What's New in Civic Education and Youth Civic Engagement Work .... (April 2004 Archive Section)

April 30, 2004

• The Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools invites state-based coalitions to apply for funding to implement one or more of the six promising practices contained in the "Civic Mission of Schools" Report, which was issued last year by Carnegie Corporation and CIRCLE. Grants are available at the level of $150,000 ($75,000/year over two years) and $20,000 ($10,000/year for two years). The Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools is a long-term effort to renew and elevate civic education in the schools. The Campaign will work with coalition partners to bring about changes in state, local, and national policy that implement the recommendations in The "Civic Mission of Schools" report. A major component of the Campaign focuses on education policy at the state and local level. Please see http://www.civicmissionofschools.org for the Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and other information.

  April 29, 2004

• All U.S. public school teachers in grades K-12, education support professionals, or higher education faculty and staff are eligible to apply for the NEA Foundation's Innovation Grants and Learning & Leadership Grants. Grant amounts are up to $5,000 per project. Application deadline: June 1, 2004. For more information go to: http://www.neafoundation.org/programs/grantguides.htm.

  April 28, 2004

• The National Service-Learning Partnership announces:
  
  - Leading service-learning research expert Dr. Shelley Billig explains how research can support and promote service-learning. Dr. Billig's "Research Matters" is the latest in the Partnership's Talk It Up series, written by advocates for advocates. Go to: http://www.service-learningpartnership.org/publications/TalkItUp.cfm.
  
  - Learn and Serve America announced $39 million in grants for the 2004-05 school year on April 16, 2004. The grants will engage more than 1.8 million students across the nation in service-learning projects that promote service while enhancing students' academic and civic skills. For more information go to: http://www.nationalservice.org/news/pr/041604.html.
  
  

  April 27, 2004

• Eureka Fellowships are available to executive directors of nonprofit, 501(c)3 organizations. The Fellowship is a serious commitment on the part of the participating nonprofit leaders; in return, the fellowship provides them with a unique opportunity to set learning goals for themselves and their organizations and to pursue these goals through a field-based, peer-to-peer model of leadership development. Application deadline: May 14, 2004. For more information go to: http://209.61.229.179/fellowships/index.aspx.

  April 26, 2004

• Leading Civic Education Researcher Joins ECS Citizenship Effort - "Judith Torney-Purta, nationally recognized civic education researcher, has joined the Education Commission of the States' (ECS) National Center for Learning and Citizenship (NCLC) as a senior advisor. She will assist ECS President Ted Sanders and the center in defining effective citizenship education and in helping states increase their support for it…. Torney-Purta will work with NCLC to develop assessment instruments covering civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions or attitudes. She already has prepared a paper, Developing Citizenship Competencies from Kindergarten through Grade 12: A Background Paper for Policymakers and Educators, with Susan Vermeer, ECS/NCLC project manager. This paper establishes two major principles for success in citizenship education: (1) focus on civic skills and dispositions as well as knowledge, and (2) use a developmental approach to teach citizenship education from elementary through high school. These principles frame a set of recommendations about state-policy approaches to support citizenship education, which will be released this July at the Education Leadership Colloquium (ELC). The ELC is part of The 2004 National Forum on Education Policy, sponsored by ECS July 13-16 in Orlando…" April 5, 2004, Education Commission for the States.
  
  

  April 23, 2004

• A reminder about the May 1 deadline for the Robert H. Michel Civic Education Grants at the Dirksen Congressional Center. The Center invites applications for grants totaling $35,000 in 2004 to help teachers, curriculum developers, and others improve the quality of civics instruction, with priority on the role of Congress in our federal government. Areas of interest include designing lesson plans, creating student activities, and applying instructional technology in the classroom.

  Preliminary proposals must be submitted by no later than May 1, 2004. Only proposals submitted via e-mail, either in the body of the message or as a MS Word attachment, will be accepted.

  For complete information about eligibility and application procedures, go to http://www.dirksencenter.org/grantmichelciviced.htm. Also, the Center does not
  provide an application form. A sample grant proposal for review is available at
  http://www.dirksencenter.org/grantmichelcivicsample.htm or email mailto:fmackaman@dirksencenter.org.
  

  April 22, 2004

• The Institute of Intergovernmental Relations announces a conference on 'Democratic Reform Initiatives and Reforming the Institutions of the Federation: Exploring the Interdependencies.' The conference will take place on May 14th-15th, 2004 in Room 202 of the School of Policy Studies, Queen's University, Canada. A For more information of the tentative conference agenda and registration information go to: http://www.iigr.ca/publication_detail.php?publication=338 or email iigr@iigr.ca.

  April 20, 2004

• The National Service-Learning Partnership's host, the Academy for Educational Development (http://www.aed.org), has an important job opening for someone with a background in education or service-learning. For more information on the Director of Educational Products, for the Civic Mission of Schools Campaign, visit: http://www.aed.org/employment/openings/grade6/4074-6.html.

  Also, the Partnership's Youth Innovation Fund site in Portland, ME has an opening for a VISTA volunteer to help integrate service-learning into local public schools. For more information visit: https://recruit.cns.gov/searchDetails.asp?listingid='ME050017-71'&.
  

  April 19, 2004

• The Global Service Institute of the Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis announces a new grant cycle for the Civic Service Small Research Grants Program. GSI welcomes grant proposals for research projects on civic service or long-term, intensive volunteerism. Examples of civic service programs include the Nigerian National Youth Service program, the United States' AmeriCorps, and Japanese Overseas Cooperation Volunteers. The primary objectives of GSI are to build a global knowledge base and understanding of civic service. The Small Research Grants Program supports the development of civic service research in countries around the world.

  Eligibility: Researchers across disciplines and professions are encouraged to apply, including but not limited to the fields of psychology, sociology, anthropology, economics, social work, political science, and environmental studies.

  Applicants should have a Ph.D. at the time of the award or equivalent training and experience and must apply through an academic institution or other qualified nonprofit organization. Dissertation research proposals are also welcome for doctoral students who have advanced to candidacy for their degree, completing all the necessary requirements except the dissertation at the time of the award.

  Priorities: GSI encourages applicants from outside the United States. Preference will be given to social science research proposals characterized by theoretical specification and rigorous methodology. GSI's areas of interest include: contextual understanding of civic service; civic engagement and citizenship development; cross-group interactions and impacts; service and the environment; inclusive service; elder service; and international/transnational service.

  Grants: GSI will award up to six research grants with budget amounts ranging from $US 10,000 to $US 25,000 for up to 2 years. Dissertation research proposals with budgets up to $US 15,000 will also be considered.

  Initial inquiry letters are due by Friday, June 4, 2004. No inquiry letters will be accepted after this date. For detailed instructions about inquiry letters and other application procedures, please visit the Global Service Institute: http://gwbweb.wustl.edu/csd/gsi/ or contact Carlos Benitez at cab2@wustl.edu
  

  April 15, 2004

• The National Center for Learning and Citizenship (NCLC) at the Education Commission of the States has just posted an issue paper on citizenship education at the school district level. The paper describes the results of a survey of fourteen school districts across the country, and includes a series of recommendations for policymakers and educational leaders at the state, district and building levels.

  This issue paper describes survey findings in the areas of curriculum and instruction, school board policy, leadership, and assessment and accountability. The paper provides examples of programs and policies in the surveyed districts, and concludes that a more systematic approach to citizenship education in American schools is needed. A number of recommendations are offered to support the efforts of schools and school districts to more effectively prepare young people for citizenship by increasing the involvement of local stakeholders and establishing state policies to convey the importance of civic knowledge, skills and dispositions.

  The issue paper, "Citizenship Education Policy at the School District Level," can be found (in PDF format) on the NCLC website: http://www.ecs.org/nclc.
  

  April 13, 2004

• The Dirksen Congressional Center reminds you of the May 1 application deadline for the Robert H. Michel Civic Education Grants totaling $35,000 in 2004 to help teachers, curriculum developers, and others improve the quality of civics instruction, with priority on the role of Congress in our federal government. Areas of interest include designing lesson plans, creating student activities, and applying instructional technology in the classroom.

  Teachers (6th through 12th grades), community and junior college faculty, and college and university faculty are eligible as are teacher-led student teams and individuals who develop curriculum. Priority will be given to the following disciplines: history, government, social studies, political science, and education.

  Institutions and organizations are eligible under certain conditions. Inter-institutional consortia and other groups of individual may apply, but grant funds may not be used to defray indirect costs or overhead expenses. The funds are intended solely to produce "deliverables" of use to classroom teachers.

  Again, preliminary proposals must be submitted by no later than May 1, 2004. IMPORTANT: Only proposals submitted via e-mail, either in the body of the message or as a MS Word attachment, will be accepted. For complete information about eligibility and application procedures go to: http://www.dirksencenter.org/grantmichelciviced.htm. (FYI - the Center does not provide an application form) Also to review the sample grant proposal go to: http://www.dirksencenter.org/grantmichelcivicsample.htm. You may also contact Frank Mackaman, program officer at: fmackaman@dirksencenter.org.
  

  April 12, 2004

• This Tuesday, Carson Daly will be announcing the new TRL Choose or Lose Scholarship, during the TRL Awards. In a partnership with Campus Compact's Raise Your Voice Campaign, they are giving away a $5,000 educational scholarship to a young person wanting to dedicate his or her life to public or community service. The winner will get to appear on TRL later this summer. Encourage youth to check out the TRL Awards show airing live next Tuesday, April 13th from 5-6:30 - and to submit their application online at http://www.chooseorlose.com. Applications will be accepted from April 13th to May 14th. For information read the press release.

  April 9, 2004

• Service-Learning Advances, part of the National Service-Learning Partnership has added the following updates to its online newsletter. If you are interested in subscribing or becoming a member of the Partnership go to: http://www.service-learningpartnership.org.
  
  National Youth Service Day. Youth Service America spotlights service-learning from April 16-18, 2004. Use the comprehensive on-line resource for planning a service-day project.
  

  Policy Forum Focused on Service-Learning. On March 19, 2004, the American Youth Policy Forum, with support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, held its final public forum in its series on No Child Left Behind. Panelists included Shelley Berman, superintendent of Hudson (MA) Public Schools , former New York State Educator of the Year John Taylor Gatto, Mary Rodgers, District Service-Learning Facilitator for the Abington (PA) School District, and Jon Schmidt, director of service-learning, Chicago Public Schools. View reports of previous forums in the series by clicking on the above link.

  Service-Learning Summer Institutes. Visit this link for more detailed information, which will be updated regularly.
  

  Project Ignition: Call for Applicants. State Farm Companies Foundation and the National Youth Leadership Council are offering 25 grants of $2,000 each to high school students and teachers to create service-learning projects on teen-driver safety. Application deadline: April 15, 2004.
  

  The National Service-Learning Partnership is housed at the Academy for Educational Development in New York City. Letters to the editor may be sent by email to Theo Luebke at tluebke@smtp.aed.org or by US postal mail to Theo Luebke, The National Service-Learning Partnership at the Academy for Educational Development, 100 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10011. To notify the Partnership of changes to your membership information please e-mail nslp@aed.org.
  

  April 8, 2004

• Citizenship Education in Asia and the Pacific is now available. Edited by W.O, Lee, David L. Grossman, Kerry J. Kennedy and Gregory P. Fairbrother (Center for Citizenship Education, Hong Kong Institute of Education, PR of China).

  "This book is a landmark in citizenship and citizenship education discourse. It combines conceptual debates with case studies on the question whether the notion of Asian Citizenship can be established, and if yes, what its research agenda would be. The book contains polemic discussion, empirical data analysis, consultancy reflections, and descriptions of citizenship education in Asian and Pacific countries. Its themes include citizenship paradigms, democratization, patriotism, social tolerance, globalization and information society, and colonialism. The volume explores various perspectives on citizenship, including Confucian, Islamic, humanist, global, indigenous, cultural, political, and comparative. The book covers a wide range of countries and regions, including China, Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Taiwan and Vanuatu." Kluwer Academic Publishers, Boston.

  For more information go to: http://www.wkap.nl/prod/b/1-4020-7934-6
  

  April 7, 2004

• The 2004-05 Edition of The Game of Politics simulation has been released and this new edition includes both the macro and micro versions of the simulation. This "real world" approach to civic education, set 4-6 years in the future, allows participants to assume legislative, executive and judicial roles at the national level of U.S. government and confront a variety of complex Story Lines. The simulations are described at http://www.gameofpolitics.com and are designed to give players an insider's" view into our political process.

  April 6, 2004

• The Berkeley Electronic Press, together with editor Nelson W. Polsby of UC Berkeley and managing editor Raymond J. La Raja of University of Massachusetts, Amherst, is pleased to announce a new issue of The Forum, a journal of applied research in contemporary politics. The purpose of The Forum is to provide an outlet for professionally informed commentary on issues in contemporary American politics: issues engaging parties, elections, the news media, Congress, the Presidency, and trends in public policy relating to the functioning of these major American political institutions such as electoral reform, campaign finance, Presidential popularity and Congressional productivity. To submit your next paper to The Forum, go to: http://www.bepress.com/forum and click the "Submit Article" link in the upper right corner.
  
  The first issue includes:

  - Jonathan Bernstein "The Rise and Fall of Howard Dean and Other Notes on the 2004 Democratic Presidential Nomination".
  

  - Nils Gilman "What the Rise of the Republicans as America's First Ideological Party Means for the Democrats".

  - Richard Skinner and Philip A. Klinkner "Black, White, Brown and Cajun: The Racial Dynamics of the 2003 Louisiana Gubernatorial Election".
  

  - Dr. Lew Irwin "A 'Permanent' Republican House? Patterns of Voter Performance
  and the Persistence of House Control".
  

  - Dick Carpenter "Like Father, Like Son: Testing the Bush I-Bush II Comparison Predictions".

  - Steven R. Brechin and Daniel A. Freeman "Public Support for Both the Environment and an Anti-Environmental President: Possible Explanations for the George W. Bush Anomaly".
  

  April 5 , 2004

• Just a reminder about Facing History's the online forum: Educating for Civil Society After Collective Violence invites reflection about education following collective violence. Using four case studies they will discuss how the issues raised connect to our lives and communities as we seek to strengthen civil societies.

  How do educators confront the past and promote reconciliation in an effort to prevent future conflict? What are the opportunities and challenges facing educators in the aftermath of collective violence? What roles do schools, curricula and pedagogy play in the creation of civil societies?

  The facilitated, online conversation that will examine these questions through the exploration of four case studies from Germany, Rwanda, South Africa and Northern Ireland from April 5-15, 2004. Go to http://www.facinghistory.org/aprilforum or email: natasha_greenberg@facing.org, howard_lurie@facing.org.
  

  April 2, 2004

• The following items on youth voting has been added to The Pew Charitable Trust's website. If you are interested in receiving regular email alerts from Pew go to http://www.pewtrusts.com.
  
  'Deanie Babies' Grow Up - Many former young Howard Dean supporters will no doubt drift off to find new interests. But conversations with student organizers from all over the country suggest that for the most part they are ready to stay involved in politics... March 16, 2004, The Nation, by Anya Kamenetz

  US Government and History Classes Emphasize Fundamentals, Heroes, and Virtues: Students Say Classroom Focus is Very Traditional - For at least three decades, critics have charged that social studies, history and civics classes primarily impart negative views of the nation's political heritage and are devoid of fundamental facts about our system and history. But a new survey of current and recent high school students shows that the opposite is actually happening in classrooms… March 10, 2004, Grantee Press Releases, Center for Democracy and Citizenship at The Council for Excellence in Government and the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE)
  

  April 1, 2004

• The Civic Mind has announced its award for the YMCA Civic Engagement Initiative and other updates:

  YMCA Civic Engagement Initiative
  The YMCA Civic Engagement Initiative provides civic engagement skills, especially for young people, through an online guide, fellows program, and web site.

  The Civic Mind Calendar
  The spring calendar is packed with conferences on civic engagement and volunteerism.