Several programs are in place in Arizona to further civic skills and knowledge of local government.

Arizona Counties, Cities and Towns

Of particular interest is Arizona Counties, Cities and Towns, a civics books designed to introduce eighth grade students to local government. The book describes why local governments are necessary, why students should learn about local governments, how local governments are structured, what local governments do, finance/budget, and leadership of local governments. The overall theme, which is carried consistently throughout book, is “Citizen Knowledge + Citizen Action = Citizen Power.”

Arizona Counties, Cities and Towns was sponsored by the Project Arizona Civic Education (PACE), a Tucson-based nonprofit begun in 1993 with a mission to educating Arizonans about their local governments. The book was written by Tanis J. Salant, director of the University of Arizona’s Institute for Local Government, and Linda S. Murphy, an experienced elementary school teacher with a master’s degree in education. The W. K. Kellogg Foundation and The Robidoux Foundation of Tucson provided financial support. Arizona Counties, Cities and Towns was piloted in classrooms throughout Arizona in 1998 and 2000 and was published in 2003. Each of the six lessons includes review questions for comprehension and analytical thinking, as well as suggested activities to extend learning beyond the classroom.

Arizona Counties, Cities and Towns is the first component of a comprehensive civic project that will include educational materials for fourth grade and high school, as well as for adult civic groups. Eighth grade was targeted because that is the year in which most of Arizona’s students take civics, which includes discussion of state and local government. The 60-page book provides students with basic information about local government in Arizona, as well as suggestions for activities and research projects. The book focuses particular attention on the role of citizens in government.

We the People

Arizona is also one of 18 states that have launched state-specific advocacy organizations with specific action plans to strengthen civic education and practices. The Arizona Civics Coalition supports a number of programs and organizations, including We the People, a partnership of state and national organizations that has been in Arizona since the mid-1980s. We the People offers civics textbooks and materials for students at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels. The Arizona Foundation for Legal Services and Education has sponsored the We the People programs since 1994. Since that time, more than 1,000 teachers have participated in professional development sessions and received free sets of We the People textbooks. The Arizona Center for Civic Education has provided funding and textbooks; the State Bar of Arizona and the Arizona foundation for legal services and education (AZFLSE) are major partners in these endeavors. 

Project Citizen

Project Citizen, a hands-on learning opportunity for middle-school students, is another program that has been well received in Arizona. First piloted in the 1995–96 school year, Project Citizen is a curricular program for middle school students designed to promote participation in local and state government. By teaching young people how citizens can influence public policy, the program reinforces support for democratic values and principles. In Project Citizen, groups of students in classrooms or from youth organizations work cooperatively to identify a local public policy problem, research the problem, evaluate alternative solutions, develop their own solution in the form of a public policy, and create an action plan to enlist local or state authorities to adopt their proposed policy. Participants develop a portfolio of their work and present their project in a hearing showcase before a panel of civic-minded community members. The focus on teamwork and self-discovery enables students to practice real civics skills.

Although such interactive approaches to learning civics have proven records of accomplishment, the projects are in less than one-fourth of Arizona’s 220 school districts. The Arizona Civics Coalition would like to expand within the curriculum. The program currently costs roughly $2 million, and advocates claim that more funding is required for professional development, staff to run professional development, and textbooks and materials for the projects in the school systems.

Civics Education Advocacy

The Arizona Civics Coalition is currently surveying school districts throughout the state to learn about current practices and to reinforce the importance of civic education. In addition, in June 2006, the Arizona state legislature established a state commission on civic education and civic engagement “to promote the informed, responsible participation in political activities by American citizens who are committed to the fundamental values and principles of the American system and to promote civic education and civic engagement.” Advocates of civics education in the state hope that this will provide an incentive and the means to expand on what is already in place.

Civic Education should help young Arizonans acquire and learn to use the skills, knowledge, and attitudes that will prepare them to be competent and responsible citizens throughout their lives. Competent and responsible citizens:

• Are informed and thoughtful; have a grasp and an appreciation of history and the fundamental processes of American democracy; have an understanding and awareness of public and community issues; and have the ability to obtain information, think critically, and enter into dialogue among others with different perspectives.
• Participate in their communities through membership in or contributions to organizations working to address an array of cultural, social, political, and religious interests and beliefs
• Act politically by having the skills, knowledge, and commitment needed to accomplish public purposes, such as group problem solving, public speaking, petitioning and protesting, and voting.
• Have moral and civic virtues such as concern for the rights and welfare of others, social responsibility, tolerance and respect, and belief in the capacity to make a difference.
  
  Arizona Civics Coalition, www.azcivics.org.

Contact Information

For more information about Arizona Counties Cities and towns, contact Tanis Salant or Linda Murphy, Project Arizona Civic Education, 520-577-9147. For more information about the other civics education programs in Arizona, contact Jeffrey Schrade, Arizona Civics Coalition, 603-340-7268.