Civic
Engagement: Passport to Your Future
A Civic Engagement Curriculum
for High School-Age Youth
in Traditional or Non-traditional Educational Learning Environments
Designed as a Teacher's Guide
With Web-based Downloadable Activity Components
and Link Resources
Created by
The Center for Urban Research and Learning
Loyola University Chicago
August, 2002
This curriculum was developed with
funding support from the
Technology Innovation Challenge Grant Program
U.S. Department of Education
Introduction
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In the wake of the terrorist attacks of September
11, Americans turned inward to reflect and examine their sentiments
of patriotism, democratic ideals, and history. "God bless America"
and "Let freedom ring" became universal expressions of solidarity
and national pride. At some levels, we are a united people who value
our democratic freedoms and understand what is at stake when we are
threatened with any prospect of the loss of freedoms. At other levels,
September 11 reminded many that the depth of understanding of democratic
principles and the practice of participation in the democratic process
do not match the rhetoric.
Long before 9/11, there has been a growing concern,
especially among educators, that youth are not being prepared to function
in a democratic society. As stated by educator and historian Diane Ratvitch,
students "need a better understanding of our own democratic ideals,
where they came from, and how many sacrifices have been made by others
to assure the present generation of Americans the basic rights and freedoms
that we now enjoy" (The Center for Educational Reform, 2002).
Many others have advocated a similar position.
Recent political polls indicate that an increasing number of Americans,
particularly young Americans, are disengaged from the current political
processes (McGuire, 2000). Furthermore, prior studies have shown that
high school students lack basic knowledge of civics and an in-depth
understanding of political processes, which may inhibit them to fully
participate in civic activities and be agents of change (Kim, Parks,
& Beckerman, 1996). Hobson and Zack (1993) have suggested that students
need to learn how to participate in the system if they want to make
changes.
Given the prior and current need for civic education,
especially among young Americans, The Center for Urban Research and
Learning (CURL) at Loyola University Chicago developed a curriculum,
designed as a teacher's guide, to engage high school-age youth in civic
life and public policy. The Civic Engagement: Passport to Your Future
curriculum seeks to provide an inviting, interesting format for instilling
political and civic knowledge to youth … so that they will become
active and informed citizens. The curriculum is offered free of charge
by CURL and Loyola University Chicago through the CURL Web site www.luc.edu/curl/
The hope is that the curriculum will be a useful tool for youth civic
engagement education, both in traditional or non-traditional educational
learning environments, such as community-based afterschool programs.
Curriculum Development
In 1999, CURL received a grant from the Technology Innovation Challenge
Grant Program, U.S. Department of Education, to design a civic literacy
program with an emphasis on the use of technology. Aware of the critical
need for developing an innovative model of civic engagement curriculum
for youth, CURL began the project by bringing together community partners
with a known interest in this area. The goal was to create a curriculum
that could be utilized in multiple community-based settings, i.e., in
afterschool or alternative school programs, as well as traditional classrooms.
CURL created a team of researchers, including a political scientist,
a graduate student, community practitioners, and CURL staff to develop
the hands-on curriculum
Over a two-year period, the Civic Engagement: Passport
to Your Future (Passport) project developed. While its structure evolved
and altered over time, the result is a teacher's guide for youth civic
engagement, which incorporates technology. In its present form, Passport
offers instructors, whether in a traditional or non-traditional educational
setting, challenging, well-researched materials. While it utilizes technology,
it is not dependent upon the ready availability of computers for students.
Rather, it assumes computer access only for instructors who can utilize
downloadable handouts.
Since Passport was developed within an urban setting,
it presumes that most users will be urban. The intent is that students
will relate to the issues of urban neighborhoods. Passport includes
a collection of 10 units or chapters that address a range of topics,
including citizenship, public policy, voting rights, and political access,
among others. Although each unit can be implemented independently, the
curriculum provides a comprehensive sequence of topics and class projects
(see Curriculum Outline). As part of the implementation process, it
is expected that each unit would generate class discussion, provide
online research projects, and Web links to Internet sites for further
inquiry on issues related to American civic literacy.
About the Center for Urban Research and
Learning
Founded in 1996, Loyola University Chicago's Center
for Urban Research and Learning (CURL) is a non-traditional university
research center that promotes equal partnerships between the university
and Chicago's communities. Drawing from both academic expertise and
proven community leadership, CURL is dedicated to developing practical
approaches to positive community change that improves the quality of
life in the Chicago metropolitan area. As part of a new model of learning
and teaching, CURL promotes partnerships between Loyola researchers
- both faculty and students - and community-based organizations, citywide
organizations, and government. This commitment to collaboration changes
how university, community, and government partners expand their approaches
to innovative, action-oriented solutions. Working together, community
needs are addressed, and the academic experience is enriched.
Acknowledgements
The Civic Engagement: Passport to Your Future curriculum
was made possible through grant support to the Center for Urban Research
and Learning (CURL), Loyola University Chicago, from the Technology
Innovation Challenge Grant Program sponsored by the U.S. Department
of Education. We are indebted to Liza Araujo-Rouse, the program officer
with whom we worked most directly, who provided gracious and helpful
assistance throughout the project.
Many persons contributed to this project with great
dedication, commitment, and effort. The primary author and researcher
was Brian Shea, CURL Graduate Fellow and Ph.D. candidate, Department
of Philosophy. Alan Gitelson, Ph.D., Professor, Political Science Department,
provided invaluable expertise, guidance, and good humor in the development
of this civic engagement curriculum. Nelson Portillo, CURL Graduate
Fellow and Ph.D. candidate, Department of Psychology, was the evaluator
and provided technical support. Yolanda Suarez-Balcazar, Ph.D., Department
of Psychology, Associated Professor, provided evaluation supervision.
Linda Von Dreele, CURL staff, contributed administrative oversight,
writing, and editing.
Particularly in the initial stages, the project
greatly benefited from the participation of students from an alternative
high school, Howard Area Alternative High School (HAAHS), and two community-based
organizations, Erie Neighborhood House (ENH) and Family Matters (FM).
Staff who assisted were: Christine DeNevue, HAAHA; Ric Estrada and Maria
Matias, ENH; and Twanna Brown and Kim DeLong, FM. We are indeed grateful
to our partners for their able and constructive assistance.
We value the help of Phyllis Henry, Ph.D. candidate,
School of Education, Loyola University Chicago, who contacted many of
the reviewers for the evaluation process. We also appreciate the assistance
of all reviewers who helped us improve the quality of our civic engagement
curriculum, including Erin Peterson, David Arredondo, Ratib Al-Ali,
Andrew Coneen, Vanessa Lal, Jennifer Lemkin, Demetra Makris, Jacqueline
McCord, Joan Podkul, and Christopher Wilberding. The realistic critique
of these educators from Chicago and as far away as Ohio and California
has greatly enhanced the potential for the curriculum's implementation
as a quality tool for youth civics education and activism.
