Let's Do Democracy and Make Sure Civics is Woven Throughout Illinois' ESSA State Plan

by Shawn Healy, PhD, Civic Learning Scholar

Last month, I shared testimony provided to the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) on their first draft of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) State Plan. My colleague Sonia Mathew weighed in separately on our work with Illinois Democracy Schools (see page 522).

ISBE has since issued its second draft of the ESSA State Plan, responding to more than 280 individual comments, 54 from organizations, 70 from students advocating for the arts, and 60 from librarians. This post represents a call for the state’s civic learning community to do democracy and weigh on the ESSA plan prior to December 27, 2016.

It’s fair to say that the second draft of the ESSA plan provides little more than lip service to the social studies and civics in particular. However, our collective work aligns well with the central thrusts of the plan.

• Section 2 addresses state academic standards, and we have emerging K-12 social science standards due for implementation coincident with the 2017-2018 school year. While we lack accountability mechanisms like the other core subject areas, our teachers, schools, and districts need tremendous support in facilitating the paradigm shift our standards represent for the social studies.
• Section 3 speaks to school accountability, support, and improvement. Not only is our Democracy Schools Initiative tied to the Illinois 5Essentials referenced in the report and widely employed by schools throughout the state, but we also offer extensive support mechanisms for schools seeking to strengthen commitments to students’ civic development in the form of funding and membership in the Democracy Schools Network.
• Section 4 focuses on supporting educators, long the center of our Democracy Schools work, and key to our efforts to support implementation of the new high school civics course requirement and related 9-12 social studies standards. Our model of peer-to-peer learning through teacher mentoring and ongoing, face-to-face professional development opportunities employs best practices and would benefit from partnership with ISBE and further integration into the ESSA State Plan.
• Finally, Section 5 centers on students, and it’s important to say that their civic development is every bit as critical as college and career readiness. The ESSA draft plan should be credited for emphasizing students’ social and emotional development, but must also embrace their education for democracy at a time and in a place where it’s needed more than ever.

Please articulate these points and your own personal touches in email comments to ISBE via their designated email address (essa@isbe.net) no later than December 27, 2016. If you’re able, we also encourage you to attend Round Three Listening Tour Sessions facilitated by ISBE. They began this week in Chicago and conclude next Thursday in Decatur.

We pursue this work at a time of disconcerting uncertainty. Federal education policies are very much up in the air, and the Springfield Stalemate has only added fuel to a challenging environment. The bitter 2016 Election and its still-evolving aftermath further underline the importance of our collective efforts to educate our students for democracy. It’s up to us to make the case to our state leaders on their behalf. Better yet, follow the lead of our friends in the arts and engage them in doing the democracy we all teach.