Students’ Civic Development Dependent Upon Teachers as Civic Role Models and Cultivators of Family Engagement

by Shawn P. Healy, PhD, Democracy Program Director

Last week, I documented 8^th graders’ uneven and inequitable exposure to proven civic learning practices according to the disaggregated results of the 2018 National Assessment of Educational Progress in Civics. Further data analysis revealed the critical role that teacher experience and dispositions play in students’ civic development, including the extent to which educators engage families in the learning process.

Education Week noted that students served by teachers whose primary role is in social studies and specifically civics or government outperformed those for whom it’s a secondary responsibility by a statistically significant, six-point margin, 159 to 153 (on a 300-point scale). Student scores are reflective of their proficiency in civic knowledge and skills.

In the same vein, teaching experience factored into student performance, with veteran teachers (three or more years of experience) besting novice teachers (two years or less) by a statistically significant margin. While student scores peaked in classrooms where teachers had 6-10 years of experience, score differentials among teachers with three or more years of experience are statistically insignificant from one another except for teachers with 11-20 years of tenure topping those with 3-5. 

Social studies teachers have the potential to serve as civic role models, and students with such teachers outperform those without. For example, students with teachers who claim that “concern about state and local issues is an important responsibility” is “exactly” or “quite a bit” like them have higher average scale scores on 2018 NAEP Civics than those who align only “somewhat,” “a little,” or “not at all.” 

Similarly, students with teachers who can “definitely” explain the importance of paying attention to the political process and government outperform those who “probably,” “maybe,” “probably can’t,” and “definitely can’t.” 

 

Likewise, teachers’ ability to explain the importance of individual participation in the political process and government boosted student performance. Student scores with teachers suggesting they “definitely can” exceeded those of all other ratings, and each related score with an inferior rating is significantly lower apart from those answering “maybe” and “probably can’t.” 

Teachers and schools also facilitate students’ civic development by engaging families in civic learning.

• Students scored best on 2018 NAEP Civics when talking about their studies at home two-to-three times weekly.
• Similarly, performance peaked for students who discussed current political events or issues outside of school once or twice a week.
• And students who read about current political events outside of school at least once or twice weekly boasted the highest average scale scores (statistically insignificant from those who read about current political issues daily).
• Finally, last week I illuminated the racial/ethnic disparities in students’ participation in community volunteerism outside of school. Overall, students who volunteered once or twice a year outperformed those who never volunteered.

In sum, schools and districts should ensure that experienced social studies teachers whose primary responsibility is civics or government foster students’ civic development. They should also ensure these teachers have access to ongoing professional development opportunities that build their own civic dispositions, not to mention an understanding that teachers serve as civic role models. Finally, teachers and schools must do more to engage families in students’ civic learning experiences, from news attentiveness to political discussions over the dinner table to community volunteerism.