{"id":2513,"date":"2024-09-24T16:21:06","date_gmt":"2024-09-24T16:21:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/?p=2513"},"modified":"2026-02-24T15:07:31","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T15:07:31","slug":"evidence-matters-civic-education-two-birds-one-stone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/evidence-matters-civic-education-two-birds-one-stone\/","title":{"rendered":"Evidence Matters | Civic Education: Two Birds, One Stone"},"content":{"rendered":"

September 24, 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you asked any classroom teacher or other education leader in your district what their primary focus has been the last few years, chances are the most common refrain you\u2019d hear would be something along the lines of, \u201cWe have to improve our reading and math scores.\u201d Over the years, as test data at the state and national levels have continued to highlight the numbers of students who are not meeting grade level standards<\/a>, the conversations about how to best help our students have become increasingly urgent. Understandably, policymakers are continuously in search of different approaches that might help to right the ship, and, often, proposed solutions have turned towards increasing the amount of time<\/a> that is spent on specific subjects.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, when it comes to instructional time, more does not always mean better<\/a>. And, perhaps more concerningly, more time in one area can mean less time in others. As districts have continued to increase the length of reading and math blocks during the school day, time has been taken away from other subject areas, such as social studies and science<\/a>. Research tells us that these subjects, along with others, are just as important when it comes to creating well-rounded students<\/a>.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no denying that students need sufficient amounts of time on the traditional three Rs, but those are just a few pieces of a much bigger puzzle. As it turns out, if we want to ensure that we are devoting sufficient time to improving students\u2019 reading abilities, for example, without sacrificing time spent on other subjects, the age-old idea of \u201ckilling two birds with one stone\u201d might just be the missing solution. And in this case, social studies\u2014also known as civic education\u2014turns out to be the perfect rock.<\/p>\n

At first glance, the connection between civic education and reading ability might seem far-fetched. Civic education, broadly defined, means educating students about the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors necessary to become an informed citizen. This means that students not only learn about the responsibilities of citizenship, but also about how government works. At a deeper level, civic education prepares future voters to improve the communities in which they live and to meaningfully participate in democracy.<\/p>\n

What then could this have to do with reading scores? When analyzing the essential components of the standard reading curriculum, five critical pillars<\/a> emerge: phonemic awareness (the ability to recognize and manipulate sounds in spoken language), phonics (matching sounds in spoken language to written letters or groups of letters), fluency (reading with speed, accuracy, and appropriate expression), vocabulary (knowledge of words and their meanings), and comprehension (understanding what is being read).<\/p>\n

When we consider these pillars, we can see how civics-focused texts and lessons could be a unique and engaging opportunity to improve students\u2019 fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension\u2014 and, perhaps, to create a society of better-informed citizens as we do it.<\/p>\n

In our next post<\/a>, we will closely examine what the research tells us about the link between civic education and literacy, unique approaches to including both during the school day, and, most importantly, why it matters.<\/p>\n

\n

Kelly Gregory is the Riley Institute\u2019s Director for Public Education Projects and Partnerships and previously taught for 11 years in South Carolina public schools. She holds a bachelor\u2019s degree in Psychology and a master\u2019s degree in Special Education. She also holds a National Board certification as an Exceptional Needs Specialist. She can be reached at kelly.gregory0@furman.edu.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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