Chapter 7: Concepts and Tools: Civics: Gentrification in Jersey City

Effective citizenship requires that individuals be able to critically listen and to reflectively think about issues that impact themselves, their communities and broader society (National Council for the Social Studies [NCSS], 2013). For this reason, it hardly comes as a surprise that these competencies are incorporated into the social studies and English language arts curriculum standards upon which so many states base their own student learning guidelines (Council of Chief State School Officers & National Governors Association, 2010; National Council for the Social Studies, 2010). At the same time, the issue of urban gentrification is only one of countless domestic and global concerns that confirm the need to assiduously teach and assess these skills from elementary grades onward (National Council for the Social Studies, 2017). Additionally, as the C3 Framework advocates, thoughtful and evaluative discussion requires teaching “virtues—such as honesty, mutual respect, cooperation, and attentiveness to multiple perspectives—that citizens should use when they interact with each other on public matters” (National Council for the Social Studies, 2013, p. 33). And this is particularly critical since we live in a complex, global society in which students are exposed to increasing levels of impolite and polarizing discourse that appears ever present on social media platforms and even in some news coverage. In this context, schools and classroom communities have a vital role to play in fostering constructive civic engagement through reflective communication.