Civic Learning Award: Pacific High School

Civic Learning Description

Pacific High School sees civic learning as a healing tool that allows students to have conversations and connect with their communities by meeting with local elected and appointed politicians to discuss pertinent community issues, and take action to address them. They study pivotal court cases, such as Korematsu, and the 14th amendment, connecting it to events in the world today.

Research-Based Civic Education Practices

This school demonstrates the following research-based best practices in civic education:

• Provide instruction in government, history, law and democracy, and avoid teaching only rote facts about dry procedures.
• Discuss current local, national and international issues and events in the classroom, particularly those that young people view as important to their lives.
• Conduct community service that is linked to the formal curriculum and classroom (Service-learning).
• Encourage student participation in school governance.
• Encourage students’ participation in simulations of democratic process and procedures such as voting, trials, legislative deliberation, and diplomacy.

 For more information on research-based best practices, visit the Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools website

Contact Information

Dr. Natalie Raymundo
natalie.raymundo@sbcusd.com