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Commentary by Patrick R. Phillips
Executive Director, Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools
The Key findings of the Knight Foundation’s most recent study of student attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors related to the Constitution, the First Amendment, and news media confirm that the sharp increases in the number of students taking classes dealing with the First Amendment between 2004 and 2006 have leveled off. It also shows that high school students don’t pay much attention to Constitution Day, and that students are influenced to a much greater degree by parents than teachers when it comes to how they define news, and what media they use to get the news. Not surprisingly, these key findings contain both good news and bad.
On the one hand, as a parent of two daughters, it is reassuring to be reminded that parents have such a strong influence on how students interact with the world around them. On the other hand, as an educator, the findings suggest both the limitations of what schools can do alone, but also the opportunities for school-home-community cooperation in producing well-informed and active citizens. The findings also show that students are interacting through a variety of media to get news of the world around them, at a time when many of us worry that news is being crowded out by entertainment.
The truly sobering news in the study, however, is the degree to which students report little or no knowledge of the Constitution, save for First Amendment protections for free speech. As high schools have increasingly become institutions that emphasize “preparation for college and work,” it should come as no surprise that preparation for active citizenship is suffering a decline. This is truly a missed opportunity for students, schools, communities, and our democracy, as well as effective civic learning—including learning how the Constitution is a relevant lens through which to examine and participate in society—is a powerful lever for educational improvement.
High school reformers who concentrate on “preparation for college and work” fail to grasp that preparation for citizenship need not detract from efforts to keep our nation economically competitive. In fact, a number of business-oriented reform organizations, like the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, include civic outcomes in their recommendations for comprehensive school programs. The kinds of skills developed in effective civic learning programs—critical thinking, democratic deliberation, conflict resolution—all support preparation for post-secondary study and workplace success.
But the benefits of high school programs that keep the study of the Constitution and other types of civic learning at their core are ultimately measured in indicators of a healthy democracy. As John Dewey said so eloquently, “Democracy must be reborn in each generation, and education is its midwife.”
>>Related: Balancing freedom and the greater good (Philadephia Inquirer guest column by Sam Chaltain, education consultant for the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and Channel One) |
