Citizenship Matters is a bimonthly newsletter that focuses on ECS' work in improving citizenship education in our nation's schools.

  Mississippi Youth Engagement
Dr. Hank Bounds, Mississippi State Superintendent, engages youth in education issues through his Youth Advisory Board and a recent Youth Summit on Dropout Prevention. The following Power Point and file provide information on the Board as well as the Summit activities and results.

  Pennsylvania School Boards Association
Dr. Jonathan Cohen presented a keynote speech "Measuring and Improving School Climate: A Strategy that Promotes Students Achievement – Accountability Systems That Support Learning and Whole School Improvement" at the 2008 Pennyslvania School Boards Association Symposium on Educational Issues, July 14 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Terry Pickeral, NCLC executive director, facilitated a general session on service-learning strategies that focused on strategies to integrate and sustain this teaching and learning method.

The 2008 Education Leadership Colloquium (ELC) met in Austin, Texas on June 30 and July 1, 2008. This year’s keynote focused on workforce and civic development as a best practice and singular, cohesive policy objective. A series of workshops followed and examined literacy and service learning, school climate, civic academies, and challenges and benefits of workforce and civic development. One of the unique characteristics of the ELC is the engagement of youth in facilitation and presentation. High school, college and graduate students were an integral part of the ELC. They served as Masters of Ceremony, participated on panels and in fishbowls, and served as members of state teams. The students’ keen insights, reflections and contributions shed tremendous light on the barriers facing states, districts and schools. Additionally, the ELC brought together eight state teams and members of the 100 District Leaders Network for Civic Engagement and Service-Learning to deliberate and determine how to advance a civic agenda in American schools and colleges. The ELC experienced great success thanks to the outstanding leadership from across the country. (Download the keynote.)

The School Climate Challenge: Narrowing the Gap Between School Climate Research and School Climate Policy, Practice Guidelines and Teacher Education Policy. This paper targets school leaders regarding the gap between findings from school climate research and school climate policy and practice, including teacher education and community support and engagement.

Members of the 100 District Leader Network conducted a workshop titled "civic engagement through service-learning" at the National School Boards Association Annual Conference on March 30, 2008. View their PowerPoint presentation (1.2 MB).

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) released the findings of the 2006 "Nation's Report Card" on U.S. History and Civics, leading the National Center for Learning and Citizenship to call for increased focus on civic engagement in American schools.

100 District Leaders for Civic Engagement and Service-Learning
ECS has announced the second slate of 30 members of its 100 District Leaders for Civic Engagement and Service-Learning.
(Download the press release, new member list and the complete member list.)

Citizenship Education Policy Brief
This policy brief 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.  

Youth Legislative Engagement Initiative: An Overview of Effective Strategies to Design, Implement and Sustain Youth Legislative Initiatives
The nation faces a youth citizenry that is disengaged and lacks the necessary knowledge, skills and dispositions to participate in and carry out their civic duties. This ECS policy brief summarizes the state-level goals and accomplishments of the Youth Legislative Engagement project. Recommendations build cooperation between state legislators and students to enable students to develop civic competencies to contribute to our democracy now and in the future. 

Developing Citizenship Competencies from Kindergarten through Grade 12: A Background Paper for Policymakers and Educators
This paper, updated in July 2006 to include new resources and policy information, is designed to help policymakers and education leaders incorporate civic knowledge, skills and attitudes into policies that support effective citizenship education from the early elementary grades through high school.

Martin Luther King Jr. and Cesar E. Chavez: Legacies of Leadership and Inspiration for Today's Civic Education
The new Issue Paper from the ECS National Center for Learning and Citizenship examines how schools can use the legacies of CESAR CHAVEZ and MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. to promote effective civic education.

Civic Action: The Role of School Boards to Advance Youth Engagement and the Civic Mission of Schools
View the powerpoint shared at the National School Boards Association (NSBA) Annual Conference in a session co-hosted by NSBA and NCLC.

More NCLC publications...