October 2013 V5

Policy Brief Series and and Cooperation on Civic : Experiences in the Americas

Department of Development,Oficina de Educación Education andy Cultura Employment SEDIDDHEC/SEDI Programa Interamericáno sobre Educación en Valores y Prácticas Democráticas The Inter-American Program on Education for Democratic Values and Practices is a hemispheric About of ministries of education, civil society organizations, international organizations, universi- The Program ties and private sector organizations working to strengthen education for democratic citizenship through cooperation, research and professional development.

Officially adopted at the IV Inter-American Meet- ing of the Ministers of Education on Trinidad and Tobago, in August 2005, its main objective is to promote the development and strengthening of a democratic culture in the Americas through formal and non-formal education.

For more information about the Inter-American Pro- gram please contact us at: [email protected] or visit our Web page www.educadem.oas.org

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Coordination Principal Writers Department of Human Development, Charles N. Quigley, Education and Employment Director Work Organization of American States Alissa Irion, Assistant Director, Editorial Team Civitas International Programs Romina Kasman Contributors and Reviewers Team Graphic Design John Hale, Associate Director Diana Valentina Pernett Jack N. Hoar, Director, Civitas International Programs Editor Mark Gage, Director of Publishing

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www.educadem.oas.org Government and Civil Society Cooperation on Civic Education Policy: Experiences in the Americas

A. Introduction ...... page 5 Content B. What Kinds of Policies support Civic Education? ...... page 6

C. Strategies for Cooperative Development and Promotion of Civic Education Policies ...... page 9

D. Case Studies of Government and CSO Collaboration in the Development and Implementation of in Civic Education ...... page 10

E. Lessons Learned from Collaborative Experiences in the Americasn ...... page 20

F. Recommendations for Future Collaboration ...... page 23

G. Conclusion ...... page 24

H. Appendices ...... page 24 October 2013 Summary 5

At their essence, programs and in education for democratic citizenship are inspired by the goal of encouraging students to become active participants in their com- volume munities at the level of school, city, nation, and beyond. In keeping with the nature of this objective, these programs should be designed through the collaborative efforts of all sectors of society so that students can be integrated into the social and political fabric of their communities in the most effective and legitimate way possible.

The Inter-American Program on Education for Democratic Values and Practices is a hemi- spheric alliance of ministries of education, civil society organizations, international organi- zations, universities, and private-sector organizations working to build human capital and strengthen the capacities of institutions to develop of education for democratic citizenship policies, programs and initiatives. From the Inter-American Program’s perspective, intersec- toral dialogue and cooperation is one of the most comprehensive approaches to formulate and implement legitimate and effective initiatives in the field of education for democratic citizenship. Therefore, through our activities we are committed to continue catalyzing and Policy Brief Series: Education and Democracy Policy promoting discussions about experiences of collaboration between different types of insti- tutions, and in this case, between civil society organizations and government institutions, in order to explore their results, lessons learned and challenges identified. In expanding and illuminating these discussions, we hope to enhance political and social dialogue, as well as to incite stakeholders in civic education to share their recommendations for further action with the OAS and our allies to increase and improve the spaces and mechanisms through which individuals and institutions from different sectors may explore and develop collaborative working models to develop policies, programs, and initiatives in the field. in eighty-four countries to develop, implement, network of government andcivilsociety partners forty years,theCenter hasbeenworkingwitha United States and other countries. For more than vely engagedinthepractice ofdemocracyinthe ry committedtodemocratic principles andacti- promote anenlightened andresponsible citizen- nization basedinCalifornia whosemissionisto (www.civiced.org), anonprofitnonpartisanorga- States (OAS) by theCenterfor CivicEducation cation Section of the Organization of American and PracticesoftheHumanDevelopment &Edu- can Programfor EducationonDemocratic Values This briefhasbeenpreparedfor theInter-Ameri- ces? Howcantheybeimproved? grams? What canwelearn fromtheseexperien- on theresultsofciviceducationpoliciesandpro- efforts ontheprocessofdeveloping policiesand ders? What hasbeentheimpactofcollaborative benefits identifiedbyparticipantinstitutions/lea - and policies? What havebeenthechallenges and society collaborated oncivic education programs llowing: Inwhatwayshavegovernmentandcivil cation. Itwillexplore questionssuchasthefo- cratic participationintheAmericasthroughedu- to useindeveloping policiesthatpromotedemo- licymakers and others interested in public policy current experiences toprovidearesourcefor po- This briefisintendedtodrawuponprevious and mocratic aspirationsthroughciviceducation. civil societycanworktogethertofurthertheirde- provide information abouthowgovernment and must functionseparately.Italsoendeavorsto perception thatgovernmentagenciesandCSOs outcomes. This policybriefseekstocounterthe coordinate theirefforts toachieve better policy many waysinwhichbothcancollaborate and ty havedifferent roles inpolicymaking,thereare education. Althoughgovernmentandcivilsocie- democratic valuesandpracticesthroughcivic ment, andevaluate publicpoliciesthatpromote organizations (CSOs)tocreate,establish,imple- governmental agenciesworkingwithcivilsociety examples ofministrieseducationandother In theAmericasthereareanumberofsuccessful A. Introduction system? 2. public. public orselected audiences withinthegeneral in educationalinstitutionsand/orfor the general common good.Civiceducationcanbeconducted for therightsofindividualsandadevotion tothe of constitutionaldemocracy,includingarespect mitment to the fundamental values and principles tion shouldbecharacterized byareasonedcom- of theircommunitiesandnations. This participa- and responsible participation inthepoliticallife devoted tofostering amongcitizens competent 1. policymaking. proceeding withthediscussionofciviceducation dress someprerequisiteunderstandingsbefore The following subsectionsofthisintroduction ad- (5) suggestsnext stepstofurtherthisdiscussion. can beappliedtoguidefuturecollaboration, and the Americas,(4)providesrecommendationsthat experiences ofgovernmentagenciesandCSOsin ples and lessons learned from the collaborative and promotethesepolicies,(3)presentsexam- agencies andCSOscancollaborate todevelop (2) highlightssomethewaysinwhichgovernment ces sample policiesthatsupportciviceducation, cussion andresearchonthistopic.It(1)introdu- search andpractice and aimstofoster further dis- The brief builds upon existing knowledge from re- grams andpolicies. evaluate, andinstitutionalize civiceducationpro- example, requirements for civic educationmay mote thecommon goodorgeneral welfare. For to protecttherightsof thepeople andtopro- used bygovernmentto fulfillitsresponsibilities rules, or oragreed-upon procedures b. Public policies areoftenembodiedinlaws, its elementary andsecondaryschools. civic educationistaughtatevery gradelevel in nation may establish a policyofrequiring that with publicissuesorproblems. For example, a course ofactionoraprocedureusedindealing a. Apublicpolicyisaconceptthatguides a What ispublicpolicyinademocraticpolitical What isciviceducation?Civiceducation 5 Policy Brief Series: Education and Democracy volume 5 October 2013 be embodied in created by national and/ or local or regulations established by ministries of education. CSOs function within the parameters of available resources and spaces for discourse with public 3. How is public policy created, implemented, institutions. Each country, state, or community and evaluated? Whereas it is the role of gover- has a different and institutional nment to adopt policies, these policies can be contexts for public discourse, which affect the role

October 2013 created, implemented, and evaluated by gover- of CSOs in policy development and implementa- nmental institutions independently or in concert tion in that locality. The political and institutional 5 with private-sector agencies and institutions, context at a particular point in time affects how such as business and industry, and civil society open the discourse can be and how much oppor- organizations. For example, ministries of educa- tunity for discourse is available. Policymakers can tion have used existing national, regional, and lo- involve CSOs in policy discussions and decision- volume cal networks to implement civic education policy making processes by setting up mechanisms to in educational institutions and in non-formal edu- receive civil society input and providing multiple cational settings. In some instances, often with opportunities for joint discussions. the assistance of CSOs, they have fostered the creation of new networks for this purpose. 5. What are the roles of networks in advancing policy development? Networks of public- and pri- 4. What is the role of civil society in public policy vate-sector organizations and individuals, within development and implementation? CSOs focu- countries and internationally, can advance policy sed on promoting democracy can have a signifi- development by cant role in the development and implementation of civic education policy. Each CSO has a specific a. Articulating and disseminating knowledge mission and human resources with technical skills about the topic on subregional, regional, or to support this mission. Oftentimes CSOs have worldwide levels. This may enhance the ex- networks of affiliated professionals and commu- change of information, ideas, and experiences. nity members who further support this mission. It might also enhance the development of public policies in different regions by focusing upon

Policy Brief Series: Education and Democracy Policy a. CSOs can assist or collaborate with govern- lessons learned regarding the effectiveness of ment in the creation, implementation, and eva- alternative policies and their implementation. luation of policies. b. Assisting in establishing contacts and buil- b. CSOs, by expanding participation in the po- ding relationships licy process, can help to ensure that policies c. Increasing collaboration and providing multi- effectively address public needs, are imple- ple sources of input about policy design, imple- mented fairly, are sustained over time, are seen mentation, and . as legitimate, and receive widespread public support. B. What Kinds of Policies Support Civic Educa- tion?

As government agencies develop policies in sup- port of civic education, either independently or in conjunction with civil society, they can consider a wide range of choices. Such choices can focus on civic education that takes place within edu- cational institutions. Civic education policies can also address audiences outside of educational institutions, such as the general public or selec- ted audiences within it. Policies supporting civic education can be instituted at the national, regio- nal, and/or local levels.

To support civic education that takes place within 6 educational institutions, policy choices range examples of civiceducationcontent standards of acontent standard.(Thisdefinition andfurther tional government.” This statementisanexample zation, andfunctionsof thebranchesoftheirna- should beable todescribethepurposes,organi- that bytheendofsecondary school“Students ge acquired.For example, supposeitisdecided should knowandbeable todowiththeknowled- A “standard” isthespecification ofwhatstudents condary schooling. or theendofelementary, secondary,orpost-se- course ofstudycanbetheendagrade level ge at the end of a course of study. The end of a should knowandbeable todowiththeirknowled- based onstandardsistospecifywhatstudents The firststepindeveloping acurriculum thatis the examples givenwillfocus oncivic education. subject areaoftheschoolcurriculum.However, curriculum development that can be used for any of acomprehensivepolicystandards-based The following brieflyoutlinesthemajor elements sive standards-based curriculum development. acomprehenAlternative 1:Apolicysupporting - integration ofciviceducationinothersubjects. required coursesatspecificgradelevels and/or and (3) a policy supporting the establishment of selected elements ofacomprehensiveprogram, vic education, (2) a policy supporting sequentially policy supporting a comprehensive program in ci- prehensive toleast comprehensive. They are(1)a that areofdecreasingmagnitudefrommostcom- summarizes threeapproaches,oralternatives, following cation ineducationalinstitutions.The I. Approachestopolicyfocusedoncivicedu- the like. ration, immigrant education, adult education, and de educationalprogramsfocused onvoterprepa- Programs addressedtoselected audiencesinclu- res, citizen rights,andgovernmentregulations. audience, such as education on procedu- include avarietyofcontentapplicable toawide use themediaasaneducationaltoolandcan Programs addressedtothegeneralpublicoften rious gradelevels. or morerequiredcoursesinciviceducationatva- to moremodestpolicies,suchasestablishingone precollegiate andsometimescollegiate education “standards-based” reform oftheentirecurricula of from averycomprehensiveapproachsupporting 1. Curriculumandassessment approach. and professional development that support this Education ofpoliciesincurriculum,assessment, cludes recommendationsfromtheCenterfor Civic proach tocurriculumdevelopment. The outlinein- nes themajorelements ofastandards-basedap- at asatisfactory level. The following brieflyoutli- that will enable them to achieve the standards upon providingstudentsthekindsofexperiences of theapproachshouldbe“aligned,” orfocused been agreed upon, then all other related elements Once asetofstandardsinciviceducationhas vic Educationfor studentsintheUnitedStates.) and Government,developed bytheCenterfor Ci - can befound intheNationalStandardsfor c. Requiredcourses b. Curricular frameworks a. Standards tive methodologies and participatory ap- Such instruction should incorporate interac- in theschoolcurriculum throughoutK–12. ment for instruction incivicsandgovernment ii. Policy recommendation: Aformal require- can chooseattheirdiscretion. opposed to “elective courses” that students students at a particular level of schooling, as matics, andcivicsthatarerequiredfor all i. Definition:Coursessuchashistory,mathe- cation. adoption ofaK–12frameworkincivicedu- ii. Policy recommendation: Development and Civic EducationScope&Sequence.) learned ateachgradelevel. (SeeCalifornia the standards to be met and content to be i. Definition:Anorganized plan thatdefines condary ortertiarygrades(K–12K–16). grades of schooling from primary through se- standards incivicsandgovernmentfor all establishment ofcontentandperformance ii. Policy recommendation: Development and the endof12thgrade. point inthelearning process; for example, by should knowandbeable to do atacertain i. Definition: Statements of what students 7 Policy Brief Series: Education and Democracy volume 5 October 2013 proaches that allow students to demonstrate pment: the continuing education teachers civic knowledge, practice civic skills, and as- may receive during their professional career. sess their own progress. iii. Policy recommendation: Establishment of pre-service and in-service education pro- d. Curricular materials grams to develop the capacity of teachers to provide high-quality instruction in the use of i. Definition: Any materials for teacher or stu- the instructional materials in order to promote attainment of the standards. October 2013 dent use in the instructional process. Such materials can suggest instructional content 5 and methodology. For teachers this might in- b. Credentialing clude materials ranging from course outlines, lesson plans, and teacher’s guides to the use i. Definition: The qualifications candidates for of textbooks. For students it might include teaching positions in public educational insti-

volume such materials as printed or online textbooks, tutions must meet in order to receive a licen- workbooks, software applications, or videos. se or credential necessary for employment; ii. Policy recommendation: Provision of ins- for example, a bachelor of arts degree in a tructional materials aligned with the stan- subject such as government or history ac- dards and curriculum framework. companied by one to two years of training in education, including practice teaching under e. Assessment the supervision of a master teacher. i. Definition: The use of test instruments and ii. Policy recommendation: Establishment of procedures to determine student attainment licensure to ensure that all teachers develop of the knowledge, and participa- the subject matter and pedagogical exper- tory skills, dispositions, and behaviors that tise needed to prepare all students to meet are the goals and objectives of educational the standards. instruction. ii. Policy recommendation: Establishment of c. Professional development implementation assessment programs to determine student network attainment of standards. (See the National

Policy Brief Series: Education and Democracy Policy Assessment of Educational Progress Civics i. Definition: Local, regional, or national pu- Assessment. ) blic- or private-sector networks of educators who provide prospective and practicing tea- 2. Professional development (teacher education) chers with training and support to implement curricula with students a. Pre-service and in-service professional de- ii. Policy recommendation: Establishment of velopment a network of professionals who will provide professional development and support to i. Definition: Pre-service professional develo- teachers as they implement civic education pment: The training teachers receive in order programs. to qualify for positions in precollegiate public or private schools. Alternative 2: A policy supporting sequentially ii. Definition: In-service professional develo- selected elements of a comprehensive program. In many instances are faced with various constraints, such as limited financial or human resources, and cannot or choose not to immediately support the development and imple- mentation of all elements of the comprehensive approach described above. Some educational systems have begun by developing standards in civic education or adopting or adapting them from existing sources. They have then selectively developed and implemented one or more ele- ments of the comprehensive approach described 8 above. For example, they might have developed a public, or selected audiences within it, can inclu- Policies supporting civic education for the general among others. electoral commissions,andmediaorganizations, can includeCSOs,government agenciessuchas nal institutions,groups deliveringciviceducation pulations, andothergroups.Asidefromeducatio- children, adults,voters,immigrants,minority po- paigns. Audiencesfor theseprogramscaninclude riential or service learning, and mass-media cam- variety offorms, includinginformal training,expe- public, orselected audienceswithinit,cantakea others. Civiceducationprogramsfor thegeneral as labor unionsorenvironmentalgroups,among sue-specific interestgroupsandcoalitions, such tion, immigranteducation,andprogramsfor is- education, communitydevelopment, adulteduca- supporting civiceducationinsuchareasasvoter audiences withinit.Manycountrieshavepolicies tion programs for the general public or selected II. Approaches to policy support for civic educa- tion. and lead tosupportfor widespreadimplementa- dispel negativedispositionstowardthesubject cation programs and policies. Such a tactic can ceptance andfurtherdevelopment ofcivicedu- lected gradelevels canfoster theincreasedac- The demonstrationofexemplary programsatse- recommended inAlternative1,above. cies insupportofciviceducation,suchasthose be afirststeptowarddeveloping additionalpoli- troduction ofciviceducationinthecurriculumand grades 12 or 16. This approach can lead to the in- or moregradelevels fromkindergartenthrough requiring thatciviceducationbetaughtatone have begunpolicysupportfor civiceducationby ge, orscience.ManycountriesintheAmericas jects; forexample,inhistory,philosophy,langua- and/or integrationofciviceducationinothersub- ment ofrequired coursesatspecificgradelevels the establish- Alternative 3: A policy supporting described inAlternative1. and implementing allelements oftheapproach intermediate step towards eventually developing approach, Alternative 2 can be undertaken as an like tosupportacomprehensivestandards-based standards. For governmentsthatultimatelywould lopment program,whichareallalignedwiththe by curricular materialsandaprofessional deve- course for oneormoregradelevels accompanied implement effective policies inciviceducation. and CSOscanundertaketogethertodevelop and that representativesofgovernmentalagencies 1. The following summarizes the areasofactions propriate for thelocalcontext. and promoteciviceducationpoliciesthatare ap- agencies andCSOscancollaborate todevelop provide ideasandstrategiesfor howgovernment support civiceducation,thispolicybriefwill now Having describedvariouskindsofpolicies that Promotion ofCivicEducationPolicies C. Strategiesfor Cooperative Development and various audiences. challenges aswellwhathas workedwellwith of policy.Suchexperiences canshedlighton significant information toinform thedevelopment well asothergovernmentagencies,canprovide these needs. The experiences ofcivilsociety,as policies aredeveloped or implemented to address grams to address local needs before government organizations haveinitiatedciviceducationpro- localities andnations.Insomecases,civilsociety both withintheirgeographicdomainandinother examine existing policiesand priorexperiences alternatives, itisrecommendedthatgovernments tives. Before developing orselecting frompolicy Exploring ExistingProgramsandPolicy Alterna- civic knowledge, skills,anddispositions evaluate to programs research of Development • luate civiceducationprograms support CSOsthatdevelop, implement, andeva- to programs grant government of Development • responsible for publiceducationandoutreach sions orpersonnelwithinelectoral commissions and votereducation,suchaselectoral commis- departments, or personnel responsible for civic • Establishment and funding support for agencies, diences withinit: education for thegeneralpublicorselected au- are someexamples ofpoliciesthatsupportcivic tional institutionsintroducedabove. The following de elements ofthepolicyalternativesfor educa- cies d. Fostering implementation ofproposed poli- c. Fostering adoption ofproposedpolicies b. Developing proposed policies and theirimplementation a. Identifying and evaluating existing policies 9 Policy Brief Series: Education and Democracy volume 5 October 2013 e. Evaluating and assessing the impact of the D. Case Studies of Government and CSO Colla- policies boration in the Development and Implementation f. Improving the policies or replacing them with of Public Policy in Civic Education better policies The following case studies are examples of go- 2. Some specific strategies that representatives vernment and civil society collaboration in the of governmental agencies and CSOs can take to development and implementation of public poli- promote civic education policy development and cy in civic education. Organizational leaders and October 2013 implementation include the following: policymakers in various countries throughout the 5 Americas share their unique experiences in these a. Identifying key public- and private-sector case studies. First, civil society leaders describe organizations and decision-making individuals their collaboration with government, the challen- related to civic education policy. These should ges they faced and how they were overcome,

volume include “gatekeepers” who are in decision- and the lessons learned through the experience. making positions and “champions” who are in- Policymakers share their views in the second part fluential advocates. of this section. They describe civic education po- b. Developing the support of key public- and licies in their area, discuss the costs and bene- private-sector organizations and individuals for fits of collaborating with civil society, and explain civic education policies by how the collaboration affected policy outcomes. i. Demonstrating the need for civic education ii. Demonstrating exemplary civic education This collection of case studies from five countries programs that meet the need provides a sampling of the variety of the expe- iii. Involving key people in all steps of the pro- riences that have taken place in the Americas. cess Each case study was provided by a CSO or poli- iv. Building relationships between govern- cymaker in response to a request for information mental agencies and CSOs. on their current and past experiences and is in c. Expanding participation of policymakers in the voice of the contributor. (See the appendix for civic education activities by inviting additional questions addressed by case study contributors.) policymakers to observe and participate in dia-

Policy Brief Series: Education and Democracy Policy logues with governments and CSOs in other The case studies are included in this policy brief countries implementing civic education in order to provide more information about how d. Developing media coverage organizations in the Americas have approached e. Developing community support for civic edu- joint efforts in civic education programs and po- cation licy. In some instances, CSOs initiated collabora- f. Developing a grassroots network that sup- tion, and in others, governmental agencies rea- ports the implementation of effective and legi- ched out to civil society. timate policies The civil society perspectives from Argentina and Brazil highlight civic education efforts initia- ted by CSOs to address local needs. These or- ganizations reached out to government entities to develop partnerships to address common civic education goals and objectives. A local minister of education in Argentina also addresses these efforts in the policymaker subsection, where the minister provides his perspective on civic educa- tion partnerships in Argentina.

The Colombian case study provides a civil society perspective of an effort by the government to in- corporate civil society input, materials, and expe- riences into a national portfolio of initiatives and programs of citizenship competencies. This part- 10 nership between government and civil society is zenship. the responsible andcommittedexercise ofciti- Finally, theybecomeaware oftheimportance affairs, andtheyincrease theirtrustininstitutions. decision-making processes related tocommunity community. They also learn how totakepart in pate asanactiveandcommittedmannerof their project, butalsostrengthentheirabilitytopartici - As a result, students not only learn to create a which they present the projects they developed. cipate instateandnationalshowcaseevents at teachers and their students are invited to parti- swers alocalneed. When theprojectconcludes, to designandlead apublicpolicyprojectthatan- teachers) topreparethemteachtheirstudents ining workshopsfor teachers(mainlysecondary achieve thisobjective,theprogramcarriesouttra- of learning democraticvalues and practices. To different regionsofourcountryinthe process gentina. Its goalistosupportyoung people from been developing for thepasteightyearsinAr- governmental organizationfounded in 1982) has that AsociaciónConciencia(anArgentineannon- ciendo los Valores de la Democracia) is a program Strengthening the Values ofDemocracy(Fortale - 1. Argentina ture. developing aschoolcurriculumoncitizenship cul- strengthen socialcapitalinonemunicipalityby ship betweencivilsocietyandpublicofficialsto The Venezuelan casestudydescribesapartner- ting, andevaluating civiceducationpolicy. the role ofcivilsocietyinformulating, implemen- segment providesapolicymaker’s perspectiveon The U.S.policymaker’s pointofviewinthesecond lop nationalstandardsincivicsandgovernment. nment thenpartneredwithcivilsocietytodeve- into governmentlegislation andhowthegover- civil societynetworkcollaborated toprovideinput The UnitedStatescasestudyhighlightshowa point ofviewinthepolicymakersegment. also addressedfromaColombianpolicymaker’s Civil SocietyOrganizations’Points ofView By SusanaFinger, AsociaciónConciencia Strengthening theValues of Democracy: 2012 Implementation branches (such as the office of the mayor and a tor, butalsofromlocal executive andlegislative cial authorities,notonly fromtheeducationsec- comprehensive agreements with local and provin- in theimplementation oftheprogramtoachieve their community. That iswhyitveryimportant and decision-making processes takingplace in ces heardandbecomepartofpolicydialogue inside andoutsideofschool—tomaketheir voi- more effective opportunitiesfor students—both menting theprojectinaninclusivewaycreates sented bythestudents.Inotherwords,imple- of thepublicpolicyproposalsdeveloped and pre- provincial authorities’ understanding andsupport ment theprogram,butalsoincreaseslocal and authorization toparticipateintrainingandimple- vernment notonlyensuresthatteachersreceive Benefits ofcollaboration.Collaboration withgo - is heldonceevery year. rectly inthenationalshowcaseofprojects,which in theselocalitieswereinvitedtoparticipatedi- out aregionalshowcase. The projectspresented projects by schools in the area needed to carry sessions andresultedinaninsufficientnumberof school representativesfor meetingsand training authorities. This madeitdifficulttobringtogether cooperation wasnotpossible withtheprovincial nicipality to implement the teacher training, such although we were able to work jointly with the mu- there wasachallenge tothis collaborative effort: of themunicipalitiestargetedbyprogram, Challenge facedandhowitwasovercome. In one of Argentinathattheprogramobtainsevery year. terest oftheMinistryEducationNation and ChacoyCorrientes,totheDeclaration ofIn- vinces ofthecountry,suchasCordoba,Jujuy, facility andgovernmentauthorityindifferent pro- added collaborative efforts withevery educational pact ineachcommunity,AsociaciónConciencia tors. With theobjectiveofmakingagreaterim- between the public, private, and civil society sec- tegy toenhanceresultswasthroughcoordination stemmed fromtheconvictionthatbeststra- vincial authorities. The newfocus onpartnerships chers, aswelltoeducational,local,andpro- present theirprojectstootherstudentsandtea- regional showcases where studentswereable to ties, Concienciatrainedteachersandorganized and provincialauthorities.Inparticipatinglocali- and strengthenedpartnershipswithmunicipal 2012, wefocused ourworkoncertainlocalities Civil societycollaborationwithgovernment.For 11 Policy Brief Series: Education and Democracy volume 5 October 2013 local , respectively) and social develop- Public officials’ involvement in this work is essen- ment and youth departments, among others. tial to consolidate young people’s trust and bols- ter their perception of the credibility of institutions The participation of the authorities was of great as well as to increase their civic knowledge about relevance to this program, since they were not how democratic institutions work and how a citi- only able to interact with participating youth, tea- zen may participate in and influence public policy chers, and schools, but they also explained to dialogue and decision-making mechanisms. students the existing mechanisms within demo- October 2013 cratic institutions through which students could 2. Brazil

5 begin implementing the projects they presented. In addition to explaining what was carried out in Civil Society and Government Working each locality with reference to the problems that Together in Education for Peace were addressed, young people were able to pre-

volume sent their demands and work together with the By Gabriela Asmar, Parceiros Brasil authorities to consider the viability of the propo- sals and the possible challenges they would be Parceiros Brasil–Centro de Processos Colaborati- confronted with. These experiences allowed par- vos is the most recent member of the Partners for ticipants to practice citizenship education both Democratic Change global network, which com- inside and outside educational institutions. prises twenty independent centers around the world working to advance conflict and change Lessons learned. Coordination between our orga- according to the needs and cultural nization and the provincial ministries of education, characteristics of each country. municipal departments, educational facilities, and different levels of authorities has enhanced the Parceiros Brasil was created in 2009. After a results of the program as well as expanded its broad assessment of how conflict management reach. In some localities the creation of partners- methodologies would best serve Brazil, focusing hips has been more productive and less complex on schools located in low income and violent than in others, thus reducing some challenges in areas was the clear conclusion. In countries like the implementation of the program. Even though Brazil, third-sector organizations have been pla- it is not always possible to solve the challenges Policy Brief Series: Education and Democracy Policy ying an important role in complementing the work addressed, it is important to continue implemen- the government does to advance the develop- ting intersectoral strategies that involve and en- ment of civil society. gage different members of targeted communi- ties—from students, teachers, and parents to civil Civil society collaboration with government. society organizations and the private sector—in Based on international best practices and local a way that they not only understand the benefits knowledge, Parceiros Brasil and the Municipal of the program for the students, but they also feel Department of Education of Rio de Janeiro deve- ownership of their results. loped a partnership to implement a project called Education for Peace. The project’s main goal is to develop collaborative negotiation and peer me- diation skills in children and youth so that they can be empowered to decide what they want to attain in their own lives. As international expe- riences demonstrate, we have also noticed that students trained in mediation skills tend to take this knowledge home and help their families build win-win solutions to daily problems. This shows that schools have influence beyond their borders.

In many of the country’s regions where we work, schools are the only governmental institutions that are recognized and respected by the com- munity. Principals in these schools are oftentimes 12 requested to intervene in gang fights and con- tutional mandates andgoalsofeducation. steps hadbeentaken to complywiththeconsti- responded totheneeds ofthecountry,important the absenceofciviceducation inclassrooms that It wasevident that inpastadministrations,with Colombia andChile obtainedthelowestrankings. Educational Achievement (IEA)in1999, which the InternationalAssociationfor theEvaluationof ternational studyofciviceducationdeveloped by sons, inresponsetoresultsobtainedfromthe in- program wascreated,amongmanyother rea- National EducationofColombia(2002–2006). This tration ofDr. CeciliaMaría Vélez attheMinistryof prove educationqualityduringthefirstadminis - ted intheframeworkofpoliciesdeveloped toim- The Citizenship CompetenciesProgramwas crea- 3. Colombia UNESCO tosupportandfundit. ro, Petrobras, InstitutoHSBCSolidariedade,and decision oftheU.S.Consulate inRiodeJanei- Department ofEducationwasfundamentaltothe people andincorporateddirect inputsfromthe The fact thatourprojectwasdesigned bymany prone topromoteinsociety. through theculturalchangesthatschoolsare ros Brasil’s missioncanonlybeaccomplished cational challenges. Ontheotherhand,Parcei - grams while schoolpersonneladdressdailyedu- such asParceiros Brasil,canimplement suchpro- monitoring andevaluation. Outsideorganizations, them requiresamethodologyandstructureof tead ofwaitingfor someoneelsetodecidefor that theycanidentifywhataffects theirlivesins- changing thebehaviorofmanyyoungpeople so Lessons learned. The long-termcommitmentof their workasheadsofaneducationalinstitution. med and do not have sufficient time to perform wrong. However, many times they feel overwhel- people tendtolistenwhattheythinkisrightor as legitimate figuresinthesecommunities,and sources. Someschoolrepresentativesareviewed flicts thatinvolvetheuseofcommunity’s re- Building theCitizenshipCompetenciesProgram: By SusanaRestrepo,Fundación Presencia A SuccessfulPartnership between Civil SocietyOrganizations the PublicSectorand civil society in building jointstrategies in the fra- nership between theMinistryof Education and This experience representedameaningful part- implementation strategies. proaches, material,diverse methodologies,and zenship competencies through conceptual ap- moted thebestinitiativesthatdeveloped citi- This portfolio recognized, madevisible, andpro- tity andappreciationofdifferences. and democraticresponsibility,plurality,iden - learning tolivetogetherandpeace,participation to thegroupofcompetenciesthatitfocused on: the portfolio organized eachprogramaccording ponsible institution. To ensureuser-friendliness, objectives, costs,andinformation abouttheres- sented asummaryofeachtheprograms,their audience waslocalministersofeducation,pre- zenship Competencies.” This tool,whoseprimary of a “Portfolio of Initiatives and Programs of Citi- cation. These dialoguesconcluded in thecreation cuss initiativesandprogramsincitizenship edu- sario Jaramillo,createdspacestomeetanddis- the ProgramofCitizenship Competencies,Dr. Ro- Following theconclusionoffora, thedirectorof seminated atthetime. Citizenship…and OneMore,whichwaswidelydis- ministry entitled Fifteen Experiences for Learning of thesewereincludedinabookpublishedbythe organizations tobepresentedintheevent. Some programs, and initiatives developed by different The MinistryofEducationidentifiedexperiences, pic participatedinthefora. ties, andotherrelevant actorsworkingontheto- international civilsocietyorganizations,universi- the program’s beginningsin2004.Nationaland some regionalfora andanationalforum during Ministry ofNationalEducationalsocarriedout standards, andcitizenship competencies,the addition to defining policy on competencies, Civil societycollaborationwithgovernment. In ning tolivetogether. cracy, democraticvalues,humanrights,andlear- used tocovertopicssuchascitizenship, demo- the lack ofpedagogicalandmethodologicaltools learning toliveinacommunityschools,and cumstances ofthecountry,problems related to also createdinresponsetothesociopoliticalcir- tencies Programwascreated. The program was Given thisbackground,theCitizenship Compe- 13 Policy Brief Series: Education and Democracy volume 5 October 2013 mework of education policy and the development of citizenship competencies. 4. United States

Challenges faced. Once the portfolio was publis- The Center for Civic Education and Federal Po- hed and disseminated, the program’s director in- licy vited different organizations to a conference so that they could present their programs to minis- By Charles N. Quigley, Center for Civic Educa- ters of education. The organizations faced one of tion October 2013 their biggest challenges: to present in detail their

5 programs and their benefits and to convince the For decades a major challenge facing advocates ministers or their delegates of the importance of of civic education in the United States has been citizenship competencies. They also needed to the lack of policy and financial support for the field demonstrate how their programs develop the ne- at local, state, and national levels and the conse-

volume cessary knowledge, skills, and attitudes to create quent low priority placed on the subject in com- democratic and trustful environments, peaceful parison with other subjects such as mathematics, coexistence, the exercise of human rights, and a language arts, and the . The Center has democratic life. worked actively on many fronts since the late 1960s to remedy this problem. The following is However, from our perspective, the local minis- one of the most successful of the Center’s many ters did not demonstrate sufficient dispositions efforts to work cooperatively with governmental to consider the proposals on this topic. Nor did institutions to influence public policy. they possess a deep awareness of its fundamen- tal role, the priority that must be placed on the In 1989 the National Governors Association con- development of citizenship competencies during vened a meeting to draft national goals for edu- school years, and the systematic effort required cation that were to shape educational policy at to involve all members of the education commu- national and state levels. The first versions of nity so they may take a leadership role in the its Goals 2000 document emphasized economic process. competitiveness with other nations and did not include civic education. The Center and its net- Another very important challenge that organi- work of colleagues cooperated in a successful Policy Brief Series: Education and Democracy Policy zations face is the lack of resources to promote attempt to get civics and government included their programs. Also, schools need to understand in the list of core disciplines included in the goals that in order to achieve a lifelong learning impact, when the Goals 2000 bill was being considered in well-prepared teachers, didactic tools, and a ra- the U.S. Congress. dical change of traditional teaching methodolo- gies are required. These changes do not occur The Center received a grant from the Pew Chari- spontaneously or automatically. table Trusts to work with leading educators and scholars to develop a conceptual framework for civic education that was entitled CIVITAS and pu- blished in 1991. CIVITAS was delivered to every member of Congress, the Secretary of Education, and other key policymakers and influentials. Sta- ff in the Department of Education said the do- cument convinced the Secretary that civics and government should be considered a core disci- pline in the forthcoming Goals 2000 Act. Center staff and colleagues used the CIVITAS document among other talking points to legitimize civics in the eyes of key staff in Congress whose support resulted in civics and government being included as a core discipline in the new legislation.

Civil society collaboration with government. The 14 Goals 2000 legislation called for the development ting. their establishmentof the policyyouareadvoca- and backingtheyneed tolegitimize andvalidate one’s champions andgatekeepersthesupport and associateswho are capable ofproviding developing supporting networksofcolleagues both ofthemtosupportyou. This oftenrequires position todecidepolicyandmakingiteasy for cause anduponkey“gatekeepers” whoareina policymaking positions who can champion one’s the needtoidentifyandfocus uponpeople inkey Lessons learned.Amongthelessons learned are partment ofEducationfrom1998tothisday. Civics andGovernmentsupportedbytheU.S. De- National Assessments of Educational Progress in nal Standardsled theiruseas thebasisfor the the world. The quality and success of the Natio- as amodelinemergingdemocraciesthroughout and locallevels. They havealsobeenwidelyused dards werewidelyacceptedandusedatstate attacks onthehistorystandards,civicsstan- movement wasderailed byunfortunate political and legitimate. Althoughthe nationalstandards of highqualityandwidelyseenasnon-partisan nal Standardsfor CivicsandGovernment being and transparent process resulted in the Natio- Benefits ofcollaboration. This open, inclusive, same. Center. Agroupofprofessionals inMexico didthe sized theresponsesandprovidedthemto suggestions fromabout2,500teachers,synthe- by Russianeducators,receivedcommentsand newspaper distributed10,000copiesfor review in othernations.For example, aRussianteachers’ ted upon by educators and other professionals public. And,draftswerereviewed andcommen- dards weremadeavailable onlinetothegeneral and otherkeystakeholders.Draftsofthestan- nizations, ethnic groups, governmental agencies, presentatives ofallthekeyeducationalorga- review committeesofthestandardsincludedre- dards. The nationaladvisorycommittee andother states toenlisttheirhelpindeveloping thestan- grants to the departments of education in all fifty the NationalStandards,Centergavemodest leading scholars andeducatorsindeveloping Government. Inadditiontoenlistingthehelpof develop theNationalStandards for Civicsand of EducationandthePew Charitable Trusts to Center receivedfundingfromtheU.S.Department of nationalstandardsinthecoredisciplines. The which participants identifycommunity problems Project Citizen employsaconstructivist focus in Foundations of Democracy programs. cipated byimplementing theProjectCitizen and presenting civilsociety, Civitas Venezuela parti- sports and culture and social development. Re- gades for childrenandyouth,departmentsof mediators, school controllers, school patrols, bri- in themunicipalitywerebroughttogether:school To carryforward thisinitiative,thefollowing actors peace, coexistence, andjustice. respect, tolerance, participation,responsibility, nal experience, thefollowing valueswerecovered: lues inourcity.Intheframeworkofthiseducatio - contributing tothedevelopment ofcitizenship va- the development ofyoungpeople isimportantin This experience isfounded ontherecognitionthat drés Bello,andCarlosSoublette. at threelocalschools:JuandeDiosGuanche,An- Study ofCitizenship Cultureinprimaryeducation ce. The resultwastheinstitutionalizationof departments ofthemunicipalityandmayor’s offi- Bello, civilsocietyorganizations,andgovernment ve inthemunicipality:CatholicUniversityAndrés rience beganwithacalltoallsocialactorsacti- capital inthemunicipalityofChacao. This expe- of citizens andpublicofficialstostrengthensocial tions aimedtoenhance the sharedresponsibility tizenship Culture was created as a group of ac- the framework of this premise, the Study of Ci- Civil societycollaboration with government. In field ofeducation. mitment ofallexecutors of public policy inthe liberty. This viewofeducationrequires thecom- a climateofrespect,tolerance, participation,and te topreparingpeople toshareandlivewithin on thepremisethateducationshouldcontribu- The collaborative effort describedbelowisbased 5. Venezuela with CongressandtheAdministration. public andprivatesectorsitsrelationship greatly enhancedtheCenter’s reputationinthe The policyachievements notedinthispaper By LuisGermánMena,ExecutiveDirector, Civi- School CitizenshipCultureinLocalSchools tas Venezuela Chacao 15 Policy Brief Series: Education and Democracy volume 5 October 2013 and choose one to work with; research the pro- Challenges faced. Each department involved in blem, including its history, evolution, and impact the participated according to a schedule on citizens; identify government departments in that was jointly planned with each school. The charge of solving this kind of problem; provide most important challenge was to unify the criteria ideas to analyze current public policies and al- regarding the implementation schedule in order ternatives to address the problem; research and to achieve the objectives without having any de- identify best practices from other cities, regions, partment lose its specific role in the initiative. or countries that deal with the selected problem; October 2013 formulate public policy proposals and effective Another challenge to this experience is its sustai-

5 answers; develop action plans to influence local nability in regards to changes in the local govern- public policies; and prepare communication stra- ment. It will be important to assign roles and res- tegies and presentations for relevant actors. Ta- ponsibilities to the involved social actors that may king into consideration that Project Citizen is a continue the experience. There is consensus by collective activity, in addition to instilling in young

volume the Municipality of Chacao that strengthening the people the value of participation and skills of Governing Councils of Municipal Schools would analysis, reflection, critical thinking, research and respond to this challenge. communication, the participants also acquire the ability to work in teams and dialogue and nego- Lessons learned. A total of 1,020 students be- tiate with a diversity of actors. The methodolo- nefitted as a result of this experience, which re- gy also promotes reflection on the scope of the ceived support from 800 families, neighboring state’s and citizens’ responsibility in issues of pu- organizations, and thirty core teachers. Among blic interest. the most important lessons learned was the de- velopment of a vision of a local government clo- Foundations of Democracy is a program that ser to the citizens. This vision promotes a culture consists of a series of lessons that center on the of citizenship in people who live in and visit the participant and facilitate the understanding and municipality and has the potential to positively analysis of democratic values and their impact transform the city. in the exercise of citizenship. Through workshops and activities, participants develop intellectual Teachers also played a critical role as mediators tools, attitudes, and procedures to incorporate in the learning process, resulting in modifying stu- Policy Brief Series: Education and Democracy Policy the values of authority, responsibility, and justice dents’ behavior, motivating them to engage and in the analysis and assessment of elected repre- participate actively in the development of diffe- sentatives and public policies. rent activities, and integrate the different areas of knowledge into this subject. Benefits of the collaboration. This area of study has contributed to the progress of civic educa- Policymakers’ Points of View tion in Chacao. In particular, it has made possible the inclusion of School Citizenship Culture as a 1. Argentina subject in the educational programs of first- to sixth-grade students, thereby representing 25 Esteban Bullrich, Minister of Education of Bue- percent of the local curriculum. For the past two nos Aires City school years this has contributed to the growth of students by providing them with education in life Importance of civic education to the political skills and the exercise of democracy. They also system. Civic education is important because it gained an incentive to become citizens capable establishes a starting point necessary for political of participating in an active, conscious, and sup- participation, and from a more general perspec- portive manner in processes of social transforma- tive, it involves individuals in the public sphere. tion. This has contributed to the development of It provides fundamental elements to build active young people’s skills and capacities and provided citizenship and improve the quality of democracy, them with opportunities to become citizens cons- a democracy that is inclined towards a universal cious of preserving, defending, and improving the exercise of political rights. environment and quality of life, as well as rationa- lly using natural resources. Outstanding policies and programs in civic edu- 16 cation. Positive results are obtained when topics tions. luation, areconducted jointlywiththeorganiza- and intermediateresults, aswellaresults eva- For alljointactivities, monitoringoftheprocess activities. ting with organizations to execute the planned being implemented and subsequently collabora- ding tothegoalsofpoliciesthatarecurrently involves receivingandanalyzingproposalsaccor - bute toourstudents’ civic education. This process with projectsfromcivilsocietythatwefeel contri- boration. The Ministry ofEducation collaborates Examples ofgovernmentandcivilsocietycolla - participating youngpeople. only for theinstitution,butalsofor teachersand nity. These organizationsgenerateknowledge not and reachingasignificantimpactinthecommu- vation, institutionallylearning about localrealities tunity tobeinvolvedinactivitiesrelated toinno- Civil societyprojectsoffer toschoolsthe oppor- actions necessarytoreachthem. the establishmentofobjectivesandgoals zation ofthecontext thatsurroundsit,aswell permanent learning circle basedontheinternali- bringing theschoolanditsfaculty together ina dance to the latter. The strategy contributes to munal dynamicsandbuildsastrategyinaccor- ception regardingtherole of the school incom- the school’s faculty contributeswith itsownper- with theircommunities.Ininstitutionalprojects, In bothcases,attemptsaremadetolinkschools organizations. tional institutionorareproposedbycivilsociety that are eithergenerated from the same educa- grams arecoordinatedwithinstitutionalprojects on civiceducation that arepart of schoolpro- throughout time. Students put their knowledge of coordinated worktoachieve lasting results fundamental. Teachers highlighttheimportance cipation inthestudents’ educationalprocess is pics related tocitizenship, thekeyactors’ parti- organizations alwaysyields positiveresults.Into- cy results . Working throughnetworksofdifferent The effectsofcollaborationonprogramandpoli - the community. jects’ capacitiestoachieve sustainable impactsin effectiveness provide,therebyincreasingthepro- by therichnessthatplurality,, and their implementation. This costiscompensated complexity of actions and in some cases delay of coordinationwithexternal actorsincreasethe Costs andbenefitsofcollaboration.Allefforts from schoolsalloverthecity. Model UN,whichgathersmorethan500students volunteers incoordinatingtheorganizationof also involvedintheprogramandcollaborate as conflicts. The city’s governmentemployeesare and deliberationfor thepeacefulresolution of as achanneltopromoteinparticipantsdialogue logy employedbytheUnitedNations(ModelUN) local perspective. This projectusesthemethodo- dents inlearning aboutglobal problems froma ro), whichaimstoengagesecondaryschoolstu- the Future (UniendoMetas,JóvenesparaelFutu - schools oftheprogramJoiningGoals, Youth for ción Conciencia is the joint implementation at A secondexample ofcollaboration withAsocia- pants inthetransitsystem. zens abouttheirrole andresponsibility aspartici- pieces thataimedtoraisetheawarenessofciti- dent development of projectsand communication Aires in2012.Oneresultofthisinitiativewasstu- cation programinschoolsthecityofBuenos plemented acomponentoftheroadsafety edu- Education andAsociaciónConcienciajointlyim- policies. Through this program, the Ministry of zenship thatmayallowthemtoinfluencepublic a participative,responsible, andsupportiveciti- aims topromoteinyoungpeople theexercise of taleciendo los Valores de la Democracia) Program The Strengthening the Values of Democracy (For- focus ofschooling. perspective thatciviceducationisacross-cutting sing democratic skills based on the educational Conciencia inprojectsthatcontributetoexerci- One example is our coordination with Asociación 17 Policy Brief Series: Education and Democracy volume 5 October 2013 2. Colombia

Rosario Jaramillo-Franco, Former Director of Citizenship Competences Program, Ministry of Education

October 2013 Importance of civic education to the political system. The only way people are able to partici- 5 pate actively and effectively in the political sys- tem is by knowing about it. If the constitution and laws of a country go unnoticed by its citizens; if the mechanisms of participation and control do

volume not matter much to them; if people act without thinking of the consequences their actions may have on others; if they do not know their rights into their daily practices, including values that are and responsibilities; in short, if they know little developed in these themes. about or are indifferent to the political, judicial, and social context in which they live, it is impos- More information on civic education in Buenos sible for a society to advance toward living to- Aires City. Civic education is a course in the stu- gether and achieving general well-being. Conse- dy plans of middle schools and includes topics quently, individual and group interests that seek that cover different areas of school contents of to be imposed by force will prevail rather than a primary school. In this manner, environmental democratic system that promotes general parti- education, sexual education, consumer educa- cipation for the benefit of all. Understanding this tion, human rights and other topics related to ci- requires teaching civic education at cognitive and tizenship education are taught in relation to the emotional levels as well as conducting group re- content of social sciences, but also natural scien- flection about individual or collective actions and ces, mathematics, language, arts, etc. the consequences of people’s actions.

Policy Brief Series: Education and Democracy Policy In as much as the civic education curricula in- Example of government and civil society colla- clude perspectives that connect the school with boration. An example of cooperation between the necessities and concerns of the society and government and civil society was the implemen- community to which it belongs, schools develop tation of the programs Building Citizenship (Ciu- projects oriented towards analysis, reflection, dadanía en Constitución) and Project Citizen (Pro- creation of awareness, and responsible participa- yecto Ciudadano), both developed by Fundación tion regarding topics that the education commu- Presencia of Colombia and sponsored by the nity considers relevant or significant. Center for Civic Education of the United States. They aim to promote understanding of the funda- The goal is therefore to achieve a pluralist educa- mental principles of a constitutional democracy tion on citizenship practices that favor the “cons- and of actual participation in difficult situations truction of the student’s personal and social iden- that a school’s community experiences. tity in the reflection on , in dialogue with family models, inherited cultural traditions, and In these two cases, like many others, the Ministry media discourse” (Ministry of Education, City of of Education developed partnerships that would Buenos Aires, Office of Curriculum. Civic Educa- allow the programs to reach the entire country. tion Program. First year, High School, 2003). The intent was to highlight what already existed so that the different departmental and local se- cretariats could ask their schools about their main needs in civic education and choose the most appropriate programs. However, it was curious to see that when institutions were offered many possibilities, they were not able to take over the 18 process and did not make any decisions at all. the government would accept to implement it in grams pretended tobe“theonly one,” or why 3. We did notunderstandwhyeachofthesepro- tencies. successful experiences andevaluation ofcompe- exist today. We also heldconversationsabout perative relationships onthesetopicsthatstill case withMexico, butwealsoestablishedcoo- son, we not only approached them, as was the affected byproblems similar toours.For thisrea - 2. We metpeople fromothercountriesthatwere specific actionstoaddresscommunityproblems. with thoseofcivilsocietyandhowtodevelop structures, functions, and relations ofthestate derstanding theconceptualdifferences between monstrated ananalyticalanddetailed wayofun- well receivedbytheprofessors since theyde- problems. Manyoftheanalyses presented were concrete waysofparticipatinginacommunity’s possible consequencesifitfails. We alsolearned ple themeaningofrule oflaw andaboutthe ped theknowledge neededto teachyoungpeo- have fullknowledge about. We especiallydevelo- pedagogical methods andconceptswedidnot 1. We receivedexpertise thatallowedustolearn licy results. The effectsofcollaborationonprogramandpo- resources andtheiradequatedistribution. organization wasalsoneededtoguaranteethese same programsoffered. Greateradministrative development programsandmaterialsthatthose to beallocatedguaranteeschoolsprofessional national, departmental, and local budgets needed and locallevel. Morespecificresourcesfromthe that theycouldimplement theirworkataregional cient voice and power to the groups of allies so hand, thecostwasnotbeingable togivesuffi- of civiceducationcouldtakeplace. Ontheother experience. With theirsupport,agreatmovement perts withrelevant theoreticalandpedagogical greatest benefitwasutilizingagroupofalliedex- Costs and benefits of collaboration. Probablythe being implemented inallthecountry’s schools. making surethattheseprogramswereindeed tives andProgramsofCitizenship Competencies, gram, thesecretariatsusedPortfolio ofInitia- the ministryorvice-chairinsistedononepro- cretariats ofeducation),onlyincaseswhich With veryfew exceptions (approximately eight se- in Tallahassee, is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan ted Education Association,Inc.(FLREA), located llaborate with government. The Florida Rela - Examples ofcivilsociety organizationsthatco- effectuate change. change ofinformation, research,andresourcesto serves avitalfunction inthefacilitation andex- performance-based natureoftheseorganizations ces atthenational,state,andlocallevels. The and monitoring of education policy and practi- institutions intheformulation, implementation, critical role incollaborating withgovernmental Introduction. Civil society organizations play a 3. UnitedStates progress betweenbothsectors. the publicsector, whichtherebyprevents joint continuously seendefending whatis“public” by good. Inmanycountriesofthecontinent,Ihave fit, and only state actions work toward common “by the government” seeks only personal bene- come redistribution.Inotherwords, anything not sector istakingadvantageoftaxcollection for in- of publicfinancesandthinkthatthecivilsociety officials believe themselves to be the defenders and worseyet,byothercountries.Itisasifthese grams developed bycivilsocietyorganizations, by publicofficialstowardproposalsandpro- rican andCaribbeanregionanintrinsicmistrust 4. Ontheotherhand,InoticeinLatinAme- tanding andbehavior. are achieving theproposedchangesinunders- trustworthy information aboutwhichprograms to haveagoodevaluation systemthatcollects simultaneously. Nonetheless, it is also important ved how healthy it was that all of them existed these programswereverysuccessfulandpro- stances. The portfolio demonstratedthatallof adapted toColombianorLatin-Americancircum- ding Colombian,foreign, andothersthatwere showed thenumberofexisting programs,inclu- a trulydemocraticspirit. The portfolio precisely pedagogical alternatives, etc., thereby following ves preference toadiversityofprograms,books, all schools. The UnitedStateswelcomes andgi- By RepresentativeAnitereFlores,FloridaState The RoleofCivilSocietyOrganizations in CollaboratingwithGovernment

19 Policy Brief Series: Education and Democracy volume 5 October 2013 related education materials and services to Flo- rida school districts to advance quality teaching practices in the area of civics and government. Civil society organizations throughout the world hold similar value in their ability to provide techni- cal assistance and content-specific expertise. As a government official, I have seen firsthand the

October 2013 value of such organizations and their benefit to

5 government from both a substantive and econo- mical position. In my work outside of Florida and in Eastern European countries, I have witnessed the valuable work of other civil society organiza- organization serving schools and districts sta- tions from both a humanitarian and educational volume tewide. Annette Boyd Pitts, executive director, perspective. There is indeed an important role for is a thirty-year veteran of civic and law-related civil society organizations to play in any demo- education policies, programs, and practices. Pitts cratic society. has worked collaboratively with the Florida De- partment of Education, local school districts, the E. Lessons Learned from Collaborative Florida legislature, and other public and private Experiences in the Americas entities to provide assistance with a broad range of civic education policy and curriculum issues The case studies presented above highlighted impacting public school students throughout the some of the challenges of collaboration between state of Florida. Other organizations, such as the government and civil society, such as an increa- League of Women Voters and Common Cause, sed need for coordination and greater complexity have collaborated to effectuate change in public in the policymaking process. At the same time, policy on a state level to advance civic education the case studies offer means of overcoming some through their cadre of volunteers and members. of these challenges and demonstrate the benefits of joint civic education programs and policyma- Benefits of collaboration. Civil society organiza- king. Collaborative efforts in some countries have

Policy Brief Series: Education and Democracy Policy tions provide a critical resource to government in resulted in more inclusive and legitimate policy- their content-specific knowledge and expertise as making processes and positive outcomes, as in well as their access to information and resources. the example of the United States where the resul- Serving as both specialists and stakeholders, civil ting National Standards in Civics and Government society organizations in collaboration with execu- were high quality and widely seen as nonpartisan tive agencies and legislative committees and sta- and legitimate. The following sections summarize ff provide valuable technical assistance at little or lessons learned through collaborative experien- no cost to government. FLREA has demonstrated ces in the Americas. The lessons learned are de- the key role and influence of such entities within rived from the experience of the authors and a the context of civic education policy, programs, review of the reflections of governmental officials and practices. FLREA has provided expertise in and leaders of CSOs about such experiences, in- the review and application of civic education po- cluding the authors of the above case studies. licy language, the development of grade-level- specific benchmarks for civics and government in Introduction. Civic education is generally recog- grades K–12, the review of item specifications for nized as a responsibility of democratic govern- a new state assessment in civics at the middle ments and most, if not all, have policies that call school level, the development of civic- and law- for attention to the field. However, support for the related courses for the state course code direc- establishment of effective policies and their im- tory, and the provision of stakeholder feedback plementation is often low due to other priorities. and testimony in the implementation of civic edu- Such is the case in the United States, where the cation policy. demand for high achievement in mathematics and the language arts has overshadowed not only ci- Conclusion. FLREA has a longstanding and res- vic education but many other subjects required pected history of providing quality civic- and law- for a well-rounded curriculum. Nevertheless, the- 20 Such agenciesmayinclude,for example, concert withministriesofeducationandCSOs. support civiceducationeitheractingaloneorin for otheragenciesofadministrativebranches to ministries/departments ofeducation,itiscommon sistance ofCSOs.Althoughthesearefrequently ment publicpoliciesinciviceducationwiththeas- - Administrativeagenciesthatdevelop andimple- many statesintheUnitedStates mentation ofciviceducationprograms,suchasin services toCSOsfor thedevelopment andimple- - Judicialbranchesthatoffer theirsupport and the abovevignettefromColombia public policyinciviceducation,suchasnoted regarding theformulation andimplementation of - Legislatures thatincludeCSOs indeliberations include thefollowing: Examples atthenational,state, andlocallevels CSOs withaspecialinterestinciviceducation. partnerships between governmental entities and of publicpolicyinciviceducationhasinvolved in manycasesthecreationandimplementation governments have taken this responsibility. And, legislative andjudicialbranchesofdemocratic cies inadministrativebranchesaswellthe education, inanumberofinstancesotheragen- being aresponsibilityofministries/departments Although civiceducationistypicallythoughtofas or cooperativelywithcivilsocietyorganizations. responsibility forciviceducationindependently The rangeofgovernmentalinstitutionstaking countries throughouttheAmericas. re areexamples ofeffective programsinmany • • • • nezuela. municipalities, suchasinArgentina and Ve- tina; and development, and youth, such as in Argen- ministries/departments of the interior, social States; of stateingovernments intheUnited deral Elections inMexico anddepartments and elections, suchastheInstitutefor Fe- agencies responsible for voter registration ministries/departments orindependent as intheUnitedStates; for systems of criminal and civil justice, such in developing publicawarenessandsupport ministries/departments ofjusticeinterested velopment of avisionoflocalgovernment closer - Jointprograms atalocallevel cansupport “de- the UnitedStates.) grams theysupport.(See Argentina,Brazil,and ter long-termsustainability for CSOsandthepro- education collaboration, therebyleading togrea- vernment agenciescanbestrengthenedby civic - CSOs’ reputations and relationships with go- changing socialconditions.(SeeBrazil.) ned overtimeandcontinuestoberesponsive to capacity toensurethatciviceducationissustai - ponsible partiesanddevelop staffmanagement - CSOs and government agencies can assign res- lated projects.(SeeArgentinaand Venezuela.) deepening theimpactofspecificprojectsandre- capital useful in enhancing the capacities and and citizens injointprojectscanstrengthensocial and cooperativeparticipationofpublicofficials - CSOs that assist in mobilizing the productive and Venezuela.) for theirimplementation. (SeetheUnitedStates programs inciviceducationtoenhancesupport pread constituency for governmentally supported - CSOs can assist in the development of a wides- Colombia, andtheUnitedStates.) rience, research,andbestpractices.(SeeBrazil, policies andplans willbebased uponpriorexpe- policies andimplementation plans sothatthese CSO experiences caninform thedevelopment of evaluating civiceducationinitiativesandpolicies. have experience indeveloping, implementing, and blic policyinciviceducation.AnumberofCSOs mulation, implementation, andevaluation ofpu- viding knowledge and expertise useful in the for- - CSOscanassistgovernmentagenciesbypro the UnitedStates,and Venezuela.) legitimate. (SeethecasestudiesfromColombia, high quality and widely seen as nonpartisan and cess, theresultingprogramsarelikelytobeof through anopen,inclusive,andtransparentpro- to participateincollaborative efforts isdone - Iftheselection bygovernmentofqualifiedCSOs cation programs. with CSOstodevelopandimplementcivicedu- Some advantagesofgovernmentalcollaboration 21 Policy Brief Series: Education and Democracy volume 5 October 2013 to the citizens” that “promotes a culture of citizen- - Government agencies and CSOs may be cons- ship in people who live in and visit the municipa- trained by their available resources, existing ad- lity and has the potential to positively transform ministrative structures, and mechanisms for citi- the city.” (See Venezuela.) zen-government discourse. (See Colombia.)

- National ministries can identify exemplary pro- - Sustainability can be a challenge as key indivi- grams developed by CSOs and disseminate in- duals change their professional positions or leave October 2013 formation about them to local ministries, munici- elected office. (See Venezuela.)

5 palities, and other potential implementers of the programs. (See Colombia.) Some considerations to take into account when planning governmental collaboration with CSOs - Ministries can convene meetings to provide for to develop and implement civic education pro- exchanges of ideas and experiences about pro-

volume grams. grams among government officials and represen- tatives of CSOs regarding the development and - The need to examine and evaluate the variety implementation of civic education programs. (See of existing programs, books, pedagogical alter- Colombia.) natives, etc., before making decisions. (See Co- lombia.) Some challenges to collaborative creation, im- plementation, and evaluation of civic education - The need to avoid conscious or unconscious programs and policies. partisan bias in the development and implemen- tation of civic education programs. The inclusion - In order for government officials and CSOs to of partisan bias can result in programs not being work together on civic education policy, they seen as legitimate, a lack of support for them, need to understand civic education’s importance and active opposition to their implementation. to the function of democracy, the priority of deve- (See United States.) loping citizens’ democratic knowledge, skills, and dispositions during their schooling, and the sys- - The need to develop and implement extensive tematic effort required to do so effectively. (See professional development programs for teachers Policy Brief Series: Education and Democracy Policy Colombia.) and others responsible for civic education to pro- vide them the subject matter and methodologi- - “All efforts of coordination with external actors cal expertise required to implement effective pro- increases the complexity of actions, and in some grams. (See Argentina, Colombia, and Venezuela.) cases may delay their implementation.” (Argenti- ne official.) - The need to plan for monitoring and evaluation to ensure that programs achieve the desired im- - Inconsistencies in the quality of support pro- pact on student knowledge, skills, and disposi- vided by different agencies and levels of gover- tions. (See Brazil and Colombia.) nment can lead to a lower level of commitment and involvement of schools and teachers. (See - The need to allocate adequate financial and Argentina.) personnel resources to ensure the development and implementation of effective programs. (See Colombia.)

- The need for appropriate administrative orga- nization to implement programs, guarantee ade- quate and equitable resource distribution, and ensure sustainability. (See Argentina, Brazil, Co- lombia, and Venezuela.)

22 areas: CSOs mighttaketheinitiativeinfollowing 1. Atanationalorlocal level, policymakers and implementation. tion inciviceducation policy development and applied toguideandstimulate futurecollabora- policy brief, thefollowing areideasthatcanbe and review ofthecasestudiespresentedinthis Based upontheauthors’ knowledge, experience, F. RecommendationsforFuture Collaboration a broaderlevel. assessed, can berevised and implemented at scale pilot programs and, once completed and for civic education. These could begin as small- search that meetcurrent local needs and goals programs basedonlocal andinternationalre- of development Joint development: Program • education goalsandstandards. grams, andinitiativesthatsupportlocalcivic portfolioa Creating Research: • pro- policies, of • Dialogue opinion. in whichtherearereasonable differences of promote aparticular pointofviewinareas tion programsasopposedtothat implementation ofnonpartisanciviceduca- also becommittedtothedevelopment and responsible politicalspectrum. They should they should be balanced to represent the or partisan.Ifpartisangroupsareincluded, sive. Participating CSOsmaybenonpartisan processes areopen,transparent,andinclu- o Ensuring that dialogue and collaborative of workingmeetingsandsymposia. on civiceducationpolicyduringandoutside to provideinputandpresenttheirviewpoints the generalpublicwithample opportunities o Providingcivilsocietyorganizationsand policies. tive modelsofciviceducationprogramsand the presentation and discussion of alterna- o Organizingnationalsymposiafocused on goals. and toidentifyresourceshelpachieve the further civiceducationgoalsandtimelines o Organizing working meetings to set forth areas: policy briefbytakingtheinitiativeinfollowing ces, mightfurtherthediscussionbeguninthis on Educationfor Democratic Values andPracti- can States,throughtheInter-AmericanProgram 2. Ataregionallevel, theOrganizationofAmeri- • Communityofpractice • Information dissemination practices, andresearchonciviceducation. where people canshareideas,resources,best ty of practice can be established on a website civic education initiatives. An onlinecommuni- actors thatcansupportandprovideinputin dia) networks of government and civil society and nationalin-persononline(socialme- local expanding and Establishing Networks: • cation, exemplary curricular programs, re- such subjects asbestpracticesin civicedu- o Soliciting articles for the COP website on cipation. ce (COP)andencouraging widespreadparti- o Establishingavirtual communityofpracti- and evaluation intheAmericanstates. cation policydevelopment, implementation, and recent collaborative efforts in civic edu- journal withbriefarticles highlightingcurrent o Publishing aquarterlyonlinenewsletter or American states. governmental institutionswithinandamong port collaborative efforts between CSOs and sources that might bemadeavailable tosup- about potentialpublic-andprivate-sectorre- o Identifyinganddisseminatinginformation on budgetallocationsfor programs. support civiceducation,includinginformation on publicpoliciesinAmericanstatesthat piles anddisseminatesupdated information o Createaregionalvirtualplatform thatcom- implementation ofpublicpolicy. states focusing upontheestablishment and rative efforts inciviceducationAmerican tory ofcasestudiessuccessfulcollabo - o Creatinganddisseminatingavirtualdirec- 23 Policy Brief Series: Education and Democracy volume 5 October 2013 ggestions for improving what has been set forth herein.

Continue this discussion on Facebook at www.fa- cebook.com/educadem and Twitter at @EDUCA- DEM. Or contact us to [email protected]. October 2013 5 H. Appendices search and evaluation, and online resources available for teachers and students. 1. Contributing Organizations volume • Dialogue Center for Civic Education. The Center is a non- profit nonpartisan organization based in Califor- o Providing opportunities for further dialo- nia. Its mission is to promote an enlightened and gue between policymakers and CSO lea- responsible citizenry committed to democratic ders across the Americas, such as seminars principles and actively engaged in the practice and focus sessions on civic education policy of democracy in the United States and other during regional conferences or conferences countries. The Center is a global leader in civic specially convened for this purpose. education with a wide range of critically acclai- med curricular, professional development, ex- change, and community-based programs.

. The G. Conclusion Civitas International Programs Network Center for Civic Education’s Civitas International This brief has explored the different ways in which Programs bring exemplary civic education curri- civil society and government can work together to cula to students worldwide in partnership with Policy Brief Series: Education and Democracy Policy develop, implement, and evaluate education po- organizations in the United States and eighty- licies that promote democratic values and prac- four countries. This unique network of educators, tices. The authors have striven to make this a civil society organizations, educational institu- useful resource for policymakers, civil society lea- tions, and governmental agencies has worked ders, and others involved in civic education policy for more than a decade to develop quality cu- by defining core concepts essential to understan- rricular materials and train teachers throughout ding civic education policy, presenting ideas for Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, Africa, policies that support civic education, suggesting Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. The fo- strategies for cooperation between government llowing is a list of Civitas International Programs agencies and CSOs, compiling case studies of partner organizations in the Americas, several successful collaborative experiences, and sum- of whom have contributed case studies in this marizing lessons learned from past experiences. policy brief.

Governments and CSOs have many alternatives Argentina: Fundación Desarrollar; Asociación for how to work together, as well as new areas to Conciencia explore, in civic education policymaking. We hope Bolivia: Educadores para la Democracia this policy brief has provided information and in- Brazil: Instituto da Cidadania sights useful in furthering inquiry into the most Chile: ONG Entorno productive ways that governments and CSOs can Colombia: Fundación Presencia collaborate in the development, implementation, Costa Rica: Omar Dengo Foundation and evaluation of civic education policies that Dominican : Consortium for Civic Educa- further the realization of the ideals of democracy tion in the American states. The Center and its co- Ecuador: Fundación Horizonte lleagues in the OAS welcome comments and su- Guatemala: Secretaría de Planificación y Progra- 24 mación de la Presidencia kindergarten throughtwelfthgrade onfour con- of curricular materials for usewithstudents from The Foundations ofDemocracyseriesconsists widely adaptedandimplemented curriculum. used inthirty-sixcountries, isitssecond-most- Education’s Foundations ofDemocracyseries, Responsibility, andJustice . The Centerfor Civic Foundations ofDemocracy:Authority, Privacy, tury. for effective citizenship inthetwenty-first cen- skills, dispositions,andcommitmentsnecessary cation, setsforth indetailthecivicknowledge, TAS CIVITAS: AFramework for CivicEducation.CIVI- classes. suggested resourcesfor usebystudents and nal standards,andprovideslesson ideasand how teachingcivicscanmeetstateandnatio- education inasystematicway.Itdemonstrates and classroom teachersinintegrating civic school administrators,curriculumdevelopers, multifaceted curriculumguidedesigned toaid cation Scope&Sequenceisacomprehensive Education for Democracy: CivicEdu- California CivicEducationScope&Sequence . brief. available onthetopicsaddressedinthispolicy The following areadditionalresourcematerials 2. AdditionalResourceMaterials more thanfiftycountries. ness, civilsociety,andgovernmentleaders in building andotherskillstothousandsofbusi- negotiation, cooperativeadvocacy,consensus- Partners andthePartners Centershaveprovided solutions totoday’s complex problems. Together, civil society,andgovernmenttocraftsustainable des, workingattheinterface betweenbusiness, to bringpeople togetheracrosstraditionaldivi- ports andempowerslocalleaders withthetools Partners forDemocraticChange.Partners sup- Venezuela: CivitasVenezuela chos Humanosyla Paz Peru: InstitutoPeruano- deEducaciónenDere Paraguay: ONGSumando Panama:Electoral Tribunal/CivitasPanama Mexico: Federal Electoral Institute bernamentales paraelDesarrollodeHonduras Honduras: Federación deOrganizacionesNoGu- , acomprehensiveK–12modelfor civicedu- experience. why not.Explain the lessons learned throughthis in strengthening oftheCSO?Describe whyor they wereovercome.Did thisexperience result Describe whatchallenges werefaced andhow followed bya“lessons learned” conclusion. mentation ofpolicysupport for civiceducation government inthedevelopment and/orimple- case studyofanexperience collaborating with zations. Askeachcivilsocietyparticipantfor a a. Questionsforleadersofcivilsocietyorgani - Contributions 3. QuestionsDevelopedtoGuideCaseStudy content ofeducationfor democracy. cracy. Itisanattempttosetforth theprincipal adults for citizenship inaconstitutional demo- grams designedtoprepareyoungpeople and can beusedinthecreationofcurricular pro- an internationaleffort todevelop aresourcethat Education inDemocracy.ResPublica represents Res Publica: AnInternationalFramework for blic policy. adults—learn howtomonitor and influencepu- people—from middle schoolstudentstoyoung communities. Through ProjectCitizen, young ponsible participationinthepolitical life oftheir dispositions requiredfor competentand res- equips studentswiththeknowledge, skills,and has beenrecognized asamodelprogramthat widely adaptedandimplemented curriculum.It used inmorethansixty-fivecountries,isitsmost We thePeople: ProjectCitizen curricular program, Project Citizen. The Centerfor CivicEducation’s standards throughouttheUnitedStates. as amodelfor statecurricular frameworksand dards for CivicsandGovernmenthavebeenused end ofgrades4,8,and12. The National Stan - do inthefieldofcivicsandgovernmentat what U.S.studentsshouldknowandbeable to participated inthetwo-yearprojecttoidentify Three thousandindividualsandorganizations of Educationand The Pew Charitable Trusts. Education withsupportfromtheU.S.Department nment weredeveloped bytheCenterfor Civic The National Standardsfor CivicsandGover- National Standardsfor CivicsandGovernment. sibility, andJustice. tics andgovernment:Authority,Privacy,Respon- cepts fundamentaltoanunderstandingofpoli- 25 Policy Brief Series: Education and Democracy volume 5 October 2013 b. Questions for policymakers

Background questions

1. What is the importance of civic education to your political system? 2. What is the current extent of civic education in October 2013 your state or country? For example, how wides- 5 pread is it? 3. What policies exist, if any, for civic education in your country?

volume Focus question

Please provide an example of how government collaborated with civil society in developing and implementing policies for civic education. Then answer the following questions. 1. What were the benefits and costs of the colla- boration? 2. How did the collaboration with civil society affect policy outcomes? Policy Brief Series: Education and Democracy Policy

26 Also consult Other Publications of the Program • The Inter-American Journal of Education for Democracy. • Education on Migrant Children and Youth in the Americas: current situation and challenges (2011). • Mapping of Public Policy for the “Education of Migrant Children and Youth” (2009).

Your opinion Our Electronic Bulletins on the following topics Human Rights Education, Gender and Citizenship is important Education, Edonomic and Financial Education, The Role of Communications Media and the Arts in Edu- to us cation for Democratic Citizenship, among others. Access each edition of the serie and the Program’s www.educadem.oas.org brochure through our Web site: www.educadem.oas.org • Education and Critical Thinking for the Construction of Citizenship: An Investment toward Strengthening Democracy in the Americas (2013).

• Evaluation of education policies and programs for democratic citizenship (2013).

• The Contribution of Human Rights Education to building peaceful coexistence in schools based on democracy and solidarity (2012).

• Violence Prevention Through Early Childhood Interventions (2011).

For questions and comments, please contact us at:

mail Facebook Twitter The Inter-American Program on Education for Democratic Values and​​ Practices is a concrete response to articles 26 and 27 of the Inter- American Democratic Charter.

“The OAS will continue to carry out programs and activities designed to promote democratic principles and practices and strengthen a demo- cratic culture in the Hemisphere, bearing in mind that democracy is a way of life based on liberty and enhancement of economic, social, and cultural conditions for the peoples of the Americas...” (Art. 26) Inter- American Democratic Charter

“...Special attention shall be given to the development of programs and activities for the education of children and youth as a means of ensur- ing the continuance of democratic values, including liberty and social justice.” (Art. 27) Inter-American Democratic Charter

Department of Human Development, Education and Employment SEDI