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NACE Steering Committee Find out more -> NACE
Task Forces Fellowships and Grants Find out more -> Special
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What's New in Civic Education and
Youth Civic Engagement Work .... (To
see previous What's New announcements go to: Archives) July
1, 2009 The
Gallup Student Poll National Report, which details results of a
poll of students in grades 5 - 12, is now available. A collaboration
of Gallup, America's Promise Alliance and the American Association
of School Administrators, the survey measures student levels of
hope, engagement and well-being. For
more information, visit the America's
Promise Alliance website. June
26, 2009 Character
Education Partnership: National Schools of Character The
National Schools of Character Awards identify exemplary schools
and districts to serve as models for others, and helps schools and
districts improve their efforts in effective character education.
Maximum award: $2,000. Eligibility: To be eligible, a school must
have been engaged in character education for a minimum of three
full years, starting no later than December 2006 for the 2010 awards.
Districts need to have been engaged in character education for a
minimum of four full years, starting no later than December 2005.
Smaller administrative units that maintain a separate identity within
a large district may apply in the district category, e.g., a school
pyramid or cluster. Deadline:
December 1, 2009. For
more go to: http://www.character.org/nsocapplicationprocess June
24, 2009 The
National Center for Learning and Citizenship at ECS announces the
following: "What
States are Doing" South
Carolina, Wyoming, and Virginia are home to teachers who have received
2009 American Civic Education Teacher Awards. Sponsored by the Center
for Civic Education, The Center on Congress at Indiana University
and the National Education Association, the awards honor elementary
and secondary teachers who have done an outstanding job of preparing
their students to become active, principled citizens. For
more go to: http://www.ecs.org/00CM1160 June
22, 2009 Sixth
Annual National Urban Service-Learning Institute The
National Youth Leadership Council is sponsoring its sixth annual
National Urban Service-Learning Institute - a two-day event to be
held in Philadelphia on August 6-7 - that focuses on applying the
principles of service-learning in urban environments. This event
brings together community members, young people, and school leaders
to discuss service-learning outreach and application techniques
that help urban students achieve academic excellence and become
strong community leaders. Participants have an opportunity to explore
current trends and topics affecting urban communities, and to share
and learn from colleagues from other urban districts. Featured
Speakers include: Daylong
Seminars include: *The
Academy will consist of two workshop sessions on Thursday, August
6, and a choice of an all-day seminar and lunch meeting on Friday,
August 7. For
more go to: http://www.nylc.org/pages-newsevents-events-The_Sixth_Annual_National_Urban_Service_Learning_Institute?oid=7496 June
19, 2009 Grants
for Redwood Education The
Save-the-Redwoods League, a nonprofit organization that works to
protect the ancient redwood forest from destruction, will grant
funds to schools, interpretive associations, and other qualified
nonprofits engaged in quality redwood education. Grants are designed
to foster and encourage public awareness of redwoods, redwood ecology,
and forest stewardship. Maximum award: $5,000. Eligibility:
schools and 501(c)3 organizations. Deadline:
June 30, 2009. For
more go to: http://www.savetheredwoods.org/education/edgrants.shtml June
16, 2009 The
National Center for Learning and Citizenship at the Education Commission
of the States announces the following: Readers
of Citizenship Matters may remember a Guest Column written
by Doug Hart when he was teaching in Ramallah on the West Bank.
He's now teaching in Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville,
Kentucky, attempting as he says, to integrate "authentic civic
engagement, service and the WORLD OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL to my 10th-grade
civics and history classes." For
more go to: http://www.ecs.org/clearinghouse/80/60/8060.doc June
11, 2009 The
National Service-Learning Partnership announces the release of Information
for Action: A Journal for Research on Service-Learning for Children
and Youth, Volume I, Number 2. The
Journal is a peer-reviewed publication that features relevant, methodologically
sound studies of service-learning impacts and examples of innovative
instruction written by experts, scholars, practitioners, and youth.
The Journal is filled with important reports from a variety of perspectives
and includes information that contributes to the growing literature
on service-learning research. In it, you will find studies from
collegiate researchers, practitioners, and youth. Academic
Articles -
Cultural-Based Service-Learning as a Transformative Learning
Experience for Undergraduate Students and Community Recipients,
Lori Simons, Elizabeth Williams, Nancy Hirshinger-Blank, Kimyette
Willis, Cassandra Dry, Courtnery Floyd, and Brittany Russell Practitioner
Articles -
Nuestros Ninos: Preparing Pre-Service Teachers to Educate Latino
Migrant Children and Youth through Service-Learning, Rubén
P. Viramontez Anguiano, Ph.D., CFLE, José P. Salinas, Ed.D.,
and Walter Garcia Kawamoto, Ph.D. Youth-Led
Articles Book
Review For
more go to: http://www.service-learningpartnership.org/site/PageServer June
8, 2009 The
Public Education Network's weekly NewsBlast announces the following Disney/YSA:
Minnie Grants for Youth-Led Service Projects Disney
Minnie Grants fund children's efforts to improve their communities
via youth-led service projects that address the issues of poverty,
hunger, education, environment, global citizenship, sustainable
community development, and disaster prevention and relief. Funded
projects must take place between September and November 2009. Maximum
award: $500. Eligibility: children between the ages of 5 and 14,
or the organizations that engage them. Applications are accepted
from all over the world. Applicants from India, China, and Russia
are especially encouraged to apply. Deadline:
June 15, 2009. For
more go to: http://ysa.org/MyYSA/YSAContent/YSANews/tabid/219/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/134/DisneyMinnieGrant2ndRound2009.aspx June
5, 2009 Registration
is now open for the 9th International Research Conference on Service-Learning
and Community Engagement. The University of Ottawa and the International
Association for Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement
look forward to hosting you in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, October
9 - 12th, 2009. Register
online at: http://www.researchslce.org/files/2009Conference/Registration.html http://www.sass.uottawa.ca/els June
1, 2009 Youth
Service America is launching its first annual Gladys Marinelli Coccia
Awards to recognize young female social entrepreneurs whose initiatives
serve the common good. Maximum award: $2,000 for the winner's social
enterprise, travel to and registration for Youth Service Institute,
an invitation to serve on the executive board of Girls Helping Girls,
and access to YSA's resources to support and expand social enterprise.
Eligibility: girls between the ages of 14 and 17 (as of December
31, 2009) who reside in the United States and have their own social
enterprise. Deadline:
June 15, 2009. For
more go to: http://ysa.org/MyYSA/YSAContent/YSANews/tabid/219/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/147/TheGladysMarinelliCocciaAwards.aspx May
29, 2009 The
Dirksen Center announces the following: American
Congress Government Simulation and Trivia In
American Congress you get to play as a Representative, Mayor, or
Governor. You basically simulate the wide-ranging and complex American
government. It's in your hands whether you want to legalize abortion,
declare war on a small country, or destroy your political rivals! Find
American Congress Government Simulation at: http://www.congressforkids.net/games/Execbranch_pres_congress/2_pres_congress.htm
May
26, 2009 The
Citizenship and
Democratiitc Education Special Interest Group of the Comparative
International Education Society welcomes scholars, education practitioners,
and policy makers who are interested in citizenship and democratic
education. The
goal of the CANDE SIG is to create an active community of educators
and researchers to share their views and encourage productive debate
on various aspects of citizenship and democratic education in the
United States and around the world. The
Citizenship and Democratic Education SIG aims: -
To create an open forum for opinion exchange and collaboration in
international citizenship and democratic education; -
To provide maximum opportunities for new scholars to have their
voices heard and their scholarly efforts noticed; -
To foster cooperation and collaboration between scholars and practitioners
in the areas of citizenship and democratic education; -
To identify, support, and promote outstanding scholarships and practical
projects in citizenship and democratic education internationally.
For
more go to: http://cies.us/SIGS/CANDE/aboutus.htm. May
20, 2009 The
Democracy Imperative and the Deliberative Democracy Consortium are
hosting "No Better Time: Promising Opportunities in deliberative
democracy for Educators and Practitioners," July 8-11, 2009,
in Durham, New Hampshire. The conference will focus on future directions
for educators and practitioners in teaching, research and citizen-centered
initiatives. For
more go to: http://www.ecs.org/00CM1153 May
15, 2009 The
Florida Campus Compact Engaged Scholarship Fellows Program 2009-2010 As
part of an ongoing effort to improve the theory and practice informing
collegiate service-learning and community engagement in the state
of Florida, Florida Campus Compact invites research proposals from
engaged scholars at our member campuses through this new fellows
program. Researchers from all disciplines are invited to apply. Up
to five Florida scholars will be chosen by a panel of qualified
reviewers to receive this distinction. Fellows will have the opportunity
to be part of an active community of scholars who will meet quarterly
(either virtually or in person) to discuss strategies for research
design and dissemination. Each scholar will receive a small amount
of financial support for her or his research and will be invited
to submit an article for publication in a special peer-reviewed
volume of Florida Engaged Scholarship to be published in 2011. At
least three of the five scholars selected will be tenure-earning.
Projects focusing on community impacts of collegiate service-learning
and community engagement will be favored. Interested researchers
should complete the attached application and must include a project
budget not to exceed $2500, with no more than $2000 to be spent
on a faculty stipend. Funds will be available for distribution beginning
July 15, 2009, and all deliverables will be due June 15, 2010. Deliverables
will include a copy of a 25-30 page article on the research outcomes
that may be submitted to our Florida publication or another appropriate
forum, a short report/précis on the project based on an FL|CC
template for inclusion in promotional materials, and an updated
CV for the fellowship recipient that can be used in promotional
materials. Participants will also be invited to present research
at FL|CC events and may be invited to provide informal mentoring
for emerging researchers in the state. For
more go to: http://www.floridacompact.org. May
11, 2009 Reminder:
Habitat for Humanity Service-Learning Partnership Grants will close
soon ( May 15). Grants include: the 2009–2010 Habitat for Humanity
Service-Learning Partnerships; the 2009-2010 Youth United Urban
Grants; and the 2009 HFHI National Youth Awards. For
more go to: http://www.habitat.org/youthprograms/habitat_street_team/grants_street.aspx. May
8, 2009 The
Dirksen Center announced the following Internet Research Project
Idea Have
your students refer to the "Treasures of Congress Exhibit"
Web site posted on AboutGovernment -- http://www.aboutgovernment.org/print_uscongress.htm.
In 2000-2001, the National Archives created an exhibit featuring
a sampling of the landmark documents created by or delivered to
Congress. The essence of the exhibit is captured in this online
resource. Ask
your students to make a record of family treasures (books, tools,
musical instruments, tickets, letters, photographs) using photographs,
photocopies, drawings, recordings, or videotapes. Read the letters
and then research the time and events surrounding the letters in
other sources. Analyze the opinions and views of the letter-writer
based on the time and events of the period. Put the treasures into
the historical context of Congress. What was happening in Congress
when ancestors were using the family treasures? How did those congressional
events affect your family? What are your family's "landmark
documents? Prepare
a community time capsule with the class. What primary sources (the
"landmark documents") will you include to describe your
present-day community for future generations? Which primary sources
will help get your message across? When should your time capsule
be opened? Examples
of primary sources: family photographs (of ancestors and their homes),
memorabilia, souvenirs, recipes, ancestors' clothes, ancestors'
papers, oral histories, local historical societies, genealogical
information. May
6, 2009 If
Legislation is the Problem, Civic Engagement is the Solution In
a recent post on Alexander Russo's This Week In Education blog,
frequent contributor Margaret Paynich writes that she came away
from Jay Mathew's recent book "Work Hard. Be Nice" with
several conclusions. In the first place, she feels that our school
systems and school structures "were designed for educating
students from hundreds of years ago," and are no longer geared
toward helping teachers and students achieve to their fullest, despite
our claims. In her view, legislation that is "passed without
proper attention to those who have to carry it out" makes up
a large part of the problem, and public engagement is a way to fix
things. "I believe that the public needs to demand a solution
from their legislators," she writes. "Education professionals
have been doing the best they can -- but I don't think they can
do it alone anymore." For her part, Paynich will be involved
in a pilot project in Rhode Island, in which she will be "walking
door-to-door this summer introducing individuals to the school committee,
showing them after-school and mentoring programs they can volunteer
for, and hoping to inspire individuals to take a better responsibility
for their role as citizens." May
4, 2009 K-12
Service-Learning Research Works in Progress program NEW
APPLICATION DEADLINE: Monday, May 11, 2009 There
are just a few spots left in the national K-12 Service-Learning
Research Works in Progress program. This program is for emerging
scholars conducting research on K-12 service-learning issues who
are interested in receiving feedback on their work from senior scholars.
Participation expenses (airfare, hotel, etc.) are covered by the
program. Applications are accepted from emerging scholars investigating
issues in K-12 service-learning who wish to participate in the 2009
Emerging Scholars in Service-Learning Works in Progress Seminar,
to be held June 14-16, 2009 at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis,
Minnesota. Established
in 2007, the Works in Progress Seminar is a program that provides
support and encouragement for a new generation of diverse service-learning
researchers. The Seminar teams emerging scholars with experienced
researchers and practitioners to develop and advance the development
of new scholarly work in field of K-12 service-learning. The Works
in Progress seminar is a national program co-facilitated by the
University of Minnesota, Brandeis University, and Tufts University
and is funded by a W.K. Kellogg Foundation grant to the National
Service-Learning Partnership. Please
address all inquiries about the program or application process to
Michelle Kuhl (at public@umn.edu)
or Andy Furco (at afurco@umn.edu)
at the University of Minnesota. April
29, 2009 The
National Center for Learning and Citizenship at ECS announces the
following: Oklahoma
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Sandy Garrett convened
the inaugural State Superintendent's Student Advisory Council in
February. Chosen from hundreds of applicants, the 50 students range
from freshmen to seniors and represent geographic diversity and
school size. The council members initially met with Superintendent
Garrett to discuss the dropout problem and possible solutions. The
Alabama Department of Education is partnering with America's Promise
Alliance and Gallup to conduct the first ever Gallup Student Poll.
Students in 5th through 12th grade will be surveyed about their
attitudes, beliefs and behaviors to identify key supports needed
to stay engaged and succeed in school. Results will help communities
develop more effective and relevant solutions to America's dropout
crisis. April
27, 2009 A
report from the Pew Hispanic Center highlights a growing dilemma
in the immigration debate, according to The Associated Press. Growing
numbers of children of illegal immigrants are born in this country,
and are nearly twice as likely to live in poverty as those with
American-born parents. These children struggle and face uncertainty
alongside parents who fear deportation, toil largely in low-wage
jobs, and suffer layoffs in an ailing economy. Pew's analysis estimates
that 11.9 million illegal immigrants were living in the United States
as of March 2008 - 5.4 percent of the U.S. work force. In 2003,
2.7 million children of illegal immigrants, or 63 percent, were
born here. Children of illegal immigrants hold a delicate place
in the United States. On the one hand, the Supreme Court ruled in
1982 that these children, citizens or not, were entitled to a public
school education. On the other hand, immigrants and their families
are among the poorest in the country, easily exploited by employers
and subject to arrest at any time. Children who are U.S. citizens
cannot petition for their parents to become legal U.S. residents
until they are at least 21. Read
more: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/wire/sns-ap-illegal-immigration,1,5791776.story To
see the report: http://pewhispanic.org/reports/report.php?ReportID=107 April
24, 2009 Downward
Trend in High School Volunteering CIRCLE's
new fact sheet provides a 50-state breakdown of volunteering rates
for teenagers, young adults, and the population over 25. Vermont,
Utah & North Carolina show the highest rates; New York and Nevada
among the lowest. According
to the report, "Fewer high school age (16018) Americans stepped
up to volunteer their time over the past two years, new research
reveals. Traditionally, teenagers have volunteered at slightly higher
rates than other age groups, but in 2007 people 25 or older were
more likely to volunteer than were those 16 to 18. Overall
trends showed a 6 percentage point decline in volunteering among
16-to-18 year-olds since the rate peaked in 2005 at 33 percent.
Meanwhile, volunteer rates for the population aged 19-25 (18 percent)
and 25 years and older (28 percetn) both changed very little (2
percentage points or less) since 2002…" For
more go to: http://www.civicyouth.org/ April
22, 2009 The
Dirksen
Center announces the following: 14
Units to Learn How a Bill Becomes a Law The
legislative process is a fascinating, important, and complex set
of actions whose excitement and variability are not fully captured
in the standard "a bill becomes a law" chart. While the
formal stages in the legislative process are a good place to start,
it is important to recognize alternative routes. Legislation passes
or fails both on the quality of its content and the strategies of
its opponents and proponents. This module uses text, graphics, and
video to enliven students' understanding of the legislative process
and to allow them to explore in-depth its various facets. Find
14 Units to Learn How a Bill Becomes a Law at: http://www.dirksencenterprojects.org/#14units April
20, 2009 The
National Center for Learning and Citizenship at ECS announces the
following: Meet
JoAnn Henderson, new NCLC executive director, and read her reflection
on the National Service-Learning Conference and how she sees her
previous experience blending with future NCLC work. For
more go to: http://www.ecs.org/00CM1144 April
17, 2009 Youth
Award for Outstanding Activism in Environmental and Social Justice The
Earth Island Institute Brower Youth Award recognizes young people
for their outstanding activism and achievements in the fields of
environmental and social justice advocacy. Maximum
award: $3,000, a trip to California for the awards ceremony, and
a wilderness camping trip. Eligibility:
youth ages 13-22. Deadline:
May 15, 2009. For
more go to: http://www.broweryouthawards.org/article.php?list=type&type=12 April
15, 2009 The
Dirksen Center announces the following: Words
and phrases that describe congressional processes Source:http://www.c-span.org/guide/congress/glossary/jefferso.htm April
13, 2009 The
Education Commission of the States announces the following about
the Federal Stimulus: A
new Web site from the Council of State Governments provides summaries
on how states are planning to spend their federal stimulus funds
on areas relating to education. For
more go to: http://www.ecs.org/00CN4300 April
8, 2009 The
Dirksen Center announces the following: "People
Who Served In Congress" Sketches
of famous and not-so-famous Senators and Representatives Russell
Long (D-LA) (1918-2003). When Russell Long was elected in November
1948 as a Democrat from Louisiana, he became the only person in
U.S. history to have been preceded in that body by both his father
and his mother. The son of Huey P. Long, the legendary populist
known as Kingfish who as governor of Louisiana and a senator ran
the state's political machinery with almost dictatorial power until
he was assassinated in 1935, Russell Long was elected to the Senate,
just days before reaching the constitutional minimum age of 30. Long
was known for his knowledge of tax laws. In 1953, he began serving
on the tax-writing Senate Finance Committee and was the chairman
from 1966 until Republicans assumed control of the Senate in 1981.
When Hubert H. Humphrey was nominated for vice president in 1964,
Mr. Long became the Democratic whip in the Senate, one of the most
powerful posts in Congress. African-Americans
in Congress: Robert Brown Elliott (1842-1884). A Republican from
South Carolina, Brown served in the House from 1871-1874. Possessing
a strong, clear voice "suggestive of large experience in outdoor
speaking," Elliott fought passionately to pass a comprehensive
civil rights bill in his two terms in Congress. However, his fealty
to the South Carolina Republican Party led him to resign his seat
in the U.S. House of Representatives to serve the state government
in Columbia. White
colleagues received Elliott coolly when he arrived in the House.
His dark skin came as a shock, as the two other African Americans
on the floor, Joseph Rainey and Jefferson Long, were light-skinned
mulattos. Described as the first "genuine African" in
Congress, Elliott seemed to embody the new political opportunities-and
southern white apprehensions-ushered in by emancipation. Elliott
was given a position on the Committee on Education and Labor, where
he served during both of his terms. Sources:
Biographical
Directory of the U.S. Congress: http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=E000128
Women
in Congress: Edith Nourse Rogers (1881-1960). As a nursing volunteer
and advocate for veterans across the country during and after World
War I, Edith Nourse Rogers was thrust into political office when
her husband, Representative John Jacob Rogers, died in 1925. During
her 35-year House career, the longest congressional tenure of any
woman to date, Rogers, a Republican from Massachusetts, authored
legislation that had far-reaching effects on American servicemen
and women, including the creation of the Women's Army Corp and the
GI Bill of Rights. Sources:
Women in Congress at http://womenincongress.house.gov/profiles/index.html
Biographical
Directory of the U.S. Congress: http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=R000392 April
6, 2009 The
Public Education Network's online "NewBlast" announces
the following: "Youth
Award for Outstanding Activism in Environmental and Social Justice" The
Earth Island Institute Brower Youth Award recognizes young people
for their outstanding activism and achievements in the fields of
environmental and social justice advocacy. Maximum award: $3,000,
a trip to California for the awards ceremony, and a wilderness camping
trip. Eligibility: youth ages 13-22. Deadline: May 15, 2009. For
more go to: http://www.broweryouthawards.org/article.php?list=type&type=12 April
3, 2009 Reminder:
CALL FOR PARTICIPATION: CONGRESS IN THE CLASSROOM 2009 *
Deadline: April 15, 2009 * Congress
in the Classroom is a national, award-winning education program
now in its 17th year. Developed and sponsored by The Dirksen Congressional
Center, the workshop is dedicated to the exchange of ideas and information
on teaching about Congress. We
designed Congress in the Classroom for high school or middle school
teachers who teach U.S. history, government, civics, political science,
or social studies. Forty teachers will be selected in 2009 to take
part in the program. All online applications must be received by
no later than April 15, 2009. We will notify individuals of our
decisions by April 30, 2009. Although
the workshop will feature a variety of sessions, the 2009 program
will focus on two themes: (1) developments in the 111th Congress,
and (2) new resources for teaching about Congress. The workshop
consists of two types of sessions: those that focus on recent research
and scholarship about Congress (and don't always have an immediate
application in the classroom) and those geared to specific ways
to teach students about the federal legislature. The
2009 workshop will be held Monday, July 27 - Thursday, July 30,
at Embassy Suites, East Peoria, Illinois. The
program is certified by the Illinois State Board of Education for
up to 22 Continuing Education Units. The program also is endorsed
by the National Council for the Social Studies. Participants
are responsible for (1) a non-refundable $155 registration fee (required
to confirm acceptance after notice of selection) and (2) transportation
to and from Peoria, Illinois. Many school districts will pay all
or a portion of these costs. The
Center pays for three nights lodging at the headquarters hotel (providing
a single room for each participant), workshop materials, local transportation,
all but three meals, and presenter honoraria and expenses. The Center
spends between $30,000 and $35,000 to host the program each year. March
30, 2009 The
Public Education Network's Weekly NewsBlast announces the following: Nokia/YouthActionNet:
Global Fellows YouthActionNet
Fellows are social entrepreneurs who participate in a week-long
capacity-building workshop whose key focus is facilitating peer-to-peer
learning and networking opportunities. Participants develop a customized
learning plan based on individual leadership learning needs and
focused on six dimensions of leadership: personal, visionary, political,
collaborative, organizational, and societal. Eligibility: youths
18-29 as of November 1, 2009; applicants should be founders of existing
projects/organizations, or leading a project within an organization.
Maximum award: all-expenses-paid retreat, November 1-8. Deadline:
April 15, 2009. For
more go to: http://youthactionnet.org/index.php?fuse=aboutfellowship March
26, 2009 Senate
Votes to Triple AmeriCorps, Bolster Service "The
Senate voted Thursday to give tens of thousands of peo\ple more
opportunities to mentor children, clean parks and help the poor,
a sweeping call to national service in a time of need. The
legislation would triple the size of the Clinton-era AmeriCorps
and broadly expand incentives for students and seniors to give back
to their communities, at a cost of $5.7 billion over five years.
It also would create five groups to help poor people, improve education,
encourage energy efficiency, strengthen access to health care and
assist veterans. The
vote was 79-19. Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., changed his vote after
the roll call to support the measure. President
Barack Obama said in a statement that "our work is not finished
when I sign this bill into law _ it has just begun." "It
is up to each of us to seize those opportunities. To do our part
to lift up our fellow Americans. To realize our own true potential,"
Obama said Thursday night. "I call on all Americans to stand
up and do what they can to serve their communities, shape our history
and enrich both their own lives and the lives of others across this
country." The
bill was named for Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., who is being
treated for brain cancer but returned to the Senate to vote on legislation
that he has long championed. Kennedy, joined by his son, Rep. Patrick
Kennedy, D-R.I., received a standing ovation from his Senate colleagues
at the conclusion of the vote…" By Ann Sanner, Thursday,
March 26, 2009, 9:12 pm, The Washington Post. March
23, 2009 The
Millennial Pendulum: A New Generation of Voters and the Prospects
For a Political Realignment CIRCLE
Director, Peter Levine, along with Constance Flanagan and Les Gallay
of Penn State University, authored a new report "The Millennial
Pendulum: A New Generation of Voters and the Prospects for a Political
Realignment." The report was funded by the New American Foundation
and was officially announced at an event on February 18, 2009 in
Washington DC. The report finds that the Millennials (born after
1982) are starting their adult lives much more progressive on economic
issues than any generation from the early 1960s to today. The historical
analysis shows that each generation has held a fairly stable attitude
toward economic issues that has remained durable even as major economic
and political events have occurred. Each generation has grown somewhat
more conservative as its members have moved through life. But the
Millennials are starting to the left of previous generations and
are therefore likely to move the country leftward for decades to
come. To download the report, please visit: http://www.newamerica.net/publications/policy/millennial_pendulum
March
20, 2009 CALL
FOR PARTICIPATION: CONGRESS IN THE CLASSROOM 2009 *
Deadline: April 15, 2009 * Congress
in the Classroom is a national, award-winning education program
now in its 17th year. Developed and sponsored by The Dirksen Congressional
Center, the workshop is dedicated to the exchange of ideas and information
on teaching about Congress. We
designed Congress in the Classroom for high school or middle school
teachers who teach U.S. history, government, civics, political science,
or social studies. Forty teachers will be selected in 2009 to take
part in the program. All online applications must be received by
no later than April 15, 2009. We will notify individuals of our
decisions by April 30, 2009. Although
the workshop will feature a variety of sessions, the 2009 program
will focus on two themes: (1) developments in the 111th Congress,
and (2) new resources for teaching about Congress. The workshop
consists of two types of sessions: those that focus on recent research
and scholarship about Congress (and don't always have an immediate
application in the classroom) and those geared to specific ways
to teach students about the federal legislature. Throughout
the program, you will work with subject matter experts as well as
colleagues from across the nation. This combination of firsthand
knowledge and peer-to-peer interaction will give you new ideas,
materials, and a professionally enriching experience. "Until
now so much of what I did in my class on Congress was straight theory-this
is what the Constitution says," noted one of our teachers.
"Now I can use these activities and illustrations to help get
my students involved in the class and at the very least their community
but hopefully in the federal government. This workshop has given
me a way to help them see how relevant my class is and what they
can do to help make changes in society." The
2009 workshop will be held Monday, July 27 - Thursday, July 30,
at Embassy Suites, East Peoria, Illinois. The
program is certified by the Illinois State Board of Education for
up to 22 Continuing Education Units. The program also is endorsed
by the National Council for the Social Studies. Participants
are responsible for (1) a non-refundable $155 registration fee (required
to confirm acceptance after notice of selection) and (2) transportation
to and from Peoria, Illinois. Many school districts will pay all
or a portion of these costs. The
Center pays for three nights lodging at the headquarters hotel (providing
a single room for each participant), workshop materials, local transportation,
all but three meals, and presenter honoraria and expenses. The Center
spends between $30,000 and $35,000 to host the program each year. March
19, 2009 From
today's Washington Post: House
Backs Bill to Increase Service Opportunities "Tens
of thousands of Americans could see more opportunities to mentor
children, help rebuild homes and participate in other national service
under a measure passed by the House on Wednesday. The
House voted 321-105 to expand AmeriCorps and other national service
programs by 175,000 participants. It would also create new groups
to help poor communities with education, clean energy, health and
services for veterans. The
bill "reaches out to all Americans from all walks of life and
asks them to commit to service," said Jared Polis, D-Colo.
"During these difficult times, our nation needs the help of
each and every one of us more than ever." A
Senate committee approved an expansion Wednesday that was somewhat
similar, adding 175,000 positions to the AmeriCorps alone. That
bill, which triples the size of the program, could reach the Senate
floor next week. 'At
this moment of economic crisis, when so many people are in need
of help and so much needs to be done, this could not be more urgent,"
said Obama, who pledged during the campaign to provide government
support for national service programs….'"By Ann Sanner,
The Associated Press, Wed. March 18, 2009; 6:21 p.m.
March
18, 2009 The
National Service-Learning Partnership's (http://www.service-learningpartnership.org/)
initiative Service-Learning
United provides information and seeks your support on a
number of service-learning policies and issues: Service-Learning
Legislative Updates -
Check the blog for the latest Service-Learning Policy Update Reauthorization
of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 -
Service-Learning United Recommendations for Reauthorization Learn
and Serve America Funding Update -
2009 Appropriations Serve
America Act, S.277 -
About the Serve America Act Service-Learning
and the Obama Administration -
The Obama Service Plan About
Serving-Learning United To
learn more about each of the above bullets go to: http://www.service-learningpartnership.org/site/PageServer?pagename=advocacy_index March
16, 2009 The
following is in today's Washington Post: An
Ideal that Crosses The Aisle Every
politician speaks glowingly about service to country, but few see
national service as an important political issue. The temptation
is to dismiss service proposals made by someone in the other political
party as trivial or part of some hidden agenda. When
President Clinton pushed AmeriCorps, some Republicans denounced
the idea of "paid volunteerism" and saw the national service
program as an effort to create a new generation of progressive activists.
Maybe one of them might become a Democratic president. As
it happens, we do have a former community organizer as president,
though funding for his early work came from a Catholic organization,
not AmeriCorps. Both Barack and Michelle Obama have a passion for
the service idea, and, with almost no fanfare, the United States
is close to making its largest commitment to civilian service since
the New Deal… By E.J. Dionne, March 16, 2009, The Washington
Post March
13, 2009 Street
Law, Inc. and the Supreme Court Historical Society will sponsor
the annual Supreme Court Summer Institute, June 25-30, 2009.
The institute is open to secondary level social studies teachers
and supervisors who will spend five stimulating days on Capitol
Hill and inside the Supreme Court learning from top Supreme Court
litigators and educators about the Court, its past and current cases,
and how to teach about them. Participants also will be in the Court
to hear the Justices announce the final decisions of the term and
attend a private reception. The application deadline is March 20,
2009. For full information and to apply online (under the "Registration
Info" tab), go to: http://www.streetlaw.org/en/CalendarEvent.6.aspx. March
11, 2009 Friday,
March 20, 2009, Nashville, Tennessee, 12:15 p.m. to 1:35 p.m. (room
TBA). March
9, 2009 NEW
DEADLINE: Wednesday, March 11, 2009, 12:00 p.m. (Eastern Daylight
Time) all proposals must be received via electronic submission. The University of Ottawa and the International Association for
Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement look forward
to welcoming you to the Ninth International Research Conference
on Service-Learning and Community Engagement on October 9-12, 2009,
at the Westin Ottawa hotel in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The Call for Proposals and additional conference information are
available on the website: http://www.researchslce.org/2009Conference.html.
All proposals must be received via electronic submission by the
12:00 p.m. (Eastern Daylight Time) Wednesday, March 11, 2009. If
you have any questions, please contact the conference staff at ircslce2009@uottawa.ca. IARSLCE and the University of Ottawa are very pleased to announce
its plenary speakers for the 2009 conference: Stephen Lewis, Chair
of the Stephen Lewis Foundation; Reva Joshee, Associate Professor
and Chair of the Department of Theory and Policy Studies of the
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of
Toronto; and Joel Westheimer, University Research Chair in the Sociology
of Education and Professor of Education at the University of Ottawa.
For complete plenary speaker biographies, visit the conference website
above. March
6, 2009 Still
Serving: Measuring the Eight-Year Impact of AmeriCorps on Alumni
is a new study on the long-term effect of AmeriCorps service on
former members. It suggests that Americorps provides individuals
with immediate opportunities to serve, and also spurs these individuals
to be agents of positive change in their communities after their
service is complete. For
more go to: http://www.nationalservice.gov/pdf/08_0513_longstudy_report.pdf March
4, 2009 The
Dirksen Center announces the following new resources: -
Putting the Movement Back into Civil Rights Teaching, published
by Teaching for Change and PRRAC, provides lessons and articles
for pre-K-12 educators on how to go beyond a heroes approach to
the Civil Rights Movement. Link
to Putting the Movement Back into Civil Rights Teaching from The
Center's Civil Rights Documentation Project (purple bar, left side)
at: http://www.congresslink.org/civilrights/aboutproject.htm
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"Civic education" means the multiple processes through which children and young adults acquire the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that are needed for effective democratic citizenship. Civic knowledge and participation are not passed down through the genetic code - they require that each generation of students learn civic facts, explore democratic ideals and connect such concepts to the responsibility of citizenship. |
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Today,
young Americans are experimenting with exciting new forms of civic engagement
and are volunteering in record numbers. However, young people know less
about formal government and politics than their predecessors did at
the same age. This lack of knowledge is a barrier to important kinds
of civic and political engagement. |
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