ABSTRACT
This is one of the intended goals of the formal introduction of citizenship into schools in England. It begs the question as to how well it will be achieved in practice. This book makes an important contribution to developing effective practice, focusing as it does on the context of citizenship education in the United Kingdom (UK) and, more specifically, on the challenges facing secondary schools in meeting the statutory requirement for teaching citizenship as a new foundation subject in the national curriculum (England) from September 2002. However, when considering citizenship it is important to recognise that the concerns of citizenship education are much broader than the UK, secondary schools and the national curriculum. Citizenship education is universal, encompassing local, national and international contexts. It is an ever-present challenge for individuals and communities across the globe; for young and old, rural and urban, male and female, schools and the communities to which they link. This has been brought into stark relief by
events following the tragedy of 11 September 2001 (Giroux, 2002). It is vital, therefore, that strong links are created between local, national and international contexts, and that such links actively encourage curiosity leading to critical understanding, connectivity and collaboration. Though contexts may differ, many of the challenges faced in developing effective citizenship education in modern society are indeed universal. We can all learn something from each other in this area.
