Explanation. There is no single, widely agreed-upon meaning for
civic engagement. For this reason, Challenges for this objective should ask
students to consider the term and come to their own understanding of its
meaning. Additionally, or as stand-alone Challenges, students should be exposed
to the vocabulary of American public and civic life, including but not limited
to the following terms:
- popular sovereignty
- republicanism
- separation of powers
- checks and balances
- limited government
- civil rights
- civil liberties
- citizenship
- rule of law
- civil service
- federalism
- deliberative democracy
- social movements
- public policy
- equality
Example Challenge. Paint the
Town
America
has a rich history of commissioning art in public spaces: murals, mosaics,
structures, you name it! In this Challenge, students must submit a proposal for
a public mural on the exterior of a newly renovated district courthouse. The
mural must measure 20 feet high by 60 feet wide and symbolize at least five of
the terms listed above, as well as illustrate the importance of civic
engagement. The proposal should include a listing of the terms with
descriptions of how they will be realized in the mural, as well as a scaled
down version of the mural created on letter size paper.
Objective 2. The student will explain the
importance of engagement to the health of a democratic republic and discuss the
history and current status of engagement in the United States.
Explanation. It is often told that
as Benjamin Franklin was leaving the Constitutional Convention in September of
1787, a woman asked him what he and the other framers had wrought. His famous
response – A Republic, if you can keep it – has remained a powerful reminder of
the fragility of America’s democratic experiment and the importance of citizen
engagement. Challenges for this objective should help students understand the
imperative for citizen engagement, including the benefits of strong engagement
and the problems accompanying weak engagement. Additionally, or as stand-alone Challenges, students should be asked
to explore the history and the current status of such engagement in the United
States.
Example
Challenge. Why It Matters
In states
across the country, legislatures and school districts are cutting back on
social studies education, including civics courses and assessments. In this
Challenge, students will be told that the Florida Legislature is considering
legislation that would drastically cut civic education from the K-12 curriculum
to allow more time for instruction in reading, math, and science. They will
take on the role of an intern for a state representative who opposes this
legislation and wishes to express her opposition during an Education committee
meeting. The students’ task is to write a 2-page speech that makes the case for
civic education in public schools.
Objective 3. The student will examine
current sociopolitical issues and explain the structures and systems to which
they are connected.
Explanation.
Keeter,
Zukin, Andolina, and Jenkins (2002) identify “Attentiveness”—the things people
do to follow and stay current with political and newsworthy happenings—as an
important dimension of engagement. As they posit, “Basic attentiveness is a
harbinger of interest in the subject area, and public affairs should be the
domain of all citizens. Paying attention is fundamental to nearly every other
aspect of effective citizenship” (pp. 15-16). Challenges for this objective should
encourage students to closely examine current hot button and otherwise
important sociopolitical issues while
requiring them to link the issues to the structures and systems to which they
are connected (e.g., gun control efforts are linked to state legislatures,
Congress, executive priorities, and special interest groups).
Example Challenge. Crush the
Vote
It seems
that everywhere you turn, people are trying to thwart civic engagement.
State legislatures are making it increasingly difficult to vote and/or
register to vote, school districts are requiring extensive background checks to
volunteer in schools, law enforcement is cracking down on protesters, and
cities are instituting additional rules for planning public demonstrations. For
this Challenge, students will be tasked with creating a 30-second video or
creating an infographic that addresses the impact of such measures
Objective 4. The student will evaluate
different styles of public leadership.
Explanation. Most would agree that
effective public leadership requires skill and experience in ethical
decision-making, communication, compromise, and governance. Still, the
diversity among public leaders is vast. One only needs to compare, say, the
diplomatic approaches of Teddy Roosevelt and George W. Bush or the governing
styles of Bob Graham and Rick Scott to quickly conclude that there are more
than a few styles of public leadership. To that effect, Challenges for this
objective should expose students to a wide variety of styles and offer them
opportunities to evaluate those styles. Don’t be afraid to think broadly; it is
okay if students have never heard of or have no memory of the leaders, events,
or leadership frameworks to which the Challenges expose them.
Example
Challenge. Model Mash-Up
There are too numerous to count leadership models
out there (e.g., Greenleaf’s Servant
Leadership, Kouzes and Posner’s Five
Practices of Exemplary Leadership, Sir John Whittmore’s GROW Model, etc.). For this Challenge, students
must explore 3-5 models of their choosing and mash them together for a
meaningful model of public leadership. Mash-ups should include a rationale, an
illustration of the model, and descriptions of each component. Additionally,
students must place 5 public leaders of their choosing in the model and explain/justify
their placements.
Objective 5. The student will identify the
processes of public policy-making and implementation.
Explanation. Before students can evaluate strategies for
influencing public policy, they must first be able identify the processes of
public policy-making and implementation. That is, students must know and
understand the ways in which good (or bad) ideas are made into law and how
those laws are implemented. Challenges for this objective will guide students
in exploring these various processes at various levels of governance and allow
them to differentiate between those levels.
Example
Challenge. Will It Pass?
When
it comes to filing legislative bills, lawmakers sometimes introduce legislation
that they
know will be dead on arrival. On the opposite side of the coin, they sometimes
introduce legislation that will surely make its way to the governor’s desk. For
this Challenge, students will be given a list of proposed legislation in
Florida. For each bill, they must determine the likelihood of it passing in the
House, the likelihood of it passing in the Senate, and the likelihood of the
governor signing it into law. Their analysis should be presented in percentages
with brief rationales for the percentages. In the end, students must assign
each bill a green, yellow, or red designation to signify whether they think it
will pass, alongside a summary of their analysis.
Objective 6. The student will evaluate
strategies for influencing public policy.
Explanation. Simply emailing one’s Congressman or signing a
digital petition on Change.org—worthy civic activities, to be sure—are hardly effective
strategies for influencing public policy. Or are they? This is the point of
Objective 6—for students to consider and evaluate different strategies that
individuals and groups can and do use to influence public policy. From phone
calls to campaign donations, and from lobby dollars to protests, Challenges for
this objective should charge students with identifying and evaluating the
various strategies.
Example
Challenge. Digitally Rock the Vote
Multiple
political observers, researchers, and civic engagement scholars have commented
on the degree to which digital technologies are changing the face of our
democratic republic. For this Challenge, students will take on the role of
freelance designer and civic engagement expert who has been asked by Rock the
Vote (http://www.rockthevote.com/) to create a digital civic engagement manual for young people who want
to effect social and political change. Specifically, students must create a manual
that runs between 5 and 10 pages and outlines effective strategies for
influencing public policy. The manual should speak to Rock the Vote’s target
demographic and incorporate its music theme. Aesthetics and substance matter.
Accordingly, students should put a lot of thought into both the content of the
manual, as well as its design. A catchy title, slogan, and logo are encouraged.
Objective 7. The student will communicate effectively and persuasively around issues of
public importance in a variety of public venues.
Explanation. As Objective 3 demonstrates, Attentiveness matters.
But so does communication. It’s not enough for young adults to know about the
issues; they must also be able to effectively and persuasively communicate
around issues of public importance. Moreover, they should be able to do so not
just behind a computer screen, but also behind a podium, behind a letter to the
editor, and behind a scholarly report. With that in mind, Challenges for this
objective should ask students to communicate in any and all ways around
important public issues.
Example
Challenge. Energizing Young Elephants
The
GOP is trying really hard to energize younger Americans. Recently, the National Republican Congressional Committee
(NRCC) created a hip new BuzzFeed-like website aimed at getting young people
excited about their message. For this Challenge, students must imagine that they were just hired as
a “Youth Participation Consultant” for the NRCC. Their job is to serve as a
representative for the Millennial generation and help the NRCC design an ad
campaign that communicates their social message to Millenials. The ad campaign
must include four posters and the students must hold a focus group with 3-5
Millenials to determine how the posters will be received. A one-page evaluation
of the ad campaign’s effectiveness (based on findings from the focus group)
must be submitted.
