“Signifying Nothing”: Identifying Conceptions of Youth Civic Identity in the English Language Arts Common Core State Standards and the National Assessment of Educational Progress’Reading Framework

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mary Man

This manuscript examines how national reading policies in the United States shape specific kinds of civic identities for K–12 students. Through thematic discourse analysis of two national policy documents—the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Reading Framework—it investigates how citizenship is defined and constructed at the national level. The analysis highlights how these documents narrow visions of individualist passivity and constrain literacy practices, stymieing liberatory civic action. It also offers educator-oriented recommendations for working within these limited pedagogical spaces toward transformative ends.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages30

Reading Time1 h 16 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Policy documents analyzed

Key findings on citizenship and literacy

Implications for civic engagement

Recommendations and future directions

UC Berkeley Berkeley Review of Education Title “Signifying Nothing”: Identifying Conceptions of Youth Civic Identity in the English Language Arts Common Core State Standards and the National Assessment of Educational Progress’Reading Framework Permalink [https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9048x2kh](https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9048x2kh) Journal Berkeley Review of Education, 8(2) Authors Garcia, Antero Mirra, Nicole Publication Date 2019 DOI 10.5070/B88235831 Peer reviewed [eScholarship.org](eScholarship.org) Powered by the California Digital Library University of California Available online at [http://eScholarship.org/uc/ucbgse_bre](http://eScholarship.org/uc/ucbgse_bre) “Signifying Nothing”: Identifying Conceptions of Youth Civic Identity in the English Language Arts Common Core State Standards and the National Assessment of Educational Progress’Reading Framework Antero Garciaa1 and Nicole Mirrab aGraduate School of Education, Stanford University bDepartment of Learning and Teaching, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey Abstract This manuscript examines how national reading policies in the United States shape specific kinds of civic identities for K–12 students. We engage in a thematic discourse analysis of two contemporary national policy documents—the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Reading Framework—to understand the ways citizenship is defined and constructed at the national level. By reading these documents for how they conceptualize civic-based educational outcomes, we interrogate the disconnects between this language and the civic contexts—and potential outlets for civic action—that young people are navigating in the United States today. We examine how seemingly benign policy documents define citizenship in increasingly narrow visions of individualist passivity, and how such definitions run counter to the expansive visions necessary to honor the lived experiences of young citizens of color. Our analysis highlights how these policy documents structure literacy practices, includingthe variety of texts that students encounter, opportunities to analyze those texts, and specific forms of engagement with media and messages found in society, in ways that stymie a Freirian reading of the word and the world. Ultimately, we suggest how educators might work within the limited pedagogical spaces of these policies toward liberatory ends. Keywords: reading, literacy, citizenship, U.S. education policy “To instruct the mass of our citizens in these, their rights, interests and duties . . . in [primary schools] should be taught reading [and] writing.” -Thomas Jefferson, 1818 “Education is still the foundation of [American] opportunity. And the most basic building block that holds the foundation together is still reading.” -Barack Obama, 2005 1 Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Antero Garcia, Graduate School of Education, Stanford University, 485 Lausen Mall, Stanford, CA, 94305. Email: [antero.garcia@stanford.edu](antero.garcia@stanford.edu). Berkeley Review of Education Vol. 8 No. 2, pp. 195–223 196 Garcia & Mirra Literacy and citizenship have long been inextricably linked in political and educational discourse. At its most fundamental level, the connection seems obvious—reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills are necessary to participate in almost every facet of public life, from addressing neighborhood challenges to researching candidates for elected office (Flower, 2008) . Yet in practice, the relationship between these two concepts is much more complex and fraught. When Jefferson spoke to the commissioners of the University of Virginia, both literacy and citizenship were largely restricted to property-owning white men in the United States. Nearly 200 years later, when thenSenator Barack Obama spoke to the American Library Association, debates over what li

FAQs

Which national policy documents are analyzed in the manuscript?

The manuscript analyzes the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Reading Framework to understand how they shape civic identities through literacy policy.

How does the manuscript describe the relationship between reading policy and civic identity?

It argues that national reading policies construct citizenship in ways that narrow civic possibilities, promoting depoliticized and individualist forms of civic engagement while marginalizing non-dominant community literacy practices.

What approach does the manuscript use to conduct its analysis?

It uses thematic discourse analysis grounded in sociocultural and critical theory to examine how the documents conceptualize civic-based educational outcomes and literacy practices.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mary Man