Negotiating the Roles of Civic Education: Cross-Sector Alliances in Israeli High School Civics Courses

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 1
  In Roundtable Session: Curriculum, Teaching, and Citizenship Development

Abstract

Collaborations between public schools and educational NGO’s raise critical questions regarding the influences of such external partners. Focusing on the case of civic education, we ask how such cross-sector alliances impact citizenship conceptions promoted in Israeli classrooms. Twenty-nine thematic interviews were conducted with teachers engaged in such collaborations as part of their high school civics course. Building on theoretical distinctions between different conceptions of citizenship, the findings point to how cases in which teachers avoided substantial engagement with the NGO’s resulted in lessons that promoted formal aspects of citizenship. In contrast, cases in which partners engaged in dialogue about educational values, goals, and methods resulted in lessons that developed among students a multifaceted approach and critical stance toward citizenship.

Authors

• Aviv Cohen, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

• Ori Eyal, Hebrew University