Do you have information you would like to share in future
issues of Citizenship Matters? Send submissions to Ann Rautio at arautio@ecs.org.
The ECS National Center for Learning and Citizenship (NCLC) assists
state and district policymakers and educators developing policies
that support K-12 school-based service-learning opportunities. These
educational experiences help students acquire the skills, values,
knowledge and practice necessary to be effective citizens. The NCLC
identifies and analyzes policies and practices that support effective
citizenship education, creates and disseminates publications for
education stakeholders, and convenes meetings to develop a collective
voice for citizenship education and civic mission of schools. NCLC
also encourages policy support and system structures to integrate
service-learning into schools and communities. For more information,
visit www.ecs.org/nclc.
Welcome to CITIZENSHIP MATTERS, from the NATIONAL
CENTER FOR LEARNING AND CITIZENSHIP (NCLC) at the EDUCATION COMMISSION
OF THE STATES (ECS). This bimonthly newsletter focuses on ECS' work in
improving citizenship education in our nation's schools.
Guest Column Sheldon Berman, superintendent of schools in Hudson, Massachusetts, and ECS' National Center for Learning and Citizenship (NCLC) executive board member, discusses the appropriate role of civic education in the ELEMENTARY grades. He asserts that by failing to engage students in civic learning until their adolescence, students are put at risk of developing the conceptual understandings and civic commitment that are necessary for them to become effective participants in U.S. democracy. /clearinghouse/55/27/5527.doc
What States Are Doing WASHINGTON and KENTUCKY each recently held statewide meetings focused on civic education. Three Washington legislators and members of the Washington State Alliance for Representative Democracy sponsored a Planning Meeting on Civic Education. In Kentucky, over 150 policymakers, educators and concerned citizens participated in the Kentucky Summit on Civic Literacy. /clearinghouse/55/29/5529.doc
Good Reads The October 2004 issue of State Education Standard, the quarterly journal of the National Association of State Boards of Education, is titled "SCHOOLS AND CITIZENSHIP Going Beyond Government 101." It features articles about schools and citizenship, including "A View from the State Superintendent" by Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Suellen Reed. http://www.nasbe.org/Standard/index.html
Several articles on CIVIC ENGAGEMENT appear in the fall 2004 issue of Campus Compact Reader, including Caryn McTighe Musil's Peer Review article "Educating for Citizenship" and David Cooper's Chronicle of Higher Education article "Education for Democracy: A Conversation in Two Keys." http://www.compact.org/reader/
The VETERANS HISTORY PROJECT is a nationwide volunteer effort to collect and preserve oral histories from America's war veterans. The project archives audio and video recorded oral histories, letters, photographs, journals and written memoirs from veterans of World War I, World War II, and the Korean, Vietnam and Persian Gulf wars as well as from civilians who served in support of them. /clearinghouse/55/30/5530.doc
In the University of Virginia Center for Politics' report, "POLITICS: The Missing Link of Responsible Civic Education," authors Kenneth S. Stroupe Jr. and Larry J. Sabato discuss findings from a survey of over 2,000 students. The study looked at the structure of civic education in the United States and offers suggestions for building a culture of civic engagement. http://www.centerforpolitics.org/downloads/civicengagement-stroupe-final.pdf
New Center Publications NCLC recently released a paper titled, "Developing CITIZENSHIP COMPETENCIES from Kindergarten Through Grade 12: A Background Paper for Policymakers and Educators," authored by Judith Torney-Purta, senior advisor to NCLC and professor of human development at the University of Maryland, and Susan Vermeer, NCLC policy analyst/project director. The paper urges policymakers to include the "strands" of civic knowledge, cognitive and participative thinking skills, and dispositions into state civics and social studies standards. Depicted as a braid with each strand equal in importance, it also is critical to incorporate civic knowledge, skills and dispositions into standards across grade levels, beginning in the early elementary grades. /clearinghouse/51/35/5135.pdf
Meetings & Events On December 4-6, 2004, over 350 state legislators, chief state school officers, state and local boards of education members, representatives of civic engagement organizations, and civic learning professionals will gather in Washington, D.C., for the SECOND CONGRESSIONAL CONFERENCE ON CIVIC EDUCATION. It is hosted by four congressional leaders and sponsored by the Alliance for Representative Democracy. This is the second of five conferences that focus on the need to restore the essential civic mission of schools. ECS NCLC Executive Director Terry Pickeral will provide a keynote address on emerging state policy trends in civic learning. For more information on the conference, contact Ted McConnell, Center for Civic Education at mcconnell@civiced.org.
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. /clearinghouse/55/28/5528.doc
Other Useful Web sites The Learn and Serve America NATIONAL SERVICE-LEARNING CLEARINGHOUSE supports the service-learning community in higher education, kindergarten through grade 12, community-based initiatives and tribal programs, as well as all others interested in strengthening schools and communities using service-learning techniques and methodologies. The Clearinghouse stands ready to assist with service-learning materials, references, referrals and information. http://www.servicelearning.org/
The VETERANS HISTORY PROJECT Web site provides information about the project to collect and preserve the extraordinary wartime stories of ordinary people, including a searchable database of the collection and audio and video samples of selected stories. http://www.loc.gov/folklife/vets/
