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The Progress of Education Reform: The New Civics
This issue of the Progress of Education Reform provides information on “the new civics how it differs from previous practices, what it includes, how it is supported by research, and its implications for policy. It notes how the civic education field has made significant strides in identifying best practices for civic education and notes how these best practices for civic learning are widely divergent from the textbook-based high school civics classes that were dominant years ago. It compares and notes how active civic learning – as opposed to flat civic learning – is essential for meeting the civic purposes of public education.
This resource profiles changing practices in civics learning and its importance as an element in public education. The graphics, layout, and easy access to information and research presented add value. Profiled research findings show that “civic learning opportunities promote civic and political engagement, and that different civic learning opportunities promote different types of civic engagement.” The research also notes that civic learning outcomes for students depend on the kinds of civic learning opportunities students have in their civic classes and elsewhere in the curriculum, rather than completion a U.S. government course.