Written by Sr. Dale McDonald, PBVM, Ph.D., NCEA Vice President of Public Policy, [email protected]
As we begin a new school year, we are in the throes of another presidential election cycle that presents educators with some extraordinary challenges and opportunities. How can we use these challenges and opportunities to create teachable moments that will educate students and families in civic engagement that resonates with the spirit of the mission of Catholic education? Two things come to mind: formal civics education in the school curriculum and coaching through political conversations that promote civility.
The recent release of the eighth-grade performance scores on the Civics and U.S. History Assessment of the Nation’s Report Card (National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP) evidence a continued decline in what students know about U.S, history and civics. Only 22 percent of eighth graders scored at or above the NAEP Proficient level in civics and only 13 percent of eighth-grade students scored at or above the NAEP Proficient level in U.S. history.
Catholic school students’ scores are included in these numbers. Unfortunately, this assessment is the first one that was not able to provide separate scores for Catholic schools because not enough Catholic schools took part in the testing. In prior assessments, Catholic schools outperformed their public school counterparts, but we are presently unable to determine whether Catholic school students’ achievement has advanced, flatlined or declined. Nonetheless, the Catholic school curriculum must continue to provide students with the knowledge they need to understand issues and with opportunities to demonstrate they can use information to engage in civic participation. The eighth graders whose scores were released are about 14 years of age and will be eligible to vote in four years. All educators have a responsibility to guide students in acquiring a basic understanding of our nation’s history and civic institutions so they can participate effectively in the civic life of our democracy.
The full results of the Nation’s Report Card are available online: NAEP Civics and NAEP U.S. History.
Just as important as the formal civics lessons in the curriculum is the informal civic education that occurs in the manner, tone and content of political conversations and different views among staff, students and in classroom debates. Educators need to be prepared to guide challenging conversations to promote thoughtful discourse based on knowledge/facts and discourage emotional attacks.
Many adults find the current political climate to be intolerable but don’t know what to do about it. For Catholic school educators dealing with impressionable young people, there are significant challenges to navigate when asked about personal opinions or for permission to conduct classroom or school-wide mock debates or other political activities. I have written about the legalities and technicalities of permissible Catholic school engagement in political activities as learning opportunities in the fall issue of NCEA’s Momentum magazine. There it references the document Faithful Citizenship of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) that presents the Catholic perspective on faith issues.
While there are legal prohibitions against endorsement of candidates, there is no prohibition on the Church or people of faith from participating in the political process. In an educational setting this can be a great opportunity for educators to model for students and staff behaviors and expectations that reflect the Gospel values of truth, respect, humility and integrity when engaging in difficult conversations. Setting ground rules for how such conversations will be acceptable and reasonably exercising legitimate authority to maintain compliance is the responsibility of the teacher or principal present.
Assuring that students have the academic knowledge of civics and current events and the understanding and appreciation of the expectations of courtesy in promoting the common good in the Christian community will go a long way towards promoting civility in discourse in the public square.
