Presents a theory from political science to serve as the unifying construct for the study of government and civics at the secondary level. Concludes with a series of assertions of what should guide the thinking related to the development of secondary level government and civics curriculum. Includes references. (CMK)

Discusses the student government at La Mesa Middle School (California) that was modeled after the three-branch U.S. government as a means for increasing students' civic understanding. Describes the structure of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches, the different activities of the student government, and the reasons for the hiatus.…

Describes the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 1998 Civics Assessment. Includes average scores and achievement-level results for the United States, for demographic subgroups, and for students in a variety of contexts. Also examines the framework and content of the assessment. (Author/SLD)

Explores why political education was considered a taboo in Hong Kong. Explains that after China took control of Hong Kong, political education became the means to ensure a smooth change in government. Finds that the General Studies course is a good vehicle to implement political education in Hong Kong. (CMK)

Considers the role the "National Standards for Civics and Government" will play in measuring and assessing the civic competence and political attitudes of students. Finds that the Standards will also affect the textbooks used in schools, national testing in grades K-12, and the tests taken by students seeking teaching credentials. (CMK)

Discusses whether separate Christian schools are defensible in a pluralistic, liberal democracy, presenting the perspective of Christian parents and assuming that these parents want their children to attend separate Christian schools. The paper argues that Christian education and separate Christian schools can be compatible with civic education…

Considers the current context for concern about 'political education' worldwide and in the United Kingdom. Analyzes the concept of political education and discusses political education in the United Kingdom, addressing the reasons for United Kingdom exceptionalism. Introduces this issue of "Oxford Review of Education." (CMK)

There have been persistent criticisms of Rorty's "liberal ironist" as the postmodern picture of the educated in the liberal utopia. While the modernist (Enlightenment) liberal Thomas McCarthy, who believes in universal rationality as the basis of public morality, criticizes Rorty's view of the liberal ironist for fostering the poverty of public…

Institutions are becoming more cognizant of preparing students for global leadership through measures such as service-learning and community service. Colby and her colleagues (2003) suggest that institutions should guide students to believe that they are members of a shared social structure. Black students are a group whose civic participation has…

Deliberative discussions are grounded in particular conceptions of democracy and are intensely difficult to learn to lead. This study uses a sociocultural lens to examine the cases of two elementary school teachers as they worked to foster deliberation in their classrooms. Speech code theory is used to uncover conceptual tools the teachers used as…

The objective of this historical analysis is to determine the origins of the American elementary history/social studies curriculum and to determine how nationalism affected the curriculum as it progressed in the early twentieth century. The Committee of Eight (Co8), established by the American Historical Association in 1905, created the first…

In this article, the author discusses the pedagogical negligence on civic education after 9/11 due to the No Child Left Behind Policy resulting in several counterproductive restructuring of curricula, which include the creation of a core ninth-grade course in civics, integrated service learning across the curriculum, and the restructuring of…

This paper presents the main goals and themes, as well as a critical analysis, of an ambitious new reform of Mexico's secondary-level program for civic education. It begins with a brief historical review of the modern Mexican secondary school, as well as a thematic analysis of the new published curriculum and study program, which puts heavy…

At the beginning of the twentieth century, English-Canadian schools have attempted to create citizens of good character who were loyal to a Canadian nation defined by its role in the British Empire. Because of the country's experience in World War I, Canadians refined their identity in the 1920s, keeping it distinct from its relationship with…

This article reports on the differences in democratic education across school types, using the US National Household Education Survey (NHES) of 1999. We replicate the estimation approach of Campbell (1998) and find a strongly positive effect from attendance at Catholic school or private independent schools on community service participation, civic…