Fostering excellence in civic literacy and civic engagement for all learners
DPI supports excellence in civic literacy and civic engagement where (1) all students learn to become engaged citizens; critical consumers of information; actively involved in the civil discourse of their communities, state, nation, and world; to understand and actively participate in the processes of government, including voting; and are empowered to see themselves as essential members of their communities and have opportunities to actively participate in civic learning and problem solving; (2) All schools and educators are equipped with the resources and support they need to foster excellence in civic literacy and civic engagement; (3) all stakeholders are empowered to support the civic mission of schools and collaborate to support civic literacy and provide civic engagement opportunities to students of all ages.
Civics Education in Wisconsin
Civics is the study of how law and government work, and how people can participate as active, informed citizens. The goal of the study of civics is making sure that every Wisconsinite understands how to vote, how laws are made, and how they can make their voices heard. It also includes understanding of history, geography, and economics and how they affect us in everyday life.
The study of civics and civic participation is non-partisan, and serves not to dictate opinions, but rather to empower people to make their voices heard.
How has civics been thought about/taught in Wisconsin up until now?
We know that civics and social studies teaching and learning has been in decline since the 1990’s. Before this work, Wisconsin has not had a suggested scope and sequence for social studies and we have seen huge decreases in social studies time, especially at the K-8 level. We have passionate teachers and administrators who have formed pockets of excellence in civics education across the state, and this work highlights and supports that work.
Excellence in Civic Literacy and Civic Engagement
Excellence in civic literacy and civic engagements means that all students should:
- Learn to be critical consumers of information
- Feel empowered to be actively involved in the civil discourse of their communities, state, nation, and world
- Understand and actively participate in the processes of government, including voting
- Are empowered to see themselves as essential members of their communities and have opportunities to actively participate in civic learning and problem solving.
Excellence in civic literacy and civic engagement requires schools and educators to be equipped with the resources and support they need to foster excellence. Stakeholders will be empowered to support the civic mission of schools and collaborate to support civic literacy and provide civic engagement opportunities to students of all ages. Good civics education builds the foundation for active, engaged citizens.
