ERIC Number: ED314290
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1988-Oct
Pages: 16
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
The Special Responsibilities of Educational Institutions in America and Italy: To Improve the Social and Civic Values and Behavior of Their Youth.
O'Connor, Paula
This paper addresses the responsibility of educational institutions to improve the social and civic values and the behavior of youth while illustrating the condition of civic education. U.S. children educated during the Vietnam War and Watergate Eras developed a weakened sense of citizenship obligations. Without a government-sponsored nursery school program where civic education can begin, many preschool and grade school students are not exposed to it. Moreover, high schools have put civic education aside in favor of English and mathematics skills so students can score highly on college entrance examinations. A 1984 study revealed that teachers did not consider social studies a substantial core of the curriculum. One method for teaching to civic education is law related education (LRE) which encourages first-hand participation by students, stressed by Jean Piaget and John Dewey as important for learning. The American Federation of Teachers' (AFT) response to the lack of civic education has been: (1) to issue a statement of principles; (2) to commission a textbook review; (3) to increase collective bargaining for educational reform funding; and (4) to challenge teachers to teach history in ways that encourage student participation. The paper concludes with a review of the Carnegie Forum on Education and the Economy document, "A Nation Prepared," the Bradley Commission on History in Schools report, "Building a History Curriculum," the California History/Social Science Framework, and the Council for the Advancement of Citizenship (CAC). A 14-item bibliography is included. (DJC)
Publication Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers; Opinion Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A