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A relationship between school history and notions of citizenship is evident in the Australian context. In this way, it is important to reflect on the nature of the subject of history (Körber, 2011) and how socio-political forces have impacted discourses relating to its aim and purpose (Goodson & Marsh, 1996). This paper seeks to consider how literacies are historically embedded in history (mandatory) syllabuses in New South Wales (NSW), and the implications of this for a conceptualisation of literacy that acknowledges the changing nature of communication, and as a result, participatory citizenship. Following the linguistic turn, and acknowledgement of the importance of language to social practice, a successful approach to literacy in secondary school contexts should consider the language and literacies required for specific subjects, rather than common or foundational areas of literacy (Lo Bianco & Freebody, 2001), as are often the focus of standardised literacy assessments. Positioned as a history of the present (Popkewitz, 2011), official curriculum documents are examined covering the period of the 1990s to the early 2000s, prior to the implementation of the first national curriculum. It was found that there was a distinct and explicit separation of notions of literacy and understanding in official curriculum, as well as presenting information communication technologies (ICTs) and literacy as distinct (and separate) competencies. It is argued that if history education is to contribute to active citizenship, there is a need to reconceptualise this idea to align with emerging civic practices of the twenty-first century.

The civic development of higher education students is currently recognized as a critical issue in education research. Numerous studies have investigated the development of civic skills; however, to date, no study has provided a comprehensive overview of the benefits and functions of horizontal networks among students as the main tool in their civic development in the form of citizenship education programs. This paper presents an approach based on network theory to create a horizontal network model of citizenship education that dynamically supports civic development in higher education. The theory emphasizes four main purposes of horizontal networks towards civic development—facilitating change, transferring civic knowledge, reinforcing civic norms, and enhancing civic learning—that may allow students of higher education to serve as vital building blocks for the development of a lively civil society. This study provides an account of the cumulative knowledge regarding how these horizontal networks assist students to perform within the main components of an education system. It is suggested that higher education authorities need to focus on these networks, and redesign programs to facilitate their creation among students.

Policing is widely held to constitute a contentious issue in classrooms on both sides of the border on the island of Ireland, despite the fact that the ongoing peace process has led to a normalising of cross-border policing relationships. The Education for Reconciliation Project works with teachers and members of the two police services to produce teaching/learning modules on law and policing for use in Citizenship Education classrooms. This paper examines the commonly-held teacher perception of policing as a controversial issue and the reasons why these perceptions exist. It takes into consideration the opinion that it is time for schools to begin work on policing, and investigates the implications for practice.