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INTERPRETING CIVIC EDUCATION IN AMERICAN EDUCATIONAL THOUGHT FROM PROGRESSIVISM THROUGH MULTICULTURALISM A Dissertation by JEREMY KELTON WILLIAMS Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY August 2011 Major Subject: Curriculum and Instruction Interpreting Civic Education in American Educational Thought from Progressivism Through Multiculturalism Copyright August 2011 Jeremy Kelton Williams INTERPRETING CIVIC EDUCATION IN AMERICAN EDUCATIONAL THOUGHT FROM PROGRESSIVISM THROUGH MULTICULTURALISM A Dissertation by JEREMY KELTON WILLIAMS Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Approved by: Chair of Committee, Lynn M. Burblaw Committee Members, Larry J. Kelly Carlos K. Blanton Walter D. Kamphoefner Head of Department, Dennie Smith August 2011 Major Subject: Curriculum and Instruction iii ABSTRACT Interpreting Civic Education in American Educational Thought from Progressivism Through Multiculturalism. (August 2011) Jeremy Kelton Williams, B.A. Political Science, Emory & Henry College; M.Ed., Texas A&M University Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Lynn M. Burlbaw This dissertation is a historical examination of citizenship education in the United States, beginning in the late nineteenth century with the Progressive era, and extending into the 1970s with multiculturalism. It focuses on the thought of education scholars, historians, and. political theorists throughout the twentieth century. It examines their efforts to define citizenship in the United States, and how that idea should be presented to students in the classroom. In doing so, this dissertation examines the manner in which the events of the twentieth century dramatically influenced the collective understanding of what being a “good citizen” means in the United States; and it considers the consequences of these changes in relationship to how children have been taught to engage in social and political life. It begins with a discussion of civic learning under the educational philosophies of social pedagogy and social efficiency in the Progressive era. It continues with an examination of the consequences of World War I and the Great Depression on the thought of educational scholars concerning citizenship education. This is followed by an iv analysis of the transition from Progressive education to Essentialist education in the middle of the century, and the consequences this had on civic education in the Cold War and Civil Rights Movement. This dissertation concludes by considering how the events of the twentieth century have influenced citizenship education in the era of standardization and globalization. Ultimately, this study finds that our understanding of citizenship, as it is expressed in the school curriculum, is profoundly influenced by our collective understanding of civic ideals and the American identity. These ideals and this identity are an evolving construct that is, in turn, influenced by the ideas and events of the period. Therefore, what is often perceived as a decline in citizenship education in schools, is actually a shift in the values of citizenship. v DEDICATION To my father, James Martin Williams (1936 – 2010) vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank everyone who has offered input and made it possible for me to complete this dissertation. First, I would like to thank the members of my committee, Dr. Lynn Burlbaw, Dr. Larry Kelly, Dr. Carlos Blanton, and Dr. Walter Kamphoefner. Thanks, especially, to Dr. Burlbaw for generously offering support and the opportunity to talk through ideas, as well as for the academic freedom to pursue my own research. I am also grateful to Dr. Kelly for the personal and professional support that he has provided throughout my graduate career. And I would like to thank Dr. Blanton for his generous offering of time and for providing invaluable feedback on my dissertation. Among others to whom I owe a deep debt of gratitude, first and foremost is Dr. Christie Maloyed. Her many years of support and friendship, as well as her countless readings of drafts of these chapters have helped shape this dissertation. Thanks also to the many friends I have made in graduate school who have read drafts of chapters and provided feedback. I would also like to thank Dr. Joe Lane for encouraging me to pursue graduate school in the first place. Last, but not least, I would like to thank my friends and family who have supported me throughout my life and educational career. First and foremost, thanks to my parents who have always offered love and support, and encouraged me to always set and strive for higher goals. Gratitude must go to my sister Katie, and her husband, Jared, as well as my brother, Daniel, for their love and support. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT.............................................................................................................. iii DEDICATION .......................................................................................................... v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................................... vi TABLE OF CONTENTS.......................................................................................... vii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION AND LITERATURE REVIEW............................... 1 Literature Review........................................................................... 14 Statements and Questions............................................................... 32 Methodology .................................................................................. 34 Outline............................................................................................ 35 II SOCIAL CITIZENSHIP AND THE COMMUNITY CITIZEN ......... 40 From Moral Education to Social Citizenship................................. 49 Social Pedagogy and Social Citizenship ........................................ 55 Progressivism and Social Citizenship ............................................ 59 Community Civics.......................................................................... 65 III SPLINTERED CITIZENSHIP ............................................................ 71 Progressive Responses to World War I.......................................... 75 Americanization ............................................................................ 80 Social Reconstruction and Progressive Responses to the Great Depression...................................................................................... 93 IV TURNING THE PAGE FROM PROGRESSIVISM TO ESSENTIALISM ................................................................................. 103 Essentialism.................................................................................... 106 Essentialism and Anti-Intellectual Attacks .................................... 114 Essentialism and Cold War Citizenship......................................... 117 viii CHAPTER Page Social Studies Responds to the NDEA .......................................... 126 Essentialist Implications for Multiculturalism ............................... 129 V CONCLUSION ..................................................................................... 137 Global Citizenship.......................................................................... 138 Moral and Patriotic Citizenship Since the 1980s ........................... 141 Effects of Standards and High-Stakes Testing on Citizenship Education .................................................................... 144 Extra-Curricular Citizenship Education ......................................... 147 Conclusion...................................................................................... 150 BIBLIOGRAPHY ..................................................................................................... 157 VITA ......................................................................................................................... 177 1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION AND LITERATURE REVIEW The dramatic events of the twentieth century have produced a particularly dynamic social and political landscape in the United States. Subsequently the American educational system has struggled to keep up with the pace of change in meeting the needs of both students and society. With the expansion of our collective knowledge, scientific discoveries, and social theories the modern curriculum is vastly different than it was a century ago. Furthermore educators have adapted both the curriculum and instructional practices to meet more fully the needs of an increasingly diverse student population. Despite these changes, many of the fundamental characteristics of American public schools have remained the same. First and foremost the pursuit of democratic ends has remained the theoretical foundation upon which American public education is established. Therefore, a primary function of a democratic educational system is to prepare students to be effective and contributing democratic citizens. Interpreting the characteristics of good democratic citizenship and determining the civic purposes of schools in educating students for citizenship has served as the undercurrent in the debates among educators, scholars, and policy-makers seeking to reform the system. The difficulty of conceptualizing citizenship is reflected in the numerous definitions that begin so many works on the subject. Most include