the child's age and maturity. Legislation in Ireland recognizes the rights of children to have a voice in educational matters. Based on a sample of 2838 14-year-olds in Ireland and using questionnaire…

This paper addresses the ideal of "citizenship" in the US and how particular meanings of history, culture, and language are encoded in government policy and practice. The US government (Citizenship and Immigration Services) presents citizenship as a commitment to shared knowledge and values, and it requires applicants to possess…

Rancorous dialogue among political opponents is nothing new in the American political system. However, in the past two decades or so, pundits and scholars have noted an increase in the overall intensity and frequency of incivility among elected officials and citizens. At the collegiate level, many universities have undertaken some form of civility…

This article presents the natural rights construct as the perspective used in civic education, by outlining its moral, theoretical, and curricular elements. Morally, the construct holds a liberal view of individual rights and liberty from subjugation. The theoretical element consists of a description of the political systems model, which…

Culminating projects offer a sharp contrast to predominant practice in civics education. Although many schools require students to volunteer for a certain numbers of hours, most leave it up to the student to find a broadly defined "community application" of their learning, and students seldom inform their action with rigorous research.…

We formulate a distinctly "political liberal" conception of mutual respect, which we call "civic respect", appropriate for governing the public political relations of citizens in pluralist democratic societies. A political liberal account of education should aim at ensuring that students, as future citizens, learn to interact with other citizens…

As the 21st century unfolds, the United States faces historic challenges, including a struggling economy, an aging infrastructure and global terrorism. Solutions will have to come from educated, skilled citizens who understand and believe in our democratic system and are civically engaged. This incisive new report examines these fault lines and…

This fact sheet summarizes state requirements related to civic education, which means learning about citizenship, government, law, current events, and related topics. Civic education is most directly addressed in courses labeled "civics," "government," or "U.S. government." Social studies is a broader category that…

This study investigated the disciplinary knowledge and nature of expertise among political science experts studying American political science. A comparison group of students who had completed an introductory undergraduate course in American political science also participated in the study. Numerous research studies have found that civics and…

How is the tension between renewed nationalist and European narratives of belonging being unfolded in the curricula, discourse, and practice of civic education in Slovakia and Estonia. As two post-socialist territories that were "reborn" as independent nation-states in the 1990s, Slovakia and Estonia were confronted with pressure to…

This report presents results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 2010 civics assessment. National results for representative samples of students at grades 4, 8, and 12 are reported as average scale scores and as a percentage of students performing at or above three achievement levels: "Basic,"…

Social responsibility is a value orientation, rooted in democratic relationships with others and moral principles of care and justice, that motivates certain civic actions. Given its relevance for building stronger relationships and communities, the development of social responsibility within individuals should be a more concerted focus for…

As part of a course considering "American Democracy in Theory and Practice," we took 36 students to Rick Warren's Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. During that visit, students observed a community that seeks self-sufficiency and yet proves to be simultaneously responsive to and reflective of American democracy more broadly.…

Insurance is an interesting interdisciplinary topic that can offer generative meaning and relevance for students. By adapting real life examples and authentic simulations, mathematical concepts can be applied to insurance-related social studies issues and content. This article explores ways to teach insurance and related mathematical concepts to…

Youth civic engagement in the United States is at an all time low (Barber 1998; Galston, 2004, Owen, 2008). Youth are routinely characterized as civically apathetic, disengaged, and ignorant (Niemi & Junn, 1998; Putnam, 2000; Ravitch & Finn, 1987). Or, as Owen (2008) succinctly puts it, "young people in America have long anchored the…