Introductory Activity

Draw a simple picture or graphic which summarizes either positively or negatively your experiences as a student of history/social sciences in kindergarten through 12th grade.

What descriptive word captures your experiences?

Did your experience change when you entered college?

What will our students need?

The 21st century is characterized by change.

What skills, knowledge, and dispositions (attitudes) do children need to prepare for a participation in our democratic government and the challenges of living in this fast-changing world?

Preparation for citizenship in a democratic society

What are the qualities and characteristics we could consider important when preparing our students for citizenship in a democratic society?

What KNOWLEDGE should they have?(What would they need to know?)

What SKILLS should they have?(What would they need to be able to do?)

What DISPOSITIONS should they have?(What attitudes and beliefs should hold?)

What is Project Citizen?•An interdisciplinary instructional program designed for use with adolescents in schools and community organizations

•Uses interactive teaching methods•Cooperative-learning•Critical-thinking•Problem-solving•Decision-making

•Provides a model for authentic assessment

•Focuses learning on the processes of state and local government

•Focuses on real affairs within a community

•Teaches students to monitor and influence public policy

Civic education program

Promotes competent and responsible participation in state and local government

Engages students in earning how to monitor and influence public policy

Encourages civic participation among students, parents and members of the community

Identify a public policy problem & evaluate alternative solutions

Propose a solution

Develop an action plan for implementing their policy

Display research in a portfolio and documentation binder

It means you and your class will…

alternative policies

the problem

documentation section

our class policy

our action plan

Here’s what your class creates to “showcase”

their efforts

Students identify

public policy problems

in their community by…• discussing them with

each other

• interviewing family members and other adults

• reading newspapers and other print sources

• listening to news reports on radio and TV

Selecting a problem for class study

Problems in our community

1. Drugs 3. Pollution

2. Violence 4.

Students present and discuss the problems they

have identified and then select one problem for

their class project

Students gather information

on the chosen public policy

problem from a variety of

sources

Interviews and surveys Printed sourcesRadio and television Libraries Internet

Scholars and professors Lawyers and judges

Community organizations and interest groupsLegislative offices Administrative offices

Developing a class portfolio

• Group 1 develops an explanation of the problem

• Group 2 evaluates alternative policies

• Group 3 develops a proposed policy consistent with constitutional principles

• Group 4 develops an action plan

Presenting the portfolio

• Public hearing before a

panel of “judges” from

the community

• Presentations by each of

the four groups

• Opening oral presentations(4 minutes)

• Responses to questions from judges

(6 minutes)

SO…

IT’S A BIG PROJECT?

Project Citizen Hearing

5th grade students presenting at the 2008 California State Showcase (start 11:45)

IT’S MUCH MORE THAN

A PROJECT.

So, what is public policy?

When you see the words “public policy” what comes to mind?

Given a newspaper, can you identify examples of public policy or issues that

may result in a public policy?

What level of government would be responsible for overseeing this policy?

A working definition of public policy

…the study of what governments do, why they do it, and what difference it makes.

-Thomas Dye

…the sum of government activities, whether acting directly or through agents, as it has an influence on the lives of citizens.

-B. Guy Peters

…the combination of basic decisions, commitments, and actions made by those who hold or affect government positions of authority. In most instances, these arrangements result from interactions among those who demand change, those who make decisions, and those who are affected by the policy in questions.

-Larry N. Gerston

So, what is public policy?

In democracies, a public policy is a concept

or set of ideas that guides a course of action

or a procedure used in dealing with public

issues or problems.

Public policies are often embodied in laws,

rules, or regulations or agreed upon

procedures used by government to fulfill its

responsibilities to protect the rights of the

people and to promote the general welfare.

So, what is “public policy?”

What comprises a “society?”

Private sphere

Government

Civil Society

individuals, families, private business, philanthropists

service organizations, private clubs, churches, unions, trade groups

national, state, local, special districts, government agencies (i.e. state schools, Department of Motor Vehicles, etc.)

Distinguishing among areas or spheres of society

1. A local school board changes graduation requirements.

2. Susan becomes a member of the Girl Scouts.

3. Carmen and her friend go out to dinner and a movie.

4. Marco’s family and friends have a picnic on

July 4th.

5. Sara and her two sisters join a labor union.

6. The Sierra Club lobbies state legislators to pass environmental protection laws.

7. The state legislature passes a law limiting the use of cell phones while driving.

8. Citizens join a taxpayer’s association in an effort to get government to lower taxes.

9. The federal government awards a contract to a private company to repair sections of an interstate highway.

10. A city council passes a law establishing smoke free zones in public parks.

Who should fix the problem?For each problem, decide who should take care of it.

Use (A) for private sphere; (B) for civil society; (C) government.

1. Ensuring that children from birth to three years old eat nutritious food and develop healthy hygiene habits.

2. Ensuring that children receive equal educational opportunities.

3. Promoting the moral development of young children.

4. Caring for the elderly poor people.

5. Protecting the borders of the country.

6. Maintaining streets in cities and towns.

7. Providing medical care for the indigent.

8. Protecting people from criminal activity.

9. Upholding the moral standards of the community.

10.Building highways, bridges, and dams.

11.Protecting the country from external attack.

12.Promoting economic prosperity.

What are some problems in your community you would want to tackle?

Got problems?

What are some problems in your community you think students might want to tackle?

How do we pick a problem?

• Problem selection is a critical step.

• If kids don’t “buy in” to the problem, you will have problems later…(relevance)

• Ways to find problems to study:– Student generated (Project Citizen model)– Teacher generated (Limits student voice)– Hybrid—teacher and students and family

members and others in community brainstorm

5th grade Problems from 2008-20091. Outlaw killing of polar bears2. Restrict fireworks to sidewalks or cement3. Assign garbage pickup to lawbreakers4. Require more land for organic crops5. Healthy school food in vending machines6. Second emergency exit doors in classrooms7. Two fire extinguishers in classrooms8. School buses should have seatbelts9. Limit corn crop production so there is less pollution in rivers, lakes, Gulf

of Mexico10. Dispose of batteries correctly11. Classrooms should have no bars on windows or a quick release if they

do have bars12. Kids should be able to vote13. Kids should play more games and activities at recess14. Pets should not be killed in the pound15. Outlaw test products on animals16. There should be a computer program to adopt kids instead of going to a

shelter

5th grade Problems from 2008-200917. Lower gas prices18. Littering should not be allowed19. No guns should be sold20. Spanking should be illegal21. There should be less smoke in the air and less water pollution22. There should be friendly, helpful cars 23. No cutting down rainforest24. Every park should have cameras and anti-vandalism laws25. Teachers should have a code and not a key to unlock doors26. There should be a spot in a classroom where kids can hide if someone

breaks in27. Students should be able to have ergonomically designed chairs and

desks28. People should not kill frogs and eat them or put them in the sewer29. No plastic bags at grocery stores30. Kids loiter at crosswalks and push the cross button and cause traffic

jams31. People driving too fast on residential streets

5th grade Problems from 2008-200932. People cut corners and drive over lawns33. Parking garages should be free34. People are jaywalking and almost getting hit by cars35. There aren’t enough fire hydrants on my street and/or they’re hard to

see36. 5 hours of free recess each day at school37. No state tourism fee/tax on hotel or car rental bills38. Too much graffiti in parks39. Guns should be outlawed40. Animals should not be locked up in small cages in pet stores41. Cities are spreading out into wild lands and crowing out animals (urban

sprawl)42. Large grassy field near homes are a fire hazard43. Curbs should be rounded instead of having square corners44. Everybody must have 2 trees and 2 bushes in their front yard45. Preserve our old buildings and not tear them down to make new ones46. Schools should have a safe room/tunnel on the playground field in case

of an emergency

5th grade Problems from 2008-200947. Police should have to guard your house48. People are driving on the grass in our parks49. Classrooms should be weatherproofed/energy efficient50. Skaters and bicyclists aren’t wearing helmets51. People/kids are driving golf carts in the street52. People are in the parks after hours53. People are running stop signs

5th grade Problems offered by parents in 2008-2009

1. Backpack weight limits2. Compulsory community service by young people3. No items in your hand of any kind while driving (i.e. coffee, food, phone, etc.)

4. price ceilings for gasoline5. Abandoned houses’ yards must be maintained6. Student voice in cafeteria lunches 7. Eliminate recess—shorten the school day

skills

knowledge

dispositions

Knowledge What should a citizen know?

• The need for government • The purposes of government • Constitutional principles • Structure of government • Individual rights (personal, political, economic) • Responsibilities of a citizen • Role of the citizen in a democracy • How the citizen can participate in the political life of

the community

SkillsWhat does a citizen need to be able to do to

participate effectively?

• Critical thinking skills – Gather and assess information – Explain, clarify and prioritize – Identify alternative solutions to problems – Identify and assess consequences – Reflect and evaluate

SkillsWhat does a citizen need to be able to do to

participate effectively?

• Participation skills – Communicate effectively – Negotiate, compromise, and seek consensus – Manage conflicts peacefully and fairly– Monitor and influence politics and government

Attitudes/Democratic ValuesWhat attitudes and beliefs should a citizen esteem?

• Personal character – Moral responsibility (honesty, courage, etc.) – Self-discipline and self governance – Respect for individual dignity and differences – Civility (respect for opinions of others– Compassion (concern for the welfare of others)– Tolerance for ambiguity

Attitudes/Democratic ValuesWhat attitudes and beliefs should a citizen esteem?

• Public character– Respect for the law and willingness to seek

changes in unjust laws peacefully and legally – Attentiveness to and concern for public affairs – Commitment to majority rule and minority rights– Commitment to the balance between self-interest

and the common welfare

Preparation for Democratic Citizenship

DISPOSTIONSSKILLS

KNOWLEDGE

INFORMEDAND

REASONED DECISION

MAKER

Commitment

Competence Confidence

Video excerpt

The World We Want56:27 to 1:05:35

(9:08 total time)

A Patrick Davidson Production

http://theworldwewantmovie.com