There are two very different kinds of
Citizenship education,
The first is education intended to prepare noncitizens to become legally and socially accepted as citizens. Secondly, there is Citizenship Education that is taught in schools, as an academic subject similar to
politicsPolitics is a process by which groups of people make decisions. The term is generally applied to behavior within civil governments, but politics has been observed in all human group interactions, including corporate, academic and religious institutions...
or
sociologySociology is the scientific or systematic study of human societies. It is a branch of social science that uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop and refine a body of knowledge about human social structure and activity, often with the goal of applying such...
.
Education intended to prepare noncitizens to become legally and social accepted as citizens is carried out by a variety of governmental and non-governmental organizations (NGO).
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the [United States], government programs prepared immigrants to take citizenship exams or qualify for citizenship.
There are two very different kinds of
Citizenship education,
The first is education intended to prepare noncitizens to become legally and socially accepted as citizens. Secondly, there is Citizenship Education that is taught in schools, as an academic subject similar to
politicsPolitics is a process by which groups of people make decisions. The term is generally applied to behavior within civil governments, but politics has been observed in all human group interactions, including corporate, academic and religious institutions...
or
sociologySociology is the scientific or systematic study of human societies. It is a branch of social science that uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop and refine a body of knowledge about human social structure and activity, often with the goal of applying such...
.
Citizenship education for new citizens
Education intended to prepare noncitizens to become legally and social accepted as citizens is carried out by a variety of governmental and non-governmental organizations (NGO).
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the [United States], government programs prepared immigrants to take citizenship exams or qualify for citizenship. Many corporations, most prominently
FordThe Ford Motor Company is an American multinational corporation based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury brands, Ford also owns Volvo Cars of Sweden, and a small stake...
, offered similar programs to their employees and families of their employees. In addition, various charities also provided this service.
In the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
in 2002,
David BlunkettDavid Blunkett is a British Labour politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Sheffield Brightside since 1987. Blind since birth and from a poor family in one of Sheffield's most deprived districts, he rose to become Education Secretary in Tony Blair's first Cabinet from 1997 to 2001,...
introduced a series of proposals where immigrants would take a US-style "Citizenship Exam" and swear a pledge of allegiance before they could be granted British nationality. Before being given a passport, applicants must read Life in the United Kingdom (a book preparing immigrants for the test) and sit a 45-minute test on British society, history and culture.
England
In 2002, Citizenship was introduced as a statutory subject in the English National Curriculum, following the recommendations of the
CrickSir Bernard Rowland Crick was a British political theorist and democratic socialist whose views were often summarised as "politics is ethics done in public"...
Report in 1998. It is taught as part of the school curriculum to all pupils aged 11-16 years old in English maintained schools.
The National Curriculum for citizenship in England contributes to the overall aims of the national curriculum, that children should develop as successful learners, confident individuals and responsible citizens who make a positive contribution to society. The Citizenship curriculum is based on key concepts (democracy, justice, rights and responsibilities, identities and diversity) that children need to understand and key processes and skills (critical thinking and enquiry, advocacy and representation, taking informed and responsible action) they need to develop. The National Curriculum for citizenship sets out teaching requirements that address a wide range of content including
politicsPolitics is a process by which groups of people make decisions. The term is generally applied to behavior within civil governments, but politics has been observed in all human group interactions, including corporate, academic and religious institutions...
and
governmentA government is the body within a community, political entity or organization which has the authority to make and enforce rules, laws and regulations.....
, the legal system, the
mediaMass media denotes a section of the media specifically designed to reach a very large audience such as the population of a nation state. The term was coined in the 1920s with the advent of nationwide radio networks, mass-circulation newspapers and magazines. However, some forms of mass media such...
,
multiculturalismMulticulturalism is the acceptance of multiple ethnic cultures, for practical reasons and/or for the sake of diversity and applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g. schools, businesses, neighborhoods, cities or nations...
, equal opportunities,
human rightsHuman rights refer to the "basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled." Examples of rights and freedoms which have come to be commonly thought of as human rights include civil and political rights, such as the right to life and liberty, freedom of expression, and equality before the...
, European and global education. Teachers use topical political and social issues to bring citizenship content to life and to help pupils develop key citizenship skills of research, discussion and debate, as well as to represent the views of others, think critically, evaluate and reflect. The Citizenship curriculum aims to develop student's ability to participate in communities and wider society as informed, critical and responsible citizens. The purpose of "
active citizenshipActive citizenship generally refers to a philosophy espoused by some organizations and educational institutions. It often states that members of companies or nation-states have certain roles and responsibilities to society and the environment, although those members may not have specific governing...
" is to teach students to work together and take practical action, using their Citizenship knowledge and understanding to contribute to a better society. For example, after learning about human rights, diversity and inequality, students might decide to set up a project to address
racismRacism is the belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race. In the case of institutional racism, certain racial groups may be denied rights or benefits, or get preferential treatment...
in their school or local community. Other examples of active Citizenship projects include starting
recyclingRecycling involves processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower...
programmes, setting up student action groups to address bullying or promote
fair tradeFair trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries and promote sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to producers as well as social and environmental standards in areas related to the production of...
or campaigning to lower the voting age to 16.
A GCSE in "Citizenship Studies" is available for students in key stage 4. The three main awarding bodies in England (AQA, OCR and Edexcel) offer this qualification as a full and a short course. More than 300,000 young people have now attained this qualification since it was first available in 2002. The qualification includes a controlled assessment based on an active citizenship project they have taken part in. There is also an A level in Citizenship Studies which is available through AQA.
The review by Sir Jim Rose of the primary national curriculum is expected to lead the introduction of citizenship as a statutory part of the primary education during 2010. Most primary schools already teach citizenship through their curriculum. Materials to support the teaching of citizenship in primary and secondary schools and in post 16 settings are published by QCA (now the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency).
In October 2005, the House of Commons Education and Skills Select Committee began an inquiry into Citizenship Education, which reported in March 2007. They took written and oral evidence from a wide range of organisations including the Department of Education and Skills, the
Qualifications and Curriculum AuthorityThe Qualifications and Curriculum Authority is an executive non-departmental public body of the Department for Children, Schools and Families in the United Kingdom...
, the
Learning and Skills NetworkThe Learning and Skills Network is an independent not-for-profit organisation in the United Kingdom delivering quality improvement and staff development programmes to post-16 education and training in England and Northern Ireland...
, OfSTED, the
Association of Citizenship TeachersThe Association for Citizenship Teaching is a professional subject association in the United Kingdom for those involved in citizenship education. ACT came into existence in 2002 to further the aims of citizenship teaching and learning...
(ACT), the
Citizenship FoundationThe Citizenship Foundation is an independent UK charity which aims to empower individuals to engage in the wider community through education about the law, democracy and society...
and the
Hansard SocietyThe Hansard Society was formed in 1944 to promote parliamentary democracy. Founded and chaired by Commander Stephen King-Hall, the first subscribers were Winston Churchill and Clement Attlee. The Society's President is the Speaker of the House of Commons, currently John Bercow, and the...
.
The Committee concluded that "It is too early to say with any degree of confidence whether citizenship education is producing the wide range of impacts originally hoped for. Initial evidence from small-scale studies and the experience of individual institutions is promising but on its own not enough...The imperative now is to ensure that patchiness [in the provision of citizenship teaching] is not allowed to remain, that high quality provision becomes the norm, and that progress is accelerated. This will require action from those on the ground, but also needs strong support from the DfES and Ministers."
Republic of Ireland
Citizenship studies was introduced as a compulsory subject in the 1990s in the
Republic of IrelandIreland is a country in north-western Europe. The modern sovereign state occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland, which was partitioned on 3 May 1921. It is a parliamentary democracy and a republic...
. It is known as
CSPECSPE can refer to:* California Society of Professional Engineers* Civic, Social and Political Education is a compulsory subject in all high-schools in the Republic of Ireland; the subject focuses mainly on Citizenship along with Human Rights, Stewardship and Interdependence.* Chlorosulfonated...
(Civic, Social and Political Education) and is taught to 12-16 year olds. In 2009 it is expected that an additional subject currently under the working title 'Society and Politics' will be offered as a subject to students between 16-18 years of age in high schools in the Republic of Ireland.
France
In
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
citizenship education is known as ECJS (education civique, juridique et sociale).
See also
Citizenship for new citizens
- Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security and order. As such it is responsible for the police, United Kingdom Borders Agency and MI5. It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs, counter-terrorism...
- Immigration and Nationality Directorate
The Immigration and Nationality Directorate was part of the Home Office, a department of the United Kingdom government. The headquarters were in Croydon, South London where it occupied thirteen buildings...
- UK Border Agency
The UK Border Agency came into existence on 1 April 2008. Formed as a result of a Cabinet Office report, a decision was taken to merge the Border and Immigration Agency, UKvisas and the port of entry functions of HM Revenue and Customs into one new integrated border control body...
Citizenship education in schools
- National Curriculum in England
- Department for Children, Schools and Families
The Department for Children, Schools and Families is a British government department responsible for all issues affecting people up to the age of 19 including child protection and education.-History and Responsibilities:...
- Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency
- Citizenship Foundation
The Citizenship Foundation is an independent UK charity which aims to empower individuals to engage in the wider community through education about the law, democracy and society...
- Hansard Society
External links
Citizenship for new citizens
Citizenship education in schools