Promoting Civic Knowledge in State Standards Civic knowledge is the content dimension of civic education. Without civic knowledge, there is no foundation for applying civic intellectual skills or civic dispositions. The civics statements in the seven states' social studies standards exhibit varying degrees of thoroughness, attention to civics content, and specificity. In addition, researchers surveyed secondary social studies teachers and district social studies coordinators in 14 districts in these states. Influences of State Standards Most districts consider state social studies standards when creating their curricula, and many offer courses with civics content.
Teachers also are unaware or confused about district and school civic education policies.
In every district examined, civic disposition is given attention less often and less strongly in courses with civics content than are civic participation, knowledge, and skills. This is in part a reflection of the inadequacies of the civics content in state standards noted above, but it also reflects the state policies that accompany standards. Influences of Instructional Materials While many factors influence civics instruction, instructional materials play a key role in shaping students' civic knowledge, intellectual and participatory skills, and dispositions. Even though states and districts have varying degrees of freedom in their textbook adoption policies, selection of textbooks with civics content is surprisingly uniform across the districts visited. Influences of Assessment State-level assessment policies are one of the most influential factors affecting civic education at the district level.