In light of the recommendations of the Crick report on citizenship education ('Education for citizenship and the teaching of democracy' which can be downloaded at http://www.qca.org.uk/downloads/6123_crick_report_1998.pdf) published in September 1998, the subject was introduced into the school curriculum in 2002, on a compulsory basis for secondary schools and as part of the non-statutory framework for primary schools. The Committee's report assesses the progress made during the last four years to deliver quality citizenship programmes and examines the barriers that exist to its successful implementation. It finds that, when well done, citizenship education motivates and inspires young people, but the quality and extent of these programmes are still inconsistent across the country. This patchiness needs to be tackled head-on, and progress accelerated, requiring strong support from the DfES and Ministers as well as action from those on the ground. The Committee welcomes the Government's decision to accept the recommendations of the report by Sir Keith Ajegbo which highlighted the need for citizenship curriculum to have a closer focus on issues of identity, diversity and belonging. More can be done to disseminate between settings good practice information about approaches that are working in other institutions, particularly in relation to 'whole-school' (or college) approaches that develop opportunities for active citizenship, although it is essential that programmes are locally-owned and relevant to the particular context. The development of the workforce is also important to the success of citizenship education, and although the expansion of the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) citizenship certificate programme is welcome, more resources are needed to develop capacity in initial teacher training places for citizenship education.

Should a liberal democratic state permit religious schools? Should it fund them? What principles should govern these decisions in a society marked by religious and cultural pluralism? In Faith in Schools?, Ian MacMullen tackles these important questions through both political and educational theory, and he reaches some surprising and provocative conclusions. MacMullen argues that parents' desires to educate their children "in the faith" must not be allowed to deny children the opportunity for ongoing rational reflection about their values. Government should safeguard children's interests in developing as autonomous persons as well as society's interest in the education of an emerging generation of citizens. But, he writes, liberal theory does not support a strict separation of church and state in education policy. MacMullen proposes criteria to distinguish religious schools that satisfy legitimate public interests from those that do not. And he argues forcefully that governments should fund every type of school that they permit, rather than favoring upper-income parents by allowing them to buy their way out of the requirements deemed suitable for children educated at public expense. Drawing on psychological research, he proposes public funding of a broad range of religious primary schools, because they can help lay the foundations for young children's future autonomy. In secondary education, by contrast, even private religious schools ought to be obliged to provide robust exposure to the ideas of other religions, to atheism, and to nonreligious approaches to ethics.

In this unique examination of education for citizenship, Derek Heater covers two and a half millennia of history encompassing every continent. Education for citizenship is considered from its classical origins through to ideas of world citizenship and multiculturalism which are relevant today. The book reveals the constants of motives, policies, recommendations and practices in this field and the variables determined by political, social and economic circumstances, which in turn illustrate the reasons behind education for citizenship today. Sections covered include: * Classical origins * The age of rebellions and revolutions * Education for liberal democracy * Totalitarianism and transitions * Multiple citizenship education. A History of Education for Citizenship will be of interest to teachers and students of citizenship, particularly those concerned with citizenship education. It will also be of interest to those working in the field of politics of education and history of education.

Director of the Citizenship Education Program, Dorothy Cotton, recounts the accomplishments of the program and her experiences in the civil rights movement.

"The Jesuit review of faith and culture," Nov. 13, 2017-