The Cesar Chavez Public Charter High School for Public Policy, one of the first charter schools in Washington, DC, seeks to prepare middle and high school students with a strong college prep curriculum while taking advantage of the civic learning resources in Washington, DC. They particularly seek to ensure students have a strong voice in the community.
Says Robin Spence, a former teacher who is now a development officer for the school, "We try and give students the knowledge, skills, and experience to effect change in their communities—for instance, advocacy, analysis, the role of the Constitution, the rights of citizens, and a sense of personal efficacy."
CURRICULUM
Throughout the year, Chavez teachers are charged with integrating public policy themes in their coursework. Chavez identifies nine focus areas that students should be familiar with by graduation:
1. Scholars will understand the role of government and the impact of public policy on their lives, on society and on history.
2. Scholars will discuss several current policy issues across disciplines (e.g., science policy, international relations, arts policy) describing their scope, causes, impacts and the competing perspectives of various stakeholders.
3. Scholars will conduct research with minimal guidance, judging the relevance, reliability and biases of various sources of information.
4. Scholars will interpret statistics and compile and present data in a compelling fashion, and will understand the power of statistics to shape opinion and justify public policies.
5. Scholars will make well-reasoned decisions by comparing and contrasting alternatives, methodically weighing the benefits and disadvantages of a number of approaches, and arriving at and defending a preferred alternative.
6. Scholars will support or refute arguments by using reliable and persuasive evidence (statistical and otherwise).
7. Scholars will influence the public policies that affect their communities by initiating actions such as educating the public and communicating with policymakers.
8. Scholars will write multiple drafts and a final version of a professional 15-20 research paper, including appropriate citations.
9. Scholars will present a prepared professional 7-10 minute oral presentation accompanied by a visual aid and respond to questions from an audience of policy professionals.
Students also follow an explicit policy-oriented curriculum over their years at Chavez, starting with a semester-long course on the foundations of public policy. "They learn about the workings of government, the ways government can effect change in a policy setting, the way interest groups work in their communities. Students study leaders both within and without government who've been effective and learn basic skills of analysis and advocacy," says Spence.
Every year, all students in grades 6-11 do a capstone project in June. "They take an issue like teen smoking or gentrification of a specific area of the city. Students research the issue then take some kind of policy-related action on it."
For juniors, the capstone project is a public policy fellowship. Students identify a policy issue that interests them, and the school helps them identify and interview with an organization addressing that issue.
"Students have addressed all kinds of topics," says Spence. "Immigration, human rights, access to health care, the war in Iraq. If a student is interested in it, we can make a policy connection."
For two weeks, the students work full-time at an organization—which themselves benefit. "The evaluations from partner organizations have been very strong," Spence notes. "The fellowships allow the organization to share their mission, get a little bit of help, hopefully develop people who care about this issue and who'll want to come back.
For students, the culminating project is a presentation to faculty, friends, and policy professionals on how the organization works to make change. "We try to help students make the connection between the issue they research and what people in real life can go out and do about it. We try to give them a realistic sense of the opportunities out there," says Spence.
Ideally, the students' fellowship experiences lead them to commit to one issue they can spend their senior year researching. Students are asked not only to learn more about their topic, but to analyze statistics, compare options, propose a policy solution, anticipate challenges, and make a convincing argument for their idea.
"Students tend toward topics that have a direct impact on their life," Spence notes. "One popular and excellent topic has been access to higher education for illegal immigrants. A number of students have run up against issue and wanted to explore it more deeply. They looked at real bills, such as the Dream Act, analyzed the content of those bills, considered the objections, and determined whether they seemed feasible."
Chavez students have made their cases before the city council, mayor, and other public officials. They are also encouraged to visit policy makers, write letters to the editor, or start a public education campaign.
Admittedly, to accommodate both a commitment to civic learning and maintain rigorous academic standards, Chavez has extended its school day. It's also had to compress the public policy element in some programs to allow teachers to meet students' academic needs.
Nevertheless, Spence notes that the civic learning often reinforces what students are learning in the classroom. In addition, some students who don't do well in normal academic settings thrive in the public policy projects.
"Our passing rates are very good for these courses – since they can bring in a lot of different skill sets, many students feel competent doing this work. They also work as a team and support each other. "It's a way to build confidence and skills. We feel the civic elements are not so much taking away from as complementing the academic work. The gains from what they get off site are often greater than what we could achieve in school during the same period."
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Professional development around civic learning is an ongoing effort, Spence notes. "The school is constantly working with teaching staff to define: what do we mean by public policy? What are we asking you to do? Most teachers come here in part because of our mission, but that doesn't necessarily mean they feel confident about teaching public policy."
Both of Chavez's established campuses has a public policy director who meets regularly with teachers, finds resources and speakers, and often co-teaches or helps integrate the civic learning into the work students are already doing.
CULTURE
Most of the year Chavez feels like a regular college preparatory school, Spence observes. Class sizes are small, the courses are challenging, and the academic objectives can be daunting. But during the public policy capstone projects in June, the school feels more like a community working toward common goals.
Still, on any day you'd see reminders of the school's civic focus, says Spence. "There's artwork on the walls related to public policy, and a list of policy fellowships the students have had. Walk into most classrooms, and you'll see teachers trying to make connections between textbooks and the real world.
"We're still a high school, and students are under a lot of stress. But the material they're studying isn't arcane—it is relevant to a range of experiences outside the classroom."
|
