Guest Column
Barbara Grohe, a parent and district superintendent in Kent, Washington, reflects on the importance of CIVIL DISCOURSE and offers strategies for parents and schools to encourage and nurture civic skills at home and in school.
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Back to top.What States Are Doing
NEW HAMPSHIRE will be convening community forums to discuss the results of the "New Hampshire Civic Index" report.
http://www.nhcivicindex.org
In Kent, WASHINGTON, the 19th annual Game of Life Youth Conference provided opportunities for over 300 youth to contribute to their school through projects that reduce underage drinking and substance use and promote wellness.
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Back to top.Good Reads
The National Youth Leadership Council has released a "National Survey on SERVICE-LEARNING AND TRANSITIONING TO ADULTHOOD." The report on the survey, conducted by Harris Interactive, points to the impact of service-learning on the shift from youth to adulthood.
http://www.nylc.org/transitioning
A new report by the National Association of State Boards of Education, Citizens for the 21st Century: Revitalizing the Civic Mission of Schools, recommends that state boards of education TRANSFORM THE CULTURE OF SCHOOLS and re-emphasize civic education in the standards-based reform movement.
http://www.nasbe.org/publications/civic_ed/civic_ed1.html
Nonpartisan forums involving 949 citizens focused on their views of COMMUNITY LIFE AND CIVIC SKILLS. The result is a new report from the Kettering Foundation, "Public Thinking about Democracy's Challenge: Reclaiming the Public's Role."
http://www.kettering.org
Back to top.New Center Publications
Not really new, but very timely is the NCLC Issue Paper, Martin Luther King Jr. and Cesar E. Chavez: Legacies of Leadership and Inspiration for Today's Civic Education. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. Day is January 15.
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Back to top.NCLC News
NCLC Board and ECS and NCLC staff members participated in the 4th Annual CONGRESSIONAL CONFERENCE ON CIVIC EDUCATION.
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Back to top.Meetings & Events
STATE TEAM APPLICATIONS for the Education Leadership Colloquium are now being accepted. State teams, which will include youth and adult members, will work together to craft a three-pronged agenda for citizenship education that includes civic education, service-learning and meaningful student engagement in decision making.
http://www.ecs.org/ecsmain.asp?page=/html/ProjectsPartners/nclc/nclc_main.htm
Back to top.Names in the News
School board members play a key role in the formation of responsible citizens, according to LOU ANN EVANS, Pennsylvania School Boards Association president and member of 100 District Leaders for Civic Engagement and Service-Learning. Read her article in the PSBA Bulletin. Reprinted by permission of PSBA. All rights reserved. © 2006 Pennsylvania School Boards Association
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ELIZABETH BURMASTER, Wisconsin state superintendent of public instruction and NCLC past chair, is the new president of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO).
NCLC Board Members SANDY GARRETT and TOM HORNE have been re-elected to the state superintendent of schools positions in Oklahoma and Arizona.
Back to top.Updates from NACE
Citizenship Matters regularly features new information available on the NATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR CIVIC EDUCATION'S (NACE) Web site. NACE comprises over 200 group and individual members committed to advancing civic knowledge and engagement.
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Back to top.Other Useful Web sites
Start planning now for LAW DAY 2007. A free Planning Guide and Resource Catalogue will be available online from the American Bar Association the first week of January.
http://www.lawday.org
The Civic Mission of School Libraries issue of KNOWLEDGE QUEST, the Journal of the American Association of School Libraries, is now available on the Web.
http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslpubsandjournals/kqweb/kqarchives/volume34/344main.htm
GLOBAL KIDS, INC. works with New York City teenagers, many considered at risk of academic failure, to ensure that young people of diverse backgrounds have the knowledge, skills, and experiences they need to succeed in the workplace and participate in the shaping of public policy and international relations.
http://www.globalkids.org
Back to top.International Focus
NCLC Board member Doug Hart, a former Michigan state representative, is currently teaching English at the Ramallah Friends School. "BEHIND THE WALL" is an online publication produced entirely by students at the school and was featured on the front page of the November 27th issue of The Palestine Chronicle.
http://www.lifebehindthewall.com/
A new thematic study on ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP has just been published. Commissioned by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority in England, the study uses data from 20 countries to examine active citizenship from how it is defined, to how it is framed in policy, to how it is implemented in practice.
http://www.inca.org.uk/pdf/Active_Citizenship_Report.pdf
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