Teachers as Civic Agents: Toward a Critical Democratic Theory of Urban Teacher Development

• In Event: Teachers as Public Intellectuals and Civic Agents: Toward a Grounded Theory of Transformative Teacher Education

Abstract

Considering the growing body of research demonstrating that formal school experiences influence the developing civic identities of young people (Youniss & Yates, 1997; Torney-Puerta et al, 2001; Kahne & Sporte, 2008) by affecting their beliefs about their political efficacy and their future civic participation, it is imperative to learn more about what civic lessons schools are transmitting to our young people. Students are learning lessons about politics and citizenship not only at the macro-level through the structures of schooling, but at the micro-level as well, in individual classrooms. As the crucial mediators between students and the institution, teachers are poised to interpret these complicated political issues for students and spur civic agency; however, precious little is known about the political identities of educators and the ways they transmit ideology to students about what it means to be a citizen. This study aims to fill this gap by exploring how teachers both act as civic agents and inspire civic agency in students both inside the classroom and in extracurricular spaces. These case studies of teachers, which include in-depth interviews, civic identity surveys, and observations in both in-school and out-of-school spaces, contribute to a grounded theory of pedagogical civic empowerment. The teachers profiled in this piece demonstrate an ability to consciously inject a concern with critical democratic engagement into their curriculum, pedagogy, and social interactions with students. From civics teachers to teachers involved in youth participatory action research, these teachers take seriously the connection between education and citizenship.

This work seeks to contribute to the developing body of work in civic identity development. The term ‘civic identity’ draws from a multi-disciplinary body of work in the fields of psychology (Erikson, 1968; Watts & Flanagan, 2007; Banks, 2008), political sociology (Verba, 1995; Putnam, 2000; Atkins & Hart, 2003; McFarland, 2006; Bartels, 2008), anthropology (Nasir & Kirshner, 2003) and education (Niemi & Junn, 1998; Westheimer & Kahne, 2004), referring generally to young people’s developing understandings of society’s political organization and moral order, as well as their sense of agency within it. While a great deal of literature has explored the ways that civic identity develops in young people, there is very little that describes the continuing development of civic identity in adults, specifically among educators. Scholars have linked civic identity development to political participation (Delli Carpini & Keeter, 1996), and a small but growing body of work is exploring the unique ways that civic and racial identity interact in the development of urban youth of color (Fine, 2004; Rubin, 2007). This study aims to provide extensive data that will move this field forward and lead to the development of transformative critical civic education for young people of color in urban public schools.

Authors

• Nicole Mirra, University of California - Los Angeles

• Ernest D. Morrell, Teachers College, Columbia University