FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
	Date: June 2, 2004
	Contact: Sherry Freeland Walker
	e-Mail: swalker@ecs.org
	FAX: 303.296.8332
	ECS Web Site: http://www.ecs.org

		Policymakers To Focus on Making Citizenship Education a Priority Denver, CO – About 100 state and national policymakers and educators from 15 states will gather in Orlando this July to decide what states, districts, schools and campuses should do to make citizenship education part of every student’s education experience from kindergarten through college. Legislators, state and district school superintendents, and college and university presidents will take part in the 4th Annual Education Leadership Colloquium (ELC), July 12-13 at the Peabody Orlando Hotel. The colloquium is co-hosted by the Education Commission of the States’ (ECS) National Center for Learning and Citizenship (NCLC) and by Campus Compact, a coalition of more than 900 college and university presidents committed to the civic purposes of higher education. It is sponsored by the State Farm Companies Foundation. “Today’s political climate makes it more important than ever for students to learn what it means to be a citizen of their community, state, country and world, and how to put that learning into action,” said Terry Pickeral, NCLC executive director. “Citizenship and civics education will never be the integral part of education they were intended to be unless policymakers make it so.” ELC participants will debate how to make citizenship education a priority in their states, look at strategies used in other states, and examine the impact of civic participation on community and economic development. NCLC will also release state policy approaches to support effective citizenship education. Elizabeth Hollander, executive director of Campus Compact, said that “civic learning is an essential aspect of the fully educated person, and it is a critical role of higher education to prepare students for their responsibilities in our American democracy.” At the ELC, Campus Compact also will present the Howard R. Swearer Student Humanitarian Awards for outstanding citizenship/service-learning efforts. David Skaggs, executive director of the Center for Democracy and Citizenship at the Council for Excellence in Government, will provide the keynote address Monday at 1:30 p.m. The ELC precedes The 2004 National Forum on Education Policy, where more than 500 governors, state legislators, state K-12 and higher education decisionmakers, business leaders and others will share their best thinking and strategies on subjects ranging from challenges in implementing NCLB to how teachers should be prepared. Two National Forum sessions also will focus on citizenship and service-learning. · “The State Role in Creating the Next Generation of Citizens” (Wednesday, July 14, 2-3:30 p.m.) “The Dual Mission of Schools: How To Fit Citizenship Education into District Priorities” (Wednesday, July 14, 4-5 p.m.) PLEASE NOTE: To receive more information about the ELC, contact Susan Vermeer, NCLC project manager, at 303.299.3617 or svermeer@ecs.org, or visit the Campus Compact Web site at http://www.compact.org. To see the National Forum agenda or register for the meeting, visit the Newsroom at http://www.ecs.org/NationalForum2004 or contact Sherry Freeland Walker, ECS communications director, at 303.299.3626 or swalker@ecs.org. ### The Education Commission of the States (ECS) is a national, nonprofit organization that helps governors, legislators, state education officials and others identify, develop and implement public policies to improve student learning at all levels. A nonpartisan organization, ECS was formed in 1965 and is located in Denver, Colorado. NCLC’s mission is to help state and district leaders support citizenship education as an essential component of America’s education system.
Helping State Leaders Shape Education Policy