Week 1 Discussion 2 - Preparing Students for Citizenship

· If we accept the fact that we may need to focus more on teaching civic responsibility, how can this work with both "policies and people" in the school where you become principal?

In order to increase the focus on teaching civic responsibility, policy must be in place supporting this goal. A school leader must be willing to invest time and funds into planning, training, and implementing curriculum that emphasizes civics. Staff members may have different levels of interest, understanding, and comfort when it comes to incorporating civic responsibility into their teaching, so providing professional development in this area would be critical. The strategic plan for integrating civic responsibility and the expectations for each teacher’s involvement should be clearly communicated. In addition to establishing these policies regarding civics education, the school leader and teachers must work to model civic responsibility. In addition to sharing his or her vision for increased focus on civics with the school staff, the school leader should work to share his or her vision with school board members, other district personnel including the superintendent, and the greater community. Lastly, school leaders need to support their staff as they take risks and work to develop and implement new activities, discussions, and projects centered around teaching civic responsibility.

· How will you lead your staff in this part of the curriculum?

 In leading my staff in this part of the curriculum, I would work to secure professional development related to civic responsibility, as this is not an area that I have expertise in, and work as a staff to develop our vision and implementation goals. I would also provide examples such as the work of the exemplar schools described in the article in integrating civic responsibility across all content areas, implementing service-learning programs, and creating partnerships between the school and community. I would also work within PLTs to develop ways that civic responsibility could be incorporated within their curriculum and remind them that they have my support as they embark on this endea