Lessons Learned from ... Latin America:
Citizenship Education in Latin America

Felisa Tibbitts and Judith Torney-Purta recently conducted a study for the Inter-American Development Bank on citizenship education in Latin America. Below are some of their findings. The full text of the study Preparing for the Future: Citizenship Education in Latin America can be found in HREA's Publications section.

What Works in Overall Program Design?

Clear goals need to be set for any citizenship education program, and include references to knowledge, skills and values. The development of the learner under the skillful guidance of the teacher should be presented as the central modality for learning.

Central agencies should cooperate with district and local organizations, including governmental, non-governmental and religious organizations, in designing and implementing programs that are relevant and motivating for local populations. Many social justice organizations are suitable partners for such programming. This has been a useful model in civic education programs in a variety of countries (see chapters on Belgium and Canada in Torney-Purta, Schwille, and Amadeo, 1999).

Policy makers should shy away from any single or uniform approach in citizenship education, while endorsing a core set of outcomes for students that promote democratic culture in the classroom.

In moving away from an "inputs-based" approach to education to one focusing on learner outcomes, policy makers can monitor achievement through evaluation and assessment techniques. These need to be appropriate for the level of program implementation and the audience.

Planners should be particularly attentive to the needs of the more vulnerable populations in rural and urban poor areas. In these circumstances, citizenship education might be linked with other, high priority educational agendas, such as literacy, health education, and community involvement. A recent evaluation of such programs in Latin America does exist and bears important lessons.

In general, it is desirable to develop citizenship education programs that foster community involvement and, in fact, seek to promote community development.

It is essential to pay attention to the needs of teachers. Any citizenship education program which is to be successful in the long run will motivate "teachers as learners" and will give them valuable professional development tools. To this end, well designed training experiences are essential, and those organized at the pre-service level are especially important.

Ideally, central agencies will foster "networks of learning" among educators participating in national citizenship education programs. These networks could be informal study groups or more formal professional associations that meet and share information periodically.

Overall educational achievement is related to the support of democratic values, political participation, voting behavior and being politically informed in society as a whole. Attention to the matters of guaranteeing quality education in Latin America, and reducing grade repetition and the school-leaving rate will also strengthen the development of democratic culture on the continent (and vice versa).

What Works in Terms of Program Content?

Whenever possible, civics should be a required separate subject in the curriculum. In addition, themes and activities related to democracy, critical thinking, debate, conflict resolution, tolerance-building, moral development, and citizenship participation can be included in other subjects and extracurricular activities. In-depth project work is also a desirable vehicle for work in and outside the classroom.

A variety of learning materials, including non-text sources, help to enhance opportunities for learning, and also better accommodate the diverse learning styles of pupils. The materials should "stimulate innovation, not condition practice" (McGinn, 1996, p.13).

Central to the promotion of democratic culture in the classroom are discussion-oriented methodologies. These methodologies should be central to teacher education programs and be built explicitly into materials.

In constructing models for these programs, resource designers should consult teachers. If there are sensitive political issues involved, it is best if these can be addressed, rather than ignored.

An effective citizenship education program will recognize that the professional development of the teacher is a precondition for success. Teachers’ learning can be incorporated through educational programs, materials, follow-up support, opportunities for advancement, and recognition.

What Does Not Work in Overall Program Design?

A single civics textbook, especially one that is poorly adapted for some regions of the country, is unlikely to meet the diverse needs of the student and teacher populations. Textbook authorization policies on the parts of Ministries of Education may need to be examined in this regard.

A citizenship education program cannot be constituted solely through the development of a textbook, even a good one. Goals for a national citizenship education program must extend beyond short-term materials development to include attention to the informal education environment and the implicit messages about society and power, which students see in the classroom and school.

Short-term investments in citizenship education activities, regardless of design, may not result in sustainable programs.

Failure to link up the citizenship education agenda and strategies with other reform agendas and innovations will limit program effectiveness and long-term sustainability.

What Does Not Work in Terms of Program Content?

Traditional, lecture approaches to civic education, rote memorization, or highly abstract approaches are unlikely to develop attitudes and skills related to democratic culture. In fact, these approaches can be alienating to young people and work against their engagement in political affairs and the civic education process.

On the other hand, a pure focus on values or methodological innovation will not necessarily result in the desired learner outcomes. Values-oriented approaches and participatory methodologies should always be balanced with knowledge and understanding about concrete political processes and issues.

Failure to link education with local community issues, or to allow for active engagement in a school or community approach are unlikely to have maximal effectiveness.

Policy makers cognizant of these and other lessons, incorporated into the monograph should be able to thoughtfully design programs that have a genuine chance of success.

Felisa Tibbitts is Director of HREA.
Judith Torney-Purta is Professor of Government at the University of Maryland.