Developing effective citizenship programs: implementing the Wisconsin Citizenship Initiative

Abstract

Citizenship education has been an essential component of education throughout the history of the United States. Often there has been debate concerning its proposed content. This content has shifted at various times in this country’s history and is a source of current debate. This study described research on the components of effective citizenship education programs and examined new responses to citizenship education. More particularly this research paper focused on the new responses made by the Wisconsin Citizenship Initiative. The Wisconsin Citizenship Initiative, a joint program of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and the Wisconsin Legislature, awarded grants for developing and implementing citizenship programs. Schools would write applications for these grants explaining how their proposed program could produce positive change in students through enhancing citizenship. Examples of these grants were examined by qualitative case studies using semi-structured interviews and stakeholder observations. Data were collected from three rural northwestern Wisconsin elementary schools that received these grants in multiple years. This study described the development and implementation of these grants and examined them for significant results and possible changes attributed to helping students become more responsible, caring, productive, and contributing members of society.