An old adage suggests students go to school to learn the three “R’s”: reading, writing and arithmetic. These days we can add a fourth “R” to the list: responsibility, as in civic responsibility. 

The role schools play in preparing students to become effective citizens in a democratic society is the subject of the UW College of Education’s Fourth Annual February Forum. The forum occurs at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 16 at Town Hall in Seattle. 

“School is not just a place for instilling knowledge and an aptitude for learning,” says COE Professor Deb McCutchen. “It must be the place where young people come to understand and experience the importance of participating in a democratic society.”
 
Some of the best examples of how schools are successfully preparing students for citizenship are found in other countries. College faculty are working with educators in Russia, Albania, South Africa and elsewhere to learn more about the steps they’re taking to ensure they foster a sense of civic duty in their students.

The need for American schools to follow suit has never been more urgent. Americans have long debated whether our society lives up to the ideals of democracy we extol to the world. Challenges to personal freedoms at home and abroad brought on by the war on terrorism only accentuate these concerns. 

Meanwhile American schools are trying to accommodate a student population influenced significantly by the biggest wave of immigration the country has experienced in the past century. Today U.S. citizens come from more than 200 countries. They speak at least as many languages and practice all religions. What unifies us all is the ability to participate in our government. Schools remain the best place to nurture young people in their roles as active public citizens.

Within the UW College of Education work a group of educators who have spent their collective lives understanding the relationship between democratic governments and public schools.  They believe that, in the words of College of Education Professor Bill McDiarmid, “(t)he primary mission of schools in a democracy is to cultivate citizens committed to and capable of thoughtfully weighing, debating and deciding public issues.”

The February Forum will feature presentations from some of the College’s faculty examining schools’ role in citizenship education.  Professors Walter Parker, Tom Stritikus and Ed Taylor will discuss local trends and what American educators can learn from their colleagues in other nations about how schools can perpetuate democratic participation by a nation’s citizens.

Admission is free, but space is limited. Reservations are encouraged.

For more information or to RSVP, contact the UW Alumni Association at 206-543-0540 or visit the UWAA online: www.UWalum.com.