The Trajectory Of 'Political Education ' In English Schools: The Rise And Fall Of Two Initiatives

ABSTRACT This article tracks the trajectory of political education in English schools by comparing the experiences of two initiatives that have occurred in the last seventy years, namely, the Association of Education in Citizenship established in 1934 and the Programme for Political Education launched in 1974. Although these initiatives have been interpreted as representing different models of political education, there is some evidence to indicate that they had more in common than is immediately apparent. Irrespective of the interpretation placed on the two initiatives' rationales, aims and outcomes, their experiences serve to demonstrate some of the circumstances that influence sustainability of reform in political education. Consideration of these circumstances is germane as Citizenship enters its fourth year as a compulsory National Curriculum subject in England