Annual Meeting 2011
"Reviving Civics Education in Nebraska"
The AFCON Annual Meeting took place Saturday, November 12 and included a panel of speakers on the topic "Reviving Civics Education in Nebraska." The panelists were Walter Zink, Dennis McIntyre and Tim Bayne, all members of the Civics Nebraska Partnership Advisory Countil (CNPAC). This council was established by the Nebraska State Board of Education in 2007. Walt Zink chairs the council and McIntyre and Bayne are among the members. All three spoke passionately about the council’s work and the progress they’ve
made.
Zink related that one of the council’s purposes is assessment of the status of civics education in Nebraska. Another is to provide guidance to the state board of education to assure that civics education is part of a well-rounded educational program. Zink added that “civics is an on-going responsibility of citizenship.” With a set of guiding principles in mind the council set out to develop ideas, plans and proposals to encourage improvements in civics education. The council’s deliberations have resulted in the view that civics education must be about doing and not about testing. The focus should be on student participation
and engagement. In the absence of testing, the working concept is development of a portfolio program. The portfolio program will be a way to measure learning. Pencil and paper testing will ideally give way to evidence of "doing".
For his part, Dennis McIntyre said that the council addressed the issue of “how to do" civics education. He went on to add that the council adopted a definition of civics education as the measurement of how connected you are to your community. Schools can encourage civics education at early grade levels, introducing student experiences in making decisions while tracking student involvement at every grade level.
Walter Zink went on to say that the council spent a lot of time trying to decide what civics education means. He emphasized that civics is an educational issue and not a political issue, and that it crosses all subject areas. He added that the success of CNPAC’s and the State Board of Education’s efforts depends on the extent that schools embrace civics education – essentially by embracing the civic mission of schools. There is no enforcement of the council's recommendations, only the potential that comes from introducing and encouraging student engagement as well as service learning experiences.
Tim Bayne emphasized that civics education involves critical thinking and problem solving.
He added that civics is about being a "servant leader." Bayne observed that understanding cultural differences is a key to learning. Bayne himself was instrumental in development of the Lincoln Public Schools’ Good Citizen Initiative. The guiding principle behind the LPS initiative is “that all students . . . should be able to demonstrate actions that represent a citizen who understands the importance of personal responsibility to preserve our democratic ideology by being an engaged citizen.” And further that the initiative “is an opportunity for students to not only learn the practical applications of their
studies, but to also become actively contributing citizens and community members through the service they perform.”
AFCON has devoted much time and interest to promoting student expression rights and responsibilities. Student expression is a natural extension of civics education initiatives. The Civics Nebraska Partnership Advisory Council is demonstrating service and leadership in its efforts to promote civics education throughout Nebraska. The Civics Nebraska Partnership is inspiring and has great potential for Nebraska’s future, a future led by people with a lifelong commitment to civic engagement
made.
Zink related that one of the council’s purposes is assessment of the status of civics education in Nebraska. Another is to provide guidance to the state board of education to assure that civics education is part of a well-rounded educational program. Zink added that “civics is an on-going responsibility of citizenship.” With a set of guiding principles in mind the council set out to develop ideas, plans and proposals to encourage improvements in civics education. The council’s deliberations have resulted in the view that civics education must be about doing and not about testing. The focus should be on student participation
and engagement. In the absence of testing, the working concept is development of a portfolio program. The portfolio program will be a way to measure learning. Pencil and paper testing will ideally give way to evidence of "doing".
For his part, Dennis McIntyre said that the council addressed the issue of “how to do" civics education. He went on to add that the council adopted a definition of civics education as the measurement of how connected you are to your community. Schools can encourage civics education at early grade levels, introducing student experiences in making decisions while tracking student involvement at every grade level.
Walter Zink went on to say that the council spent a lot of time trying to decide what civics education means. He emphasized that civics is an educational issue and not a political issue, and that it crosses all subject areas. He added that the success of CNPAC’s and the State Board of Education’s efforts depends on the extent that schools embrace civics education – essentially by embracing the civic mission of schools. There is no enforcement of the council's recommendations, only the potential that comes from introducing and encouraging student engagement as well as service learning experiences.
Tim Bayne emphasized that civics education involves critical thinking and problem solving.
He added that civics is about being a "servant leader." Bayne observed that understanding cultural differences is a key to learning. Bayne himself was instrumental in development of the Lincoln Public Schools’ Good Citizen Initiative. The guiding principle behind the LPS initiative is “that all students . . . should be able to demonstrate actions that represent a citizen who understands the importance of personal responsibility to preserve our democratic ideology by being an engaged citizen.” And further that the initiative “is an opportunity for students to not only learn the practical applications of their
studies, but to also become actively contributing citizens and community members through the service they perform.”
AFCON has devoted much time and interest to promoting student expression rights and responsibilities. Student expression is a natural extension of civics education initiatives. The Civics Nebraska Partnership Advisory Council is demonstrating service and leadership in its efforts to promote civics education throughout Nebraska. The Civics Nebraska Partnership is inspiring and has great potential for Nebraska’s future, a future led by people with a lifelong commitment to civic engagement
