Civics in Florida

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Civics in Florida

• An Introduction to the status of civic knowledge,
  educational requirements and the resources
  available to schools.
• The Florida Law Related Education Association,
  Inc.
• www.flrea.org

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The Florida Law Related Education Association, Inc

• Private, nonprofit dedicated to education for
  democracy
• Originated in 1983 with assistance from The
  Florida Bar
• Efforts have expanded internationally
• Administers 20 different civic and law related
  education initiatives for Florida students and
  teachers

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Initiatives

• Public policy
• Professional development
• Curriculum
• Scholarship opportunities
• Government officials in the classroom
• Partnership programs
• Academic competitions and showcases
• Student and teacher camps
• Mock trial and moot court

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Student-Centered
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Teacher-focused
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Nationally Recognized
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Status Report

• Status of civic education
• United States
• Florida

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Nation of Spectators

• Studies document the limited knowledge Americans
  have about our government and the institutions of
  democracy.
• Most Americans do not understand our most basic
  constitutional principles and are disengaging
  from political institutions in increasing numbers.

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Democracy doesnt just happen

• What impact will declining knowledge and
  involvement have upon our democracy?
• Will our next generation be prepared to continue
  this experiment in self-governance?

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ABA and Florida Bar Surveys

• December 2005 survey conducted by the Florida Bar
  reflected similar findings of ABA poll.
• Just over half of Americans could identify the 3
  branches of government even with a multiple
  choice test and fewer than half understood the
  concepts of separation of powers and checks and
  balances.

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Status of Civic Knowledge

• National findings revealed that
• 22 of Americans think the three branches of
  government are Republican, Democrat and
  Independent.
• Over one third of Americans cannot identify even
  one of the three branches of government.

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Annenberg Survey

• September 2006 national survey found that only a
  little more than half of Americans believe the
  President of the United States must follow the
  rulings of the United States Supreme Court.
• Rule of law

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First Amendment

• In a study conducted by the First Amendment
  Center and the American Journalism Review, only
  two percent of Americans polled could identify
  the five rights in the First Amendment.
• What are they???

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Civic Education

• Historic mission of American public education
• 40 state constitutions mention the importance of
  civic literacy
• 13 constitutions state that the central purpose
  of their educational system is to promote good
  citizenship, democracy and free government.

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On the Decline Nationally

• A study released by CIRCLE and the Carnegie
  Corporation suggests that formal school-based
  civic education classes are on the decline.
• Todays civic education curriculum is a matter
  of too little too late --- consisting
  predominantly of a one semester high school
  government course.taught primarily in 12th
  grade.

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NAEP Findings
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National Findings

• With civic education declining, so too are
  students interest in public affairs, their
  political and civic knowledge, voter
  participation and attitudes towards government.
• As our democracy ages, our commitment to civic
  education appears to be fading.

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Survey of 10,000 Florida students document least
valued rights
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Status Report on Florida

• Surveys conducted by FLREA between 2003-2005
  found that school districts in Florida reported
  little time available in elementary grades to
  teach civics, mainly because of other FCAT
  priorities.

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Middle School

• Survey results between 2003-2005 found that less
  than 10 percent of school districts reported
  offering a separate, stand alone civics course in
  middle school.
• Miami- Dade county and Palm Beach counties both
  offer year long mandatory civics courses at
  seventh grade.

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High School

• Required instruction statute
• One half credit of American Government required
  for graduation
• Mostly taught at senior year
• Few districts offered end of course exams
• Example of differing model Hillsborough county
  offers American Government course at 9th grade
  and end of course exams.

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Sunshine State Standards

• Separate standards for civics and government for
  grade clusters
• New process currently in Florida to develop new
  standards for each grade K-12.
• FLREA on civics and government framers and
  writers committee.

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Testing

• Civics and government not tested on FCAT
• No social studies course tested on FCAT
• Few districts offer end of course exams.
• Many believe we teach what we test.and that
  civics and government were not valued subjects.

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Required Instruction Statute233.061

• (1)  Each school district shall provide all
  courses required for high school graduation and
  appropriate instruction designed to ensure that
  students meet state board adopted standards in
  the following subject areas reading and other
  language arts, mathematics, science, social
  studies, foreign languages, health and physical
  education, and the arts.

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Required Instruction

• (a)  The content of the Declaration of
  Independence and how it forms the philosophical
  foundation of our government.
• (b)  The arguments in support of adopting our
  republican form of government, as they are
  embodied in the most important of the Federalist
  Papers.

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Required Instruction

• (c)  The essentials of the United States
  Constitution and how it provides the structure of
  our government
• e)  The elements of civil government shall
  include the primary functions of and
  interrelationships between the Federal
  Government, the state, and its counties,
  municipalities, school districts, and special
  districts.

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Required Instruction

• (q)  A character-development program in the
  elementary schools, similar to Character First or
  Character Counts. Such a program must be secular
  in nature and must stress such character
  qualities as attentiveness, patience, and
  initiative.

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2005 Legislative Action

• FLREA, The Florida Bar, LWV and Common Cause
  worked as part of a Florida Campaign to advance
  civics in the curriculum during 2005-2006.
• Followed survey conducted by the Florida Bar in
  December 2005.
• The Florida legislature passed a middle school
  civics mandate.

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Simple line

• Months of effort to achieve
• Simple line in a massive 160-page education bill
• Page 40 of HB 7087
• Spearheaded by Rep. Curtis Richardson and Sen.
  Ron Klein

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Middle School Requirements

• 1003.4156  General requirements for middle grades
  promotion.--
• (1)  Beginning with students entering grade 6 in
  the 2006-2007 school year, promotion from a
  school composed of middle grades 6, 7, and 8
  requires that
• (a)  The student must successfully complete
  academic courses as follows

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Middle School Requirements

• Three middle school or higher courses in social
  studies, one semester of which must include the
  study of state and federal government and civics
  education.

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District Options for Middle School Civics
Requirement

• Offer a full year course in civics as is already
  done in Miami Dade and Palm Beach as well as
  other counties.
• Offer a separate semester course in civics now
  developed and listed in the course code directory
• Integrate a full semester of civics and
  government in US History

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2007 Legislature

• Great effort with leadership of Senator Graham
  and Congressman Frey to add civics and government
  to FCAT.
• Proposed bills and language did not pass
• Obtained significant visibility through news
  articles and press conferences.

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Meeting the Middle School Mandate

• What resources exist to assist districts with
  meeting the new middle school mandate.
• FLREA offers training, materials, classroom
  visits with government officials, and a variety
  of supplemental resources and programs to support
  this new legislation.

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Resources
We The Peoplethe Citizen and the Constitution
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Center for Civic Education

• FLREA works cooperatively with CCE to administer
  two important domestic programs
• We the Peoplethe Citizen and the Constitution
• Project Citizen

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Culminating Hearings and Competitions
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Academic Competitions

• We The People High School Competition
• Students from Florida have won the national
  championship four times.
• Florida teams have also placed second three times
  and third two times.
• Florida is developing a middle school component.
• January 11, 2008 Orlando

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Influencing government

• Project Citizen
• A middle school program in which classes identify
  a problem in their community and seek to engage
  their government, local or state, in order to
  solve it.
• The students document their experience and
  present their portfolios in oral hearings
• Opportunities for international exchanges as
  FLREA has partnerships with four other countries
  engaging in Project Citizen.

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Project Citizen
Project Citizen Textbooks
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Other resources

• Summer institutes at the FSU College of Law with
  unit by unit scholars and lessons
• Special institutes at the Supreme Court of
  Florida to assist teachers with instruction on
  the judicial branch
• International exchanges and partnerships
• Supplemental resources and academic competitions
  and showcases
• Government officials in the classroom

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Government officials in the classroom
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Constitution Day
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Academic Competitions
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Law Week
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Student quotes

• What kind of leaders will our young people be if
  they would rather vote on American Idol than in a
  local or presidential election?
• -Hugo Gonzalez
• Student at Glades Middle School

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Academic Supplements

• United States Senate Youth Program
• Democracy Camp
• Professional Development
• Lessons and materials
• Mock trial and moot court competitions
• Constitution Day programs at the Supreme Court
  (September 24)
• Justice Teaching
• ETC

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International Initiatives

• Civitas International civic education exchange
  program

• Civitas International civic education exchange
  program
• Panama, Peru, Hungary and Romania

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• Justice Teaching Institute
• 25 teachers are brought to Tallahassee to receive
  hands-on training from the Florida Supreme Court
  justices.
• Lessons center around a particular case on the
  Courts docket and curriculum culminates in the
  teachers observing the oral arguments of that
  case.

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Walking in their shoes
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JTI Graduates
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Follow up

• Contact for program dates and assistance
• Annette Boyd Pitts, Executive Director
• The Florida Law Related Education Association,
  Inc
• www.flrea.org
• ABPflreaED_at_aol.com
• Tiana McGlockton
• 850-386-8223