There is a relationship between general and civic education, but it is not a simple relationship.
Universal Education as a Necessity for Democracy
One of the great twentieth century educational theorists, John Dewey, produced a treatise on education titled Democracy and Education. This book, and others like it, argued for universal state-supported education in order to ensure that democracy was sustained. The vital nature of general education would ensure the survival of the democratic experiment, which would otherwise be overcome by alternative forms of social government.
As the twentieth century has progressed, it has become apparent, however, that while universal education may be conducted on a liberal and pluralist basis, with a respect for personal experience and for the development of knowledge, it does not automatically ensure that people can participate actively in the democracies which now exist. Indeed, there is some nostalgia for the civic spirit and virtue of earlier ages and the idealism of those who first argued for and promoted democracy and, over time, universal franchise.
Civic Education as a Supplement
As a result of this, education has come to be seen as a general activity which must be supplemented by some form of innovative curriculum or additional syllabus known as 'civic education.' This can be done either across a curriculum--typically the discussion revolves around the formal educational institutions at primary and secondary level--or by adding a subject
to a curriculum. The latter results in the isolation of civic education from other life concerns, and in crowded curricula it also has to compete with other demands. Even this says nothing about the comparative value placed on various subjects by the demands of higher education and external examinations.
On the other hand, cross-curricula interventions fail because of their complexity, requiring an educational flexibility not always present in schools and an educational facility not always available on the faculty. So, because such interventions are the province of all, they become the province of none.
Experiments are Continuing
Civic education in schools is, therefore, an enterprise in the making. Informal approaches linked to community life and social organising seem to be making more progress, as are those linked to elections when democracy is alive in people's minds. As informal education deals with matters that are either ignored, segregated, or beyond the province of a school, civic education
becomes an integral form of education that draws together the general life skills provided by general education and places them at the disposal of adults trying to participate fully in society.
Universal Education Lays a Foundation of Necessary Skills
In this sense, it may be possible to consider ways in which general education can form the basis of civic education, and how the skills of the citizen can draw their sustenance from formal education where this is available.
