Citizenship Education.

Overview & Synopsis

To help school boards respond to increasing concerns over citizenship education, the authors discuss the factors behind the current interest in citizenship education, different approaches to and programs for citizenship education, and steps toward mounting a citizenship education program. Among the factors identified as causing concern with citizenship education are the increasing complexity of and demands on the citizen's role and the decline of the family as an agent of citizenship education. The authors also ponder the purposes of citizenship education programs and the proper role of schools in citizenship education. Using six districts' exemplary programs, they describe alternative approaches to citizenship education, including multicultural, global, law-related, and futures education as well as education in morals and political participation. They recommend that boards develop a citizenship education curriculum only after studying local needs, student knowledge and beliefs, staff and parent perceptions, and community resources. Appended to the report are lists of the 6 exemplary programs, 14 resource organizations and 15 useful publications. (RW)