Integrating International and Civic Education

Building on its current work in civic and international education, the Choices Program has developed partnerships with the state departments of education and key civic and international education organizations in Indiana and Maine in order to carry out a three-year initiative to build links between educators focused on civic learning and those focused on international affairs. Working together and drawing on curriculum resources that are content-rich and that include authentic decision-making experiences, we seek to join international and civic education and integrate this into the core curriculum in these states. In addition, we will articulate this as a potential model for use by other states interested in integrating civic and international education within the core social studies curriculum.

This project is funded with support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. This initiative is a partner in the Civic Mission of Schools Campaign. The primary partners in this project are:

During the first phase of the grant period, work took place in Indiana and Maine to align the Choices Program’s curriculum resources, and the Capitol Forum on America’s Future program that grows out of them, with current state curriculum standards and civic and international education initiatives. As standards in each state are revised, participants in this program are participating in this work.

Alignment with State Standards

Indiana
Choices and the Indiana State Standards
Capitol Forum Indiana and the Indiana State Standards
Indiana State Standards

Maine
Choices Program and Capitol Forum and the Maine Learning Results
Choices Unit and the Maine Learning Results and Performance Indicators
Proposed Revised Maine Learning Results—Social Studies

Throughout the three-year period extensive professional development is taking place with secondary level social studies teachers in Maine and Indiana focused on integrating the teaching of civic habits and skills with the content of international studies in the secondary school classroom. In order to shape professional development to meet the needs of teachers in these states, professional development is led by peers who are trained by Choices and engaged with key education leaders in Indiana and Maine.

In addition to professional development with teachers, Capitol Forum programs are being established and institutionalized in Indiana and Maine. Run on a statewide basis in participating states, the Capitol Forum takes place within the social studies classroom and beyond the classroom at the state capitol. It provides an opportunity for students to become actively involved in studying and deliberating with their peers on important current international issues and then to have their voices heard beyond the confines of their own classroom or school.

The ultimate goals of this initiative are to incorporate civic learning around contested international issues—past and present—into the core social studies curriculum at the secondary level in these two states and to provide a model for others. It is expected that when the three-year grant period is over, ongoing work will be in place with the state departments of education in Indiana and Maine to incorporate the kind of teaching and learning demonstrated in this program into their core standards and assessment.

In addition to formative internal evaluation throughout the project, an extensive external research study is being launched to measure the immediate and longer-term impact that classroom deliberation concerning international issues has on students' knowledge, civic skills, and participative dispositions. At the conclusion of the project, a report will be developed and disseminated to decision-makers in state departments of education, state legislatures, state and national educational organizations, professional networks, and the media in the participating states and nationally. Longitudinal data will continue to be collected after the three-year grant period.