Focus: Understanding Economics in Civics and Government

1. Focus: Understanding Economics in Civics and Government Lee County Public Schools Mark C. Schug, Ph.D. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Florida Council on Economic Education

2. Overview • Why civics is important • Some problems teaching civics • Civics is changing • Can economics help? • Overview of Focus: Understanding Economics in Civics and Government • Demonstration of lessons 1 and 8

3. The Importance of Civics • The nation relies on civics courses to teach young people: • How our democratic institutions work. • How citizens participate in a democratic system. • How to maintain a reasoned loyalty yet critical view of our democratic institutions, legal system, and politicians. • The nation generally supports civics education.

4. Problems Teaching Civics • But, civics teaching is criticized as being • Boring in content • Boring in pedagogy • Superficial • Trivial • And, achievement levels leave room for improvement. • Let’s look at some recent surveys.

5. This group commissioned a 2004 survey to be conducted with a sample of 1,219 adults over age 18 thought to be representative of the U.S population. 2004 Alliance for Representative Democracy Survey

7. Americans believe civic education should be a central part of public schools. • Although the public believes the most important goal of public schools is developing basic skills, seven in ten say preparing students to be competent and responsible citizens is a “central purpose of public schools.” • They rank civic education as just as important as preparing students for college.

8. Americans believe civic education develops positive character traits that are valuable to society. • Ninety-one percent value civic education programs in public schools because they are “important for maintaining a healthy democracy.” • The public believes civic education makes a major contribution to developing responsible citizens (cited by 94 percent), instilling a • sense of national pride (90 percent) and increasing political participation (88 percent).

9. Americans believe civic education develops positive character traits ... • Large majorities also endorse civic education as effective in improving student academic achievement (85 percent), preparing students for employment (84 percent) and improving student behavior (80 percent).

10. But, schools and students are not doing a good enough job. • Americans give publicschools a C grade for the job they are doing in training students to be competent and responsible citizens. • Young people receive a C- for their civic awareness and engagement.

11. Survey of Americans by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (2006-2007) • Intercollegiate Studies Institute surveyed 2,508 American adults. • While Americans disagree on many public issues, they maintain a broad national consensus on the importance of civic literacy. • It found widespread support for civics at the college level.

12. Survey of Americans by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (2006-2007) • But the survey showed much remains to be done. • Theaverage score on a basic test of civics was 49%. • Less than half could name all three branches of the government. • 21% knew that the phrase “government of the people, by the people, for the people” comes from Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.

13. Survey of Americans by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (2006-2007) • 53% knew that the power to declare war belongs to Congress. Almost 40% incorrectly believe it belongs to the president. • 27% knew the Bill of Rights expressly prohibits establishing an official religion for the United States.

14. National Achievement Reports for Social Studies: The Big 4 • Civics • Economics • Geography • History

15. NAEP Achievement Levels 36 % below basic 21 % below basic 30 % below basic

16. NAEP Achievement Levels: History 55 % below basic

17. Civics Is Changing • Core standards all stress civics, economics, geography, and history. • State standards are placing more emphasis on teaching economics in non-economics courses such as civics.

18. What Can Economics Contribute? • Economic institutions are shaped by the legal system. • Economics helps focus on real world issues and controversies. • Economics can be used to understand the behavior of elected officials.

19. 2011 National State Survey by the CEE • High school economic requirements continue to increase.

21. Civics Standards in Florida

22. Civics Standards in Florida

23. Focus: Understanding Economics in Civics and Government Overview

24. Authors • William Bosshardt Florida Atlantic University • Phillip J. VanFossen • Purdue University • Mark C. Schug • University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee • Steven Miller • The Ohio State University

25. Director and Editor • PROJECT DIRECTOR: Rich MacDonald St. Cloud State University • EDITOR: Richard Western University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

26. Features • 20 complete lessons • Standards-based • Economics • Civics • Classroom tested

27. Features • Lessons Plans: • Self contained • Detailed procedures • Visuals • Activities • Assessments • Multiple Choice • Constructed Response

30. Table of Contents

31. Focus: Understanding Economics in Civics and Government LESSON 1 HOW DO CONSTITUTIONS SHAPE ECONOMIC SYSTEMS?

36. What’s going on in this picture?

37. What’s going on in this picture?

41. Focus: Understanding Economics in Civics and Government LESSON 8 Economic Misery and Presidential Elections

49. Questions