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Civic Education

Since the occurrence of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the importance of cultivating Americans who possess a strong knowledge and commitment to the political and civic life of their country has become increasingly significant (Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement [CIRCLE] & Carnegie Corporation of New York (CCNY), 2003). Nonetheless, the current provision of civic education has failed to stem the continuous disinterest of young people in political issues and voting, even as their participation in volunteer and charitable activities has increased (CIRCLE & CCNY, 2003; Haynes & Chaltain, 2004; Macedo & Finn, 2004).

Ideally, school-based civic education needs to be effective in developing the "civic knowledge," "civic skills" and "civic virtues" of students (Murphy, 2003, p. 70). Civic knowledge involves the understanding of the concepts of the fundamental political processes and structures of democratic politics and the nature of citizenship. Individuals demonstrate civil skills when they apply their civic knowledge in order to achieve political goals; essentially, they participate in activities that are designed to elicit desired political outcomes. Finally, civic virtues are encapsulated in the individuals' internal values of respect and concern for the country and the public (Murphy, 2003).

In the remainder of this paper, the findings of the report entitled The Civic Mission of Schools produced by CIRCLE and CCNY (2003) will be compared with the current literature on school-based civic education and the challenges of transforming students into civic-minded citizens. The discussion will thus integrate the diverse perspectives of various scholars on the feasibility of utilizing school-based civic education programs to promote civic knowledge, skills and virtues. Furthermore, the identification of the conflicting perspectives will also explain why the formulation and implementa...

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Civic Education. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 20:57, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1687158.html