Civics Exam: Schools of Choice Boost Civic Values

Autor/in	Wolf, Patrick J.
Titel	Civics Exam: Schools of Choice Boost Civic Values
Quelle	In: Education Next, 7 (2007) 3, S.67-72 (6 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	Weitere Informationen
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1539-9664
Schlagwörter	Social Capital; Private Schools; Patriotism; Magnet Schools; Democracy; School Choice; Civics; Public Schools; School Segregation; Neighborhood Schools; Citizenship Education; Democratic Values; Social Attitudes; Political Attitudes; Volunteers; Student Participation; Student Diversity + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Sozialkapital; Private school; Privatschule; Patriotismus; Demokratie; Choice of school; Schulwahl; Staatsbürgerkunde; Public school; Öffentliche Schule; Citizenship; Education; Politische Bildung; Politische Erziehung; Staatsbürgerliche Erziehung; Social attidude; Soziale Einstellung; Political attitude; Politische Einstellung; Freiwilliger; Schülermitarbeit; Schülermitwirkung; Studentische Mitbestimmung
Abstract	Many supporters of school choice argue that neighborhood assignment to public schools results not in diversity, but in the opposite: schools that are less likely to contain a diverse mix of students and that are more internally segregated along racial lines than are schools of choice. In recent years, a number of empirical studies of the effects of school choice on civic values have been published. As the extent of school choice in American education continues to grow--the latest data from the Department of Education show that 26 percent of American students attended a school other than their closest neighborhood public school--it is time to take stock of the evidentiary record on whether assigned public schooling better prepares students for their responsibilities as citizens in a democracy. For this review, the author examines the results of 21 quantitative studies regarding the effects of school choice on seven civic values that relate to the capacity of individuals to perform as effective citizens in a representative democracy. The values, in order from the most studied to the least studied, are: (1) political tolerance; (2) voluntarism; (3) political knowledge; (4) political participation; (5) social capital; (6) civic skills; and (7) patriotism. Most of the studies included in the analysis focus on students in private schools. Only three studies present results for students in charter or magnet schools. Therefore, the results described in this article primarily map out the effects of private schooling on civic values. The empirical studies to date counter the claims of school choice opponents that private schooling inherently and inevitably undermines the fostering of civic values. The statistical record suggests that private schooling and school choice often enhance the realization of the civic values that are central to a well-functioning democracy. (Contains 2 figures.) (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	Hoover Institution. Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-6010. Tel: 800-935-2882; Fax: 650-723-8626; e-mail: educationnext@hoover.stanford.edu; Web site: http://www.hoover.org/publications/ednext
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10