Civic education is necessary for every citizen to be able to perform the required

obligations in a democracy. However, the teaching of civic education in schools has

declined. This discussion aims to shed light on the current situation of civic education
in the United States and beyond .The essence of this discussion is to examine why is it
important to teach civic roles in the primary school curriculum.Key terms will also be
defined .

Civics is the study of the rights and obligations of citizens in society. The term derives
from the Latin word civicus, meaning "relating to a citizen". The term relates to
behavior affecting other citizens, particularly in the context of urban developmentIn
its broadest definition, “civic education” means all the processes that affect people’s
beliefs, commitments, capabilities, and actions as members or prospective members
of communities. Civic education need not be intentional or deliberate; institutions and
communities transmit values and norms without meaning to. It may not be beneficial:
sometimes people are civically educated in ways that disempower them or impart
harmful values and goals. It is certainly not limited to schooling and the education of
children and youth. Families, governments, religions, and mass media are just some of
the institutions involved in civic education, understood as a lifelong process.

The reasons why the teaching of this subject is being neglected are explored.
Moreover, the differences in the way white and minority students participate in civic
education are discussed. The paper also examines the importance of teaching this
subject in schools and the best methods that can be used to efficiently pass on this
knowledge to the students.

Introduction

Civic education arms students with the necessary knowledge and skills in order for
them to be able to take part in the activities that citizens in a democracy are involved
with. It enables them to exercise their civil liberties and carry out their responsibilities
as future responsible citizens.
In addition, it prepares the young people for the roles of leading their country or
participating in the country’s political activities. Civic education also aims to bond the
youth and their country. It teaches the youth not to be self centered but also be
concerned about the welfare of their society and country as a whole.

. Civic education is not limited to participation in politics and society, it also

encompasses participation in classrooms, neighborhoods, groups and organizations. In
civics, students learn to contribute to public processes and discussions of real issues.
Students can also learn civic practices such as voting, volunteering, jury service, and
joining with others to improve society. Civics enables students not only to study how
others participate, but also to practice participating and taking informed action
themselves.

Civic education empowers us to be well-informed, active citizens and gives us the

opportunity to change the world around us. It is a vital part of any democracy, and
equips ordinary people with knowledge about our democracy and our Constitution.
For example, voting is a major responsibility every citizen should take advantage of.

Civic education is necessary for every citizen to be able to perform the required
obligations in a democracy. However, the teaching of civic education in schools has
declined. 

The minorities were also discriminated in matters of economic and employment

opportunities. Crimes of violence were also perpetrated against them.

Therefore, this history of slavery and injustices against the minority groups creates
disinterest among the minority students. They feel alienated and unwanted in their
country. Many minority students feel excluded from the American history therefore
they are not interested in civic education (Iram, 2006).

Today the minority groups have equal civil rights as the other white children.
However students from minority groups do not actively take part in civic education.
Discursive democracy is encouraged in civic education, which does not enable
members from all groups, including minorities to participate equally and voice their
concerns.

Even if they participate, their contributions are not taken seriously and therefore they
are not able to influence the discussion. The minorities also need to learn the common
language of expression so that their views can not be misunderstood (Blum, 1999)

Learning is an ongoing process of life and a person gets to learn most of the new and
different concepts during his or her academic life. It is considered the most crucial
span of time in one’s lifetime. Students study varied subjects like English, Civics,
Social science, Science etc. that contribute to developing their personality. The
interesting concepts of these subjects acquaint them with a variety of aspects related
to personal and professional upfront. Learning the concepts of all the subjects is
imperative, but subject Civics plays a very crucial role in a person’s life. One must
understand why is Civics important in every sphere of life.

Three basic necessities of life i.e. food, clothing, and shelter are well realized, ever
since the evolution of human life. The prime concern of any human is to meet these
basic needs. Once they are met, only after that an individual can do justice in
performing other responsibilities. Amongst these responsibilities, one of the most
important ones stands towards the society. These can be carried out justifiably only
when an individual is well – aware of his rights and duties towards the society. Hence,
in a broader sense, this answers the question, why is Civics important. Civics as a
subject teaches the boundaries and privileges of an individual in a society.Moreover,
it teaches them to be loyal to their country and be ready to defend it at all times.
Therefore, it is important that this subject is adequately represented in the school
curriculum.
Reasons why schools have stopped teaching civic educatio In the United States, civic
education is rarely taught in schools. Courses touching on civic education are rarely
included in the curriculum, and if they are, the students study it for a very short time.
The subject is assigned few lessons. This is not enough to instill knowledge to the
students about their government, rights and responsibilities.

Many students are disinterested in the subject because they are not enlightened on the
importance of political awareness. Many Students do not even take part in student
elections and are disinterested in community initiatives like taking care of the
environment. Most of them do not even know what is contained in the constitution or
their civil rights. Therefore they have no idea what privileges they are entitled to as
legitimate citizens in a democracy, and consequently would not know if their rights
were violated (Gehring, 2005).

In addition, there is little effort on the part of the government to enforce a public
policy in support of civic education. Therefore, civic education is not adequately
included in the school curriculums. The curriculum incorporates civic education in
few units or courses and therefore it is not taught thoroughly.

Moreover, the teachers are not well prepared to teach the subject. The teaching of the
subject is done by teachers qualified to teach other subjects. Many teachers are also
not knowledgeable in the matters of civic education. Therefore, they cannot be able to
enlighten the students on this matter. Some of them do not even know the relevance of
teaching the subject.

Additionally, the teachers feel that civic education should not be allocated a lot of
time. Therefore, they reduce the civic education lessons and spend more time teaching
other subjects that they consider to be important, for instance, mathematics and
sciences. This therefore denies the students enough knowledge on the subject.

The teachers also feel that instilling civic knowledge to students is not their
responsibility only and therefore they can get it from other sources outside the school.
They assume that students can learn this information from churches, community or
though adult civic education programs once they finish school. Outside the school,
civic education is taught to adults through adult civic education programs. These
programs are initiated by the government or Non-Governmental Organizations.

The citizens are taught about how to become good citizens and leaders, how to
participate in electing leaders and what their rights as citizens are. In addition, issues
like low levels of citizens’ participation in the government’s activities and neglecting
of certain groups in the society are tackled. However, the teaching of civic education
should start from school so that the students gain a proper understanding of civic
issues from an early age (Office of Democracy and Governance, 2002).

Minorities’ involvement with civic education in American schools comprise of white

students and those from minority groups. There is a difference in civic participation
between these two groups of students. Students from minority groups are less
involved with civic education than the white ones. They rarely attend civic meetings
and seldom participate in civic activities like volunteering and voting, among others.

America has a history of sidelining the minorities and consequently, the minority
students do not trust the government. Before the 1960’s minority groups in America
were denied their civil rights. For instance, the education facilities for the whites and
the minorities were separated. The facilities designed for the minority groups were
usually of poor quality and little government funds were availed to improve them.

The minorities were also denied voting rights by being deregistered. Therefore, they
could not take part in the process of electing their representatives. The minorities were
also discriminated in matters of economic and employment opportunities. Crimes of
violence were also perpetrated against them.

Therefore, this history of slavery and injustices against the minority groups creates
disinterest among the minority students. They feel alienated and unwanted in their
country. Many minority students feel excluded from the American history therefore
they are not interested in civic education (Iram, 2006).
Today the minority groups have equal civil rights as the other white children.
However students from minority groups do not actively take part in civic education.
Discursive democracy is encouraged in civic education, which does not enable
members from all groups, including minorities to participate equally and voice their
concerns.Even if they participate, their contributions are not taken seriously and
therefore they are not able to influence the discussion. The minorities also need to
learn the common language of expression so that their views can not be
misunderstood (Blum, 1999).

Students from the minority groups think that civic engagement is for rich white
children because they feel discriminated. The school curriculum is not
accommodating to the minorities as it is designed with the assumption that all
students are white. The curriculum and teachers also assume that all students are well
off.

Therefore, the problems of poor minorities are not taken into consideration during
civic education. Therefore, these students feel that they are being treated as
insignificant citizens. The schools also assume that every student speaks English
whereas many minorities have other native languages. All the documents used in
teaching civic education like the constitution are written in English. This denies the
minority students an equal opportunity to understand civic knowledge (Nodding,
2005).

Citizens from minority groups are mostly less educated and have lower incomes than
whites and these contribute to their low participation in civic activities. The civic
education curriculum taught to minorities is different as the teachers feel that the
minorities need proper understanding on how to become good citizens (Levinson,
2003).

White children have always been given better privileges in schools throughout
American history. During racial segregation, the schools attended by white children
were well funded and had good facilities compared to those of the minority
groups.White American children participate a lot in civic education. They feel a sense
of belonging in their country and therefore engage in activities to improve its welfare.
This is because the system of education and the laws were designed with the white
students in mind. The school curriculum is in favor of white children as it is designed
with the assumption that all children are white, rich and speak English as their native
language (Nodding, 2005).

Students from white families are also rich and are able to participate properly in civic
activities. They can participate in community building, and other activities. They can
also afford the necessary equipment required for students to participate actively in
civic activities.The white students also actively take part in civic activities like
electing student leaders. They have trust in their government because they are
properly represented. Even when they leave school, statistics show that white citizens
are the most active participants in civic activities. They vote in large numbers and are
more likely to attend civic meetings, and take part in community development
activities (Blum, 1999).

The country’s core documents like the constitution are written in English; therefore
the white children can clearly understand its contents as they are native English
speakers. During civic discussions in class, the white students participate more
actively because they are English speakers and can express their views without being
misunderstood. Therefore they are able to influence the discussion.

There are reasons why civic education should be taught in schools.Civic education is
taught in schools, communities, labor unions, churches. The citizens are taught how to
vote wisely, what rights they are entitled to, or how to resolve conflicts. Teaching
civic education in schools is important because it instills civic knowledge to the
students from an early age. Civic education can be taught from as early as
kindergarten all the way through the entire school life. Therefore, this knowledge
prepares the students to be future democratic citizens.

They learn the importance of shared responsibility and taking initiative. Civic
education should be incorporated in school curriculums in order to achieve this goal.
The contents of the course should be in line with the needs and the level of the
students. For instance, kindergarten children should not be taught complex issues as
this will be taught later when they can clearly understand it.
The students must be prepared to either be good rulers or obedient citizens. Students
need to be taught that in democracies there must be the rule of law and everyone
should obey it. They are also supposed to challenge the rules that are unjust It teaches
them how to co-exist with other members of the society and to live ethically.

Civic education entails knowing the country’s governance history, how an

autonomous government works, the responsibilities of different sections in the
government, their privileges and responsibilities as citizens, the rationale and
procedures of voting, among others (Crittenden, 2007).

The citizens in a democracy must have the correct knowledge, virtues and behavior in
order for it to develop. The citizens must understand how their government is run and
whether their welfare is being taken into consideration. Citizens need civic education
in order to be able to know how they can progress themselves locally and nationally.

They must be taught the importance of trusting in their government and obeying the
law in order to avoid any conflicts. This ensures a stable democratic system. Civic
education enables the citizens to learn the virtues expected of them in a democratic
system like loyalty, forbearance, concession and reverence for the law. The citizens
are also encouraged to actively and responsibly participate in activities like voting,
among others (Lynch, 1997).

Civic education should be taught to every student in a democracy in order to mold

them into responsible and enlightened citizens in future. It instills political knowledge
and awareness about various issues in the government, including the functions of the
government, the rights of citizens, the responsibilities of leaders, and the composition
of the political organizations, among others. The citizens also get to know their civil
rights and what to expect from the government.

In addition, civic education encourages political participation among the citizens. It

enlightens the citizens and empowers them to take part in political activities that
shape their future. These include voting, attending government meetings, challenging
injustices, and pressurizing their elected leaders to represent them effectively. They
learn that they are not just passive but active participants in their own governance.
Civic education also raises the political worth among the citizens. The citizens feel
empowered, in control, and in charge of making the decisions that affect their welfare.
They have the audacity to challenge any injustices perpetrated against them. They
even condemn poor representation by their leaders. They can even protest if their
rights are violated.Civic education is also important because it imparts the necessary
democratic principles in the citizens. For instance the students learn that they should
have loyalty, forbearance, respect for the rule of law and concession. These values are
important for a democratic government to prosper.

The study of this subject also creates awareness to the citizens and therefore they
begin to see the defects in the way their government is run. Therefore they are able to
push for changes in the way things are done. This leads to better governance and a
better democracy.

Moreover, civic education empowers all the members to actively take part in the
political activities. This includes the women and the minority groups. These citizens
get enlightened on equal rights and therefore there is increased participation in the
activities of the democracy by all the citizens regardless of their gender or race.

According to Branson (1998) civic education involves teaching the ideals of self
governance to the students. The students learn how to take part in the civic activities
in order to enhance the wellbeing of their country. It enables them to make informed
choices about the governance off their country. Civic education arms the students
with civic skills, knowledge and dispositions.

Civic education gives the students knowledge about their country and how it is
governed. The students get to know the proper meaning of being civically engaged
and what government means.

This helps them to understand why it is important to have a government and the rule
of law governing all the citizens. It will enable them to learn the roles of the
government and therefore they can challenge the government if those roles are not
performed satisfactorily. They will get a clear understanding of the importance of
self-governance (Audigier, 1993).
Besides they get to know the composition of the political system and its values. This
enables them to know the history of their country and the values that it upholds. This
will in addition enable them to know their constitutional rights as citizens and the
need to obey the rule of law, and practice loyalty and other virtues. Understanding of
this knowledge will involve the exploration of certain documents like the constitution
and other legal documents with fundamental information about that country.

The students also gain knowledge about what is contained in the constitution and
whether the government is in line with democratic principles. This will enable them to
find out if their government is upholding the values contained in the constitution and
whether the rights of the citizens are being violated.

In addition, the students get to know what is expected of them as citizens in the
democracy. The students get to understand that each one of them has obligations as a
citizen to ensure the well being of the country. They learn that their active
participation in civic activities can improve their standards of living. This can be
achieved through participation in the election of leaders, community service, among
others.

Furthermore, they get insight on how their country relates with other countries in the
world. The students get to knows how matters happening around the world affect
them. The world is interconnected and matters happening in one country affect the
rest in some way. They understand why good relations with other countries area
important in ensuring their wellbeing.

According to OBrien (2010) civic education enables students to acquire the necessary
skills to enable them to perform their obligations and fight for their rights. They
acquire both logical skills and other skills to enable them to take part in civic
activities. Logical skills include critical thinking, evaluating and analyzing issues. The
citizens are able to think critically and analyze issues related to the democracy.

They are able to understand the meaning of national symbols like the flag. Moreover
they understand the importance of values such as loyalty. They get to analyze how
their government works and therefore are able to identify any misconduct on the part
of government officials. The students acquire good decision-making skills which
enable them to make informed and correct decisions on matters affecting them.

The students as well learn how to relate with others without conflict. They learn to
share and exchange ideas with others meaningfully. Civic education enables students
to learn enough skills to enable them to take part in the civic activities of their
country. It teaches them how to resolve crises by engaging in peaceful dialogue.
Students learn to participate in activities like meetings, court hearings, elections,
community service, among others.

Another importance of civic education is that it helps students to develop values that
are necessary in a democracy. The students are taught to be responsible, respectful of
others and loyal to the country. They are also taught to abide by the laws of the
democracy. They learn that self-governance involves people performing their
responsibilities and having self-regulation in everything and not relying on the
country’s laws to govern them.

They also learn what is expected of them as citizens including serving the community,
electing leaders, pin-pointing injustices, paying taxes, among others. It enables the
students to be informed about what is going on in the government and whether proper
procedures are being followed, failure of which corrective measures should be
recommended.

In order for civic education to be effective, it has to be taught through a number of

ways. These include discussion groups, staging dramatizations, mock political and
legal dealings, distributing civic literature, lectures and mass media among
others.Each method applied should match with the intended goal. For instance,
passive methods like lectures are used to merely pass on information about a
particular issue whereas vigorous methods like dramatization should be used to
change the citizens’ perceptions and actions towards democracy (Feith, 2010).

Successful civic learning takes place when the lessons are held frequently. Moreover
when teaching methods that are participatory like dramatizations, mock-ups and
discussions are applied, better results are achieved. In addition, when teachers
encourage their students to actively participate in the civic learning activities more
productive learning takes place and the students are able to grasp concepts more
swiftly. Therefore the quality of training is important in fostering good democratic
behavior to the students (Lewis-Ferrell, 2007).

Successful civic education should include participatory activities. The teacher should
initiate discussions about civic issues that are happening both locally and
internationally in order to illustrate her points. In addition, after the theoretical
teaching is over the teacher should look for avenues where the students can apply the
knowledge. This can be in form of doing community service. Moreover, the schools’
extracurricular activities should include civic engagement.

The activities should include ways through which students can contribute to the
welfare of their school and the community as a whole. Students should also be
included in the process of making decisions that affect them. This encourages them to
participate more actively in civic activities. Engaging students in community service
gives them a sense of responsibility and prepares them to take up their roles in the
community in future (Levinson and Stevick, 2007).

The teaching of civic education should largely include discussions. The students
should be allowed to voice their opinions about various issues. Discussions will
enhance the detailed learning of a range of civic issues and will also create a feeling
of democracy among the sstudents because each person will be ggiven an
opporrtunity to share theirs views (Prasanth, 2004).

From the above discussion, it is evident that civic education is an important ingredient
in molding students into politically enlightened and democratic citizens in
future.Therefore it is a pity that currently, this subject is not taken seriously in
American schools. The subject is not adequately represented in the school curriculums
and therefore most students have little or no civic knowledge. This calls for action to
be taken to ensure that students gain civic education because the future of a
democratic nation depends on civically enlightened citizens.
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