The Connection Between Civic and
Economic Education
By Margaret Stimmann Branson
September 2003
There is a necessary connection between civics and economics in education for democracy. This
connection should be reflected in the curricula in schools. This Digest
discusses (1) federal legislation and programs promoting civics and
economics, (2) the connections between civics and economics in the study of
the Constitution, (3) the status of economic education in the schools, and
(4) recommendations for strengthening
the connection between civics and economics in the school curriculum.
FEDERAL LEGISLATION AND
PROGRAMS IN SUPPORT OF CIVICS AND ECONOMICS IN THE CORE CURRICULUM OF SCHOOLS
Two pieces of recent
legislation by the United States Congress have spurred the study of civics and
economics: "The Goals 2000: Educate America Act," passed in 1994, and the
"No Child Left Behind Act of 2001."
One of the most important
goals set forth in the Educate America Act is that "all students will leave grades
4, 8 and 12 having demonstrated competency over challenging subject
matter including civics and government and economics so
that they may be prepared for responsible citizenship, further learning, and
productive employment."
To specify the nature of
that "challenging subject matter," professional organizations have
developed content standards. Content
standards are explicit statements
of what students should know and be able to do by the time they complete grades
4, 8 and 12. Content standards indicate the ways of thinking, working,
communicating, reasoning, and investigating and delineate the most
important and enduring ideas, concepts, issues, dilemmas, and
knowledge essential to the disciplines that should be taught and learned in
school.
The "National Standards for Civics and Government" were developed over two years by the Center for Civic
Education with support from the federal government and the Pew
Charitable Trusts. State-level departments of education have made use of the
national civics standards by adopting, adapting, and modifying them to meet
their own needs.
The "National Content Standards in Economics" were developed by the National Council on Economic Education
in partnership with the National Association of Economic Educators
Foundation for Teaching Economics. The "National Content Standards in
Economics" specify several kinds of knowledge that students should have
gained by the time they finish the
twelfth grade, which demonstrate
connections between economics and civics/government (1997, xi).
The second significant
piece of legislation pertaining to the teaching and learning of civics and
economics is Public Law 107-110
enacted by the 107th Congress and
signed by President George W. Bush. It is better known by its short title, "No
Child Left Behind Act of 2001." The overall purpose of this law is "to
close the achievement gap with accountability, flexibility, and
choice, so that no child is left behind."
Subpart 3 of the "No Child
Left Behind Act" deals specifically with civic education, but it is attentive to
the interrelationship of civic and economic education. Section 2342
of the Act sets forth its legislative intent in this fashion:
It is the purpose of this subpart ---
(1) to improve the quality
of civics and government education by educating students about the history
and principles of
the Constitution of the United States, including the Bill
of Rights;
(2) to foster civic competence and
responsibility; and
(3) to improve the quality of civic
education and economic
education through cooperative civic education and
economic
education exchange
programs with emerging democracies.
CONNECTIONS BETWEEN CIVICS
AND ECONOMICS IN STUDY OF THE CONSTITUTION
For more than 200 years,
Americans have looked to their Constitution and Bill of Rights as the
quintessential statements of their nation's values and of their political rights.
They are less accustomed to thinking of the U.S. Constitution as an
economic document. Even so, economists point out: "Constitutions
are economic documents as well as political documents. This is
certainly true of the Constitution of the United States. Our nation's
founders included numerous provisions in
the Constitution that support and
encourage the operation of a marketeconomy" (Dick, Blais, and Moore 1998,
3).
These four specific
economic values embedded in the Constitution should be emphasized in the curricula
of schools:
1.
Legal protection of the right to private property.
2.
Support for private entrepreneurial activity.
3.
Support for a large common market among the states inherent in the "commence clause" of Article 1,
Section 8.
4.
The rule of law, which provides security for order and stability in which economic activity can
flourish.
If students are to become
"constitutionally literate," then they must understand the interrelated political
and economic aspects of the U.S. Constitution.
THE CURRENT STATUS OF
ECONOMIC EDUCATION
Given the necessity of
economic literacy for informed, effective, and responsible citizenship, it is
appropriate to consider the current status of economic education in the United
States. Presently we know that:
* Forty-eight states and the District of
Columbia have standards for economics.
* Twenty-two states
now test the economic knowledge and skills of students. Economic items,
however, are
often
embedded in more comprehensive
social studies
assessments. Nine more states are now preparing to test in economics.
* Thirteen states require an economics course
for graduation. That course
tends to be a one-semester twelfth grade requirement
paired with a one-semester
course in American government.
* Only 47 percent of
high school seniors have taken an economics course before graduation. An
additional 10 percent of high school students take courses such as American
government and economics, which may include substantial civics as well as
economics (National Center for Education Statistics 2001).
* Teacher background
in economics is often limited. Only 11
states require economics
for teacher certification. The average social studies teacher takes only four hours of
economics in college and those are the teachers most likely to teach separate
economics courses (Walstad 2001).
A better understanding of
the strengths and weaknesses of economics education is in the offing.
A National Assessment of Educational Progress in Economics (NAEP) is scheduled
for 2006. This measure of twelfth graders' knowledge and skills in
economics is a first. Never before has there been a national assessment
of economics. Preparation of the assessment has been contracted to
the National Council on Economic Education, The Council of Chief
State School Officers, and the American
Institute of Research. Some
10,000 students in 400 public and private schools will be tested and their
teachers and school administrators will be interviewed to obtain
additional insights into the status of economic education.
RECOMMENDATIONS
There is ample
evidence of the importance of both civic and economic literacy on the part of all
citizens. Unfortunately, both civics and economics are given insufficient
attention today in many, if not most, schools. This situation
needs to be corrected. Systematic attention to civics and government and
economics needs to occur in every grade from kindergarten through high school.
Students should be helped to understand why and how the two disciplines
are connected. And the connections
between economics and civics need
to be emphasized in the preservice education and professional
development of social studies teachers.
WORLD WIDE WEB
SITES
The National
Council on Economic Education's Web site <ncee.net> includes information about various
resources in economic education.
The Web site
of the Center for Civic Education features position papers and information about
educational resources in civic education:
<www.civiced.org/>.
Margaret Stimmann Branson
is the
Associate Director of the Center for Civic Education in Calabasas,
CA.