Guest Column
Laurie Maak from WestEd and John Minkler from the Center for Multicultural Cooperation share experience and insights in using WEB DIALOGUES to involve students in focused, informed and facilitated discussions through an online structure and process. Web dialogues can provide a rich curricular resource, and students can take significant responsibility for creating that resource.
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Back to top.What States Are Doing
In KENTUCKY, the Workgroup on Civic Literacy and Engagement has released Rediscovering Democracy: An Agenda for Action, listing multiple recommendations for improving civic literacy and civic engagement in the Commonwealth.
http://sos.ky.gov/NR/rdonlyres/F368B296-53C5-4E03-8806-4F5ACFD9EB7D/0/report2006.pdf
ARIZONA'S House Bill 2583, signed by Governor Janet Napolitano, requires a poster of the Constitution to be displayed on the wall, near the flag or in every public school classroom in the state, effective June 30, 2007. Lawmakers will also hang flags and founding documents in hearing rooms at the State Capitol.
http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/legtext/47leg/2r/summary/h.hb2583_03-15-06_asengrossedandaspassedhouse.doc.htm
In VERMONT, a measure establishing a Council on Civic Education within the Legislature was passed by both chambers and signed by Governor James H. Douglas. The Council will serve as a clearinghouse for civic education resources in the state, offer assistance to civic teachers and conduct research into current civic education practice in the State
http://www.leg.state.vt.us/docs/legdoc.cfm?URL=/docs/2006/acts/ACT182.HTM
Back to top.Good Reads
The new issue of the Harvard Educational Review features an article by Jonathan Cohen, "Social, Emotional, Ethical, and Academic Education: Creating a Climate for Learning, Participation in Democracy, and Well-Being" and a response by Nel Noddings. The article provides an overview of the field of SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING and an argument about why it is as important as ever.
http://www.hepg.org/her/abstract/8
The latest results of an ongoing evaluation of KIDS VOTING curriculum, including complete findings and detailed recommendations for civic education are contained in CIRCLE Working Paper #49, "Experiments in Political Socialization: Kids Voting USA as a Model for Civic Education Reform."
http://www.civicyouth.org/PopUps/WorkingPapers/WP49McDevitt.pdf
The Nexus among Civic Responsibility, the California Content Standards, and Service-Learning is a new publication from the California Department of Education, CalServe Initiative. This 49-page document provides teachers, service-learning coordinators and others with examples of how to integrate civic-related academic CONTENT STANDARDS into service-learning experiences.
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/sl/districttools.asp
CIRCLE has released four Fact Sheets on civic engagement and HIGHER EDUCATION. Topics include civic engagement and college attendance, civic engagement among recent college graduates and civic engagement among 2- and 4-year college students.
http://www.civicyouth.org/research/areas/higher_ed.htm
Back to top.New Center Publications
ECS' new Policy Brief Citizenship Education reviews current data and recent state action in support of citizenship education. It highlights eight states' STANDARDS which go beyond the teaching of knowledge and extend to skills and dispositions, analyzes common characteristics of state standards and concludes with questions for policymakers.
http://www.ecs.org/clearinghouse/71/30/7130.pdf
Back to top.Meetings & Events
The Fourth CONGRESSIONAL CONFERENCE on Civic Education will be held in Washington, DC November 17-20, 2006.
http://www.representativedemocracy.org/
ECS/NCLC Education Leadership Colloquium on the Civic Mission of American Education convenes July 10 and 11, 2007 in Philadelphia. The theme for the 2007 ELC is "Key Stakeholders: INVOLVING YOUTH in Decision Making and Governance." A request for proposals (RFP) will be available in early December on the NCLC Web site: www.ecs.org/nclc.
The America's Legislators Back to School Program, part of the National Conference of State Legislatures' Trust for Representative Democracy, encourages elected officials in all 50 states to meet personally with young constituents and bring CIVICS TO LIFE for them. They answer questions from the students, share ideas, listen to concerns and impart a greater understanding of the legislative process. NCSL provides age-appropriate resource materials and videos for legislators to take into the classroom and online lesson plans for teachers. All of the resources and lesson plans have been correlated to state curriculum standards and the information is available online in a searchable database.
http://www.ncsl.org/public/backsch.htm
Back to top.Names in the News
ANTHONY WELCH, NCLC board member, has been appointed vice president of Newark Now. The nonprofit empowers neighborhood and community groups to work together to solve neighborhood and city-wide problems.
http://www.newarknow.org/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1
MAUREEN F. CURLEY assumes leadership of Campus Compact on November 15.
http://www.compact.org/news/news-detail.php?viewstory=3799
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
The State Farm Youth Advisory Board is offering GRANTS for $25,000-$100,000 service-learning projects. The school-based projects must relate to disaster preparedness, driver safety, financial education or access to higher education. The completed Request for Proposals must be submitted by November 15.
http://www.statefarmyab.com
The Illinois Civic Mission Coalition’s new Web site is designed to infuse CIVIC LEARNING opportunities into existing classes and programs as well as to create new democratic experiences for students.
http://www.crfc.org/civicmission.html
Back to top.International Focus
The global Network of HIGHER EDUCATION for Democratic Culture is a result of a Council of Europe Higher Education Forum, intended as a common major awareness raising effort for the need to increase commitment of higher education institutions to a democratic culture and sustainable societies. Read the Declaration adopted on June 23, 2006.
http://dc.ecml.at/index.asp?Page=Declaration
Innovations in Civic Participation (ICP) creates OPPORTUNITIES for young people to improve their lives and contribute to their communities by supporting the development of quality youth service and service-learning policies and programs around the world.
http://www.icicp.org
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