Politics and Public Policy in the United States

Rationale

The East Side Union High School District is committed to creating a more equitable community by ensuring that “all students are provided tasks that demand production through and beyond DOK3 so that they can communicate like a scientist, mathematician, historian, artist, literary critic, and more.”⁵  Depth of Knowledge (DOK) is a category of tasks and questions that increases in complexity as it increases in level.  At a DOK3+ level, students are asked to use more abstract thinking in planning and using evidence.  Students must not only provide an answer but also justify their answer.  This information will be relevant in the teaching strategy section. 

William C. Overfelt High School is part of the East Side Union High School District in San Jose, California.  Overfelt High School is located a few miles southeast of the heart of Silicon Valley—home of the likes of Google, Facebook, Cisco, and eBay.  While we are surrounded by major affluent corporations, many of our Overfelt students do not share in that affluence.  Overfelt students come from working-class and low-income families that struggle financially.  Out of our approximately 1450 students, over 85% of our students qualify for free or reduced lunch.  With the high rate of poverty in our community, also comes high crime.  The Overfelt High School community is known as a “gang hotspot”. 

Over 80% of Overfelt’s 1450 students identify as Hispanic or Latino.  Less than 15% identify as Asian and about 2% black.  While I have never done a formal survey in my government class, many, if not all, of my students proclaim to be a Democrat.  This seems to somewhat align with the party affiliation of the county.  San Jose is part of the larger Santa Clara County.  Of its almost 2 million residents, 47% identify as a Democrat, with 16% identifying as a Republican.  The rest identify as either independent, non-affiliation, or other parties.⁶ 

A recent study by Pew Research Center found that most blacks, Asians, Hispanics, and Millennials identify as Democrats, while white male who have less education and are also evangelical Christians identify as Republican.⁷  And this is very evident at Overfelt High School.  Every year I have my students take a non-scientific, informal survey that determines where one falls along the political spectrum.  The survey consists of a series of statements and students with which students strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree, and strongly disagree.  Their choices are given a numerical value that they then add up, giving them a score of where they fall along a political spectrum of being more Democratic or more Republican.  They are often surprised that despite verbally identifying as Democrats, the results of the survey places most of them close to the center of the spectrum.  Commotion ensues as a result of their scores, and many demand to retake the survey because there’s no way they can be “middle of the road” or be leaning slightly Republican. 

To counteract/dispel this negative association of the Republican Party, this unit will dive into the history of political parties and its function in a democracy.  Students will then be given an opportunity to explore the political affiliation and beliefs of their family members and friends to see the representation in their immediate community and to have a discussion within their immediate community about why they lean towards a specific party.  I hope students will collect this information dispel any misconception they might have about either party. 

Unit 4 and 5 of the AP U.S. Government and Politics curriculum requires knowledge of political parties and political participation.  This includes topics on the ideologies of the Democratic and Republican parties and how their ideologies affect policies.  Topics will also cover the influence of interest groups and other linkage institutions that influence policies and examine why it is difficult for third parties and independent candidates to succeed.⁸ 

This unit will begin by establishing the historical context of how political parties were created and how it has transformed and changed over time.  Students will analyze and understand various primary sources, such as select readings from the Federalist Papers and George Washington’s Farewell Address.  Students will also be given an opportunity to analyze demographic data to determine voting trends and voting behavior of various groups, especially minority groups.