Education Lab: Are California’s public schools mass-producing bad citizens?
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Good morning, education readers!
During the coronavirus pandemic, every day feels like a Big News Day. It’s exhausting. But, it’s also mostly true and last week was no exception in local education news.
Fresno State students learned when they could return to campus full time, and, in a historic move, Fresno Unified leaders agreed to remove all Native American imagery from the mascot of Fresno High School, the city’s oldest school.
But first:
New report criticizes civics education in California’s public schools
California’s public schools “are falling far short” when it comes to teaching civics and democracy, even at a time when public interest in politics and government has rarely been more intense.
That was the conclusion of a recent study of nearly three dozen California school districts conducted by researchers at UCLA and UC Riverside. The report, published last month following a national election that recorded record-breaking voter turnout, slammed California schools.
The report says “civic and democratic goals are marginal to the mission statements of school districts” and said the “vast majority” of California school districts fail even to mention civics education in Local Control and Accountability Plans.
And while the report doesn’t mention either of Fresno County’s two largest districts by name, a keyword search of each district’s public LCAPs indicates the same appears to be true for Fresno and Clovis school districts.
But whether omitting the word “civics” in LCAP records really signals a lack of commitment to social studies is a matter of debate.
Fresno and Clovis schools say they’re proud of the civics curriculum provided in their schools.
Clovis schools frequently win awards for their civics programs, district spokesperson Kelly Avants said in a statement.
“Just one indicator of the emphasis Clovis Unified schools place on civic education is the fact that annually we have multiple schools recognized by the Bonner Foundation for excellence in civic and character education,” Avants said.
You can read CUSD’s detailed full statement here.
Fresno Unified schools are starting to see good results from an initiative adopted in 2018. The Fresno High School Class of 2020 featured the district’s first eight winners of the Silver Cord Award, according to FUSD spokesperson Vanessa Ramirez.
“This initiative will help to inform large districts statewide in the implementation of the four-year Seal of Civic Engagement,” Ramirez said in a statement.
You can read Fresno Unified’s detailed full statement here.
But, does the “good citizenship” debate extends beyond our public schools?
A 2018 survey found that more than 60% of American citizens would fail the basic citizenship test that we make immigrants take to become citizens.
Want to test yourself?
You can take a U.S. Citizenship practice test online here. It’s quick.; just 20 questions. And you don’t have to tell anyone your score.
The question of civic education and good citizenship might be an important conversation to have not only in our public schools but in our homes as well.
Here’s the latest from the Fresno Education Lab
Fresno State students learned they could return to campus next fall after essentially more than a full year away from brick-and-mortar classrooms. Check out Ed Lab reporter Ashleigh Panoo’s story here.
And a significant moment in Fresno history also marked an important achievement for local Native Americans and students. On Wednesday, the Fresno Unified school board agreed to remove the Native American imagery from the mascot at Fresno High School.
And it may just be the beginning.
Many on the board also signaled support for removing all Native American imagery from district schools in the near future and pledged support to improve how Native American history is taught.
You can read the full story from the Ed Lab’s Monica Velez here.
A bulletin board for education groups, events
Are you a high school or college student or teacher who is coordinating education-related community events? Do you need a virtual bulletin board to help spread the word about your education event? If so, please contact us! Our Ed Lab newsletter is creating a small community board for Fresno high school and college groups.
The Digital Divide: Tell us your story
Does your household have enough broadband? The Education Lab is exploring a series of stories about the digital divide in Fresno County.
Last spring, readers told us about shortages of laptops and tablets among local students. Now we are asking community members, teachers, professors, and students to help us once again with our reporting.
The Ed Lab has created this short survey to understand the broadband situation teachers students and professors face. Please fill out and share with others.
Thanks for helping to tell this story.
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Do you have an education question you’d like for us to answer? Have a story tip? Contact the Ed Lab team at edlab@fresnobee.com.
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This story was originally published December 14, 2020 at 10:33 AM.