Twenty-seven public schools across Arizona are being recognized as Arizona Civic Engagement schools by the Arizona Department of Education’s Excellence in Civic Engagement Program for the 2013-2014 school year.
“The application process to be an Arizona Civic Engagement school is open to all K-12 public/charter schools. It is voluntary, meaning that schools don’t have to apply. The school applications, once submitted, are reviewed and scored by our committee made up of civic and education leaders. We do not evaluate an applicant based on its geographic location or the district in which it resides. We evaluate applicants solely on their understanding and implementation of the six proven practices in civic learning,” according to John Balentine, Professional Development Specialist and Manager-Civic Engagement, with the Career & Technical Education Unit of the Arizona Department of Education.
In other words, the distinction could be, and in some instances, probably is utterly meaningless.
The Excellence in Civic Engagement Program (ECEP) program was developed by the Annenberg Foundation. Six proven practices constitute a well-rounded and high quality civic learning experience, according to the program’s brochure:
1. Classroom Instruction: Schools should provide instruction in government, history, economics, law, and democracy.
2. Discussion of Current Events and Controversial Issues: Schools should incorporate discussion of current local, national, and international issues and events into the classroom, particularly those that young people view as important to their lives
3. Service-Learning: Schools should design and implement programs that provide students with the opportunity to apply what they learn through performing community service that is linked to the formal curriculum and classroom instruction.
4. Extracurricular Activities: Schools should offer opportunities for young people to get involved in their schools or communities outside of the classroom.
5. School Governance: Schools should encourage student participation in school governance.
6. Simulations of Democratic Processes: Schools should encourage students to participate in simulations of democratic processes and procedures.
Ensuring the proliferation of these practices requires a range of steps from education stakeholders at every level, but two strategies in particular stand out. Policymakers must ensure that civic learning is included alongside English, math, and science as a core subject, emphasized by standards and assessments at the federal, state, and local levels.
The group does not spell out the difference between teaching/discussion and indoctrination, which is normally defined as a teacher presenting issues in such a way that students are rewarded or punished for their viewpoints. Nor does it address the need for balanced or nonpartisan presentations by educators.
Safford IB Magnet School in the Tucson Unified School District, earned a School Of Merit level distinction for its civics learning. The IB curriculum for civics learning at Safford includes the concepts:
1st grade: Communities are organized in order to provide services for its people
2nd grade: Citizen beliefs may lead to action resulting in societal change
3rd grade: Citizens have rights, duties and responsibilities under the government in which they reside.
4th grade: Governments are developed resulting in structures that create law and order
5th grade: Citizens have responsibilities in creating systems to sustain order.
6th grade: An inquiry into the interconnectedness of human-made systems and communities; the structure and function of organizations; societal decision-making; economic activities and their impact on humankind and the environment.6th grade students also make an inquiry into rights and responsibilities in the struggle to share finite resources with other people and with other living things; communities and the relationships within and between them; access to equal opportunities; peace and conflict resolution. -From Safford website
In 2013, the TUSD Governing Board voted for the second year in a row, to accept money for the Qatar Foundation International (QFI). The group associated with the Muslim Brotherhood, issues curriculum grants, to develop “innovative curricula and teaching materials to be used in any Arabic language classroom.” The award was used in Safford for the Arabic teachers to “develop, teach, and evaluate four IB Arabic units.”
QFI is a nonprofit group financed by the government of Qatar. The Washington D.C. based organization is the U.S. branch of the Qatar Foundation, which was founded in 1995 by Qatar’s ruling emir, Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, according to various news reports. Thani was also the founder of Al Jazeera. The Qatar foundation launched the Research Center for Islamic Legislation and Ethics and the Center’s director was Tariq Ramadan. Ramadan is the grandson of the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Brad McQueen, a Tucson school teacher and author of the popular book Cult of Common Core said, “Like most things the description of the Civic Engagement program sounds benign, and there are schools that will actually promote civic learning and engagement.”
“Unfortunately, TUSD, under the direction of Adelita Grijalva and Superintendent Sanchez, has a history of radicalizing rather than educating their students and need to be monitored for this abuse with yet another program. And they wonder why teachers and students alike are fleeing their oppressive district,” concluded McQueen.
Another long time educator offered an assessment of the ADE’s program and standards, “Arizona is particularly weak in not maintaining a system to ensure that ethical issues, such as the indoctrination of students, are monitored and practitioners who engage in unethical behaviors are punished.”
Thirty-one public schools, traditional and charter, applied for recognition as an Arizona Civic Engagement school with one of the following designations: School of Merit, School of Distinction or School of Excellence. Of those schools, fifteen are recognized as a School of Merit, nine are honored as a School of Distinction and three obtained an award as a School of Excellence.
“I am inspired by the efforts that schools are demonstrating in preparing our youth to become informed, engaged citizens—and future civic leaders,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction John Huppenthal. The schools will be recognized at an award ceremony on September 17, 2014—Constitution Day.
While Huppenthal touts his efforts to stop the indoctrination of students in the TUSD Mexican American Studies classes, since that time the Department has done little to prevent educators from using students for political causes. Just last year, Dolores Huerta, rallied young students at Davis Bilingual Magnet school in TUSD to join her in a fight for higher wages for City of Tucson workers. While footage of the rally gained national attention for the use of children, the ADE took no action against the educators involved in using the students for political purposes.
In 2006, Huerta addressed the District’s students and touched off a firestorm when she told Tucson High Magnet School students to start a postcard campaign with the theme: “Republicans hate Latinos.”
Related article:
TUSD accepts funds from group with ties to Muslim Brotherhood