Civic education in emerging democracies: Lessons from post-Communist Poland and Romania

The 1999 International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) Civic Education Study revealed that most countries having recently undergone political and social transformations had lower civic knowledge scores than more stable nations. However, Poland, which instituted policies aimed at educating citizens for democratic participation after the fall of Communism, scored above international means.This article examines these educational policy initiatives and compares Poland with Romania, where fewer curricular initiatives were undertaken. Using 1999 IEA data, the article evaluates civic education's potential for promoting civic knowledge in transitioning nations and finds that successful programs tend to pay attention to national context, provide for teacher professional development, engage students in active learning and collaborate with established democracies to create curricula. Other factors that might have contributed to the differing scores are also explored, including the two nations' relative diversity, relationships with Western democracies, experiences under communism, and definitions of democracy.