What's New in Civic Education and Youth Civic Engagement Work .... (July/August 2006 Archive Section)

April 30, 2007


The Public Education Network (PEN) announces the following:

"Public Schools are the Bedrock of our Successful Democracy"

A member of a Florida civic club recently reacted to a presentation on school policy by saying "we could improve education by simply getting rid of government operated, tax-gouging schools." Anti-public school arguments form a long list: Parents should have free choice in the education of their children; Operation of public schools is like the inefficient federal bureaucracy; Government-operated schools lack accountability for results; Public schools are a monopoly; Compulsory school attendance is a 19th-century concept that has outlived its usefulness; and, Making K-12 public school attendance voluntary will make education a matter of choice. Now, more than ever, writes William L. Bainbridge in the Jacksonville (Fla.) Times Union, public schools are vital to the continued success of American society and our democracy. Public schools serve every child that arrives, regardless of its national origin, gender, race or socioeconomic status. The goal of democracy is to produce citizens from all of society who are prepared to succeed as contributing adults. There is no doubt there remains: A place for home-schooling, charter schools, magnet schools and vouchers; A need to focus and monitor high achievement for all children, regardless of how they are schooled; A demand for marketplace incentives for teachers in areas in critical shortage; An often inappropriate governance model that needs repair; A place for achievement based upon growth and progress rather than arbitrary grade levels and test scores; and, Still a vital role for the public school system to serve the public and its children. The astute observations of Alexis de Tocqueville, who came to America in 1832, remain a classic guide to America's success. He saw our democracy as a beacon for the world. American prosperity and success, he concluded, were based on several conditions unique to this society. He believed that our system of public education provided the skills and knowledge that citizens could employ to take advantage of in a classless and mobile society. Even though the public school system is far from perfect, public education remains the primary pillar supporting American democracy. Citizen taxes do not just support education of our own individual children. Taxes pay to undergird the role public education plays in enhancing and extending democracy, and in civilizing and enriching our society. For more go to: http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/041207/opb_8964140.shtml


April 25, 2007


The Brookings Institution announces the following upcoming event:

"Reviving Faith in Democracy"

Monday, April 30, 2007
3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Saul/Zilkha Rooms
The Brookings Institution
1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW
Washington, DC

Featured Speaker: Stein Ringen, Professor of Sociology and Social Policy University of Oxford
Introduction and Moderator: William A. Galston, Senior Fellow The Brookings Institution
Commentator: R. Kent Weaver, Senior Fellow The Brookings Institution

In a new book, What Democracy is For: On Freedom and Moral Government (Princeton University Press, 2007), Stein Ringen points out the failure of the world's democracies, most specifically the United States and Britain, to live up to their own founding ideological values and expectations. Ringen, professor of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Oxford, argues that citizens are increasingly distrustful of their government and apathetic to participating in public affairs.

On Monday, April 30, Stein Ringen will join Brookings Senior Fellows William Galston and Kent Weaver to discuss the policy solutions he proposes in his book that aim to restore faith in global democracy. Panelists will also discuss Ringen's view that a global economy must be grounded in shared values of freedom and democracy.

This event is the fourth in an occasional series, "Governing Ideas," hosted by Brookings's Governance Studies program. The series is intended to broaden the discussion of governance issues through forums on timely and relevant books on history, culture, legal norms and practices, values and religion.

After the program, panelists will take audience questions.


April 24, 2007


The following is now available from Sense Publications:

The Politics of Education: An Introduction
by Tony Monschinski, City University of New York

The subject of education is a contentious issue in our world. This book critically examines the overt and covert political issues suffusing education. Questions of What is education?, What do we teach?, and How do we teach? are all political questions, the answers to which empower certain individuals, groups and viewpoints over others. This book explores the political contexts that shape our conceptions of education and guides our pedagogical practice. Contemporary educational theory and practice are taken to task for attempting to instill democratic values and a love of freedom anti-democratically with little to no freedom. Critiques of contemporary educational theory and practice by Dewey, Foucault, Bourdeau, classical conservative thinkers and others are considered. This book examines education through historical and international lenses where appropriate. Alternative meanings and modes of education grounded in critical pedagogy are offered as steps in revolutionizing education.

You can find the free preview at: Paperback - The Politics of Education or Ebook - The Politics of Education.


April 23, 2007


CIRCLE announces the following:

"Civic Engagement: How it Differs Between Young Men and Women"

This new CIRCLE Fact Sheet shows how young men and women perform on the 19 measures of civic engagement. Generally, young men are among the most engaged in a wide range of political activities despite lower voter turnout rates, and young women are among the most engaged in civic activities such as volunteering. They are also the most likely to vote. The Fact Sheet uses data from the 2006 Civic and Political Health of the Nation Survey, and several other sources, and provides new information on the civic engagement of youth, confidence in government, and following public affairs and the news, by gender.

Download the Fact Sheet at www.civicyouth.org


April 19, 2007


The Public Education Network (PEN) announces the following award program:

Recognizing Outstanding Youth Activism"
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. Eligibility: youth ages of 13-22. Deadline: May 15, 2007. For more go to: http://www.broweryouthawards.org/article.php?list=type&type=12


April 18, 2007


Florida's Campus Compact would like to make you aware of several upcoming conferences:

June 14, 2007 - 3rd Annual Service-Learning Symposium: From Making Connections to Making Commitments: Improving Pedagogy, Engaging Students, and Building Communities. Go to:http://www.wcu.edu/studentd/service_learning/symposium/index.html

June 26-29 - HBCU Faculty Development Network Summer Institute on Community-Based Participatory Research. Go to: http://hbcufdn.org/.

For a more comprehensive listing, go to: www.compact.org or www.servicelearning.org.


April 17, 2007


Reminder: CIRCLE is looking for one to two interns to conduct research work during the summer. Each intern will pick a topic of interest to CIRCLE and the intern, and will produce a fact sheet or short research paper on the topic. Familiarity with topics in youth civic engagement, good statistical skills (at the level of multivariate regression analysis), and experience working with large data sets are required. Internships are unpaid.

If interested, electronically submit a resume and a cover letter describing your interest in civic engagement, and your data analysis skills by April 23rd to Mark Lopez, Research Director of CIRCLE (email: mhlopez@umd.edu). Applications received before April 23, 2007 will receive full consideration.


April 16, 2007


The latest edition of Citizenship Matters released by the National Center on Learning and Citizenship at Education Commission for the States highlights the following:

- Why We Still Need Public Schools: Public Education for the Common Good highlights the history and importance of public education in the United States, dating back to its establishment as a necessary institution for the young republic and Horace Mann's efforts to promote a common school for all. The report focuses on how and why the U.S. system of public education came into being; the six core public missions that public schools have been expected to fulfill, such as unifying a diverse population, preparing people for democratic citizenship and ensuring equal opportunities for all children; and why these missions are relevant today and why the nation must maintain them while pursuing reforms to help all schools live up to these core ideals.
http://www.cep-dc.org/PublicSchoolFacts/why/

- According to Charles Haynes and Marvin Berkowitz, "Reading and math are important, but if we care about our kids (and our future) shouldn't we be paying more attention to to the kinds of human beings who do the math and read the books?" Read more in their recent USA Today Opinion Column.
http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2007/02/post_48.html

- A new report from the Maine Legislative Youth Advisory Council (LYAC) summarizes the input from two student forums held in the fall of 2006 and includes thoughts from LYAC members about policy priorities, which they presented to leadership for the Maine Legislature in January.
http://www.maine.gov/legis/opla/legyouthrpt2006.pdf

- A survey by the Carnegie-Knight Task Force at Harvard University shows a strong movement in America's classrooms toward the use of Internet-based news and away from the use of newspapers and television news. Over one thousand social studies, civics and government teachers reported on their use of news in the classroom, including trends in their use of particular media.
http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/presspol/carnegie_knight/internet_in_schools_web.pdf


April 9, 2007


No "What's New" postings will be available April 9 - 13, 2007.

April 6, 2007


The Public Education Network's (PEN) online newsletter announces:

"Are Progressive Education Ideas Still Relevant?"

For more than 100 years, the United States has been the scene of academic warfare between traditional and professional educators. During most of our nation's history, many Americans have assumed that the primary purpose of school is to pass on to children the information and skills necessary to survive in our society. This traditional view accepts the fact that a teacher's task is to inform children as to what they should know. Officials at the state and local level determine the content of students' education and it is the teacher's job to ensure that the content is taught. Even before the beginning of the 20th century, John Dewey and others introduced a different model. They believed that students learn best "by doing" not by being passive listeners. For progressive educators, the teacher's role was to be a facilitator of learning in classrooms where students' interest helped to provide appropriate developmental learning experience. This new approach to education has greatly affected our schools during the past century. More recently, we have seen the emergence in American education of four initiatives that have threatened the continued influence of progressive education. They include the "back to basics movement", mandated state curriculum standards, high stakes testing, and school accountability. Despite these trends, there appears to be several factors that might lead one to conclude that progressive education is remaining a viable approach in the United States. A new book by William Hayes considers these factors as well as the past, present, and possible future of the progressive education movement. For more go to: http://www.publiceducation.org/pdf/20070216_Progressive_Education.pdf


April 5, 2007


Global Service Fellowships: Building Bridges through American Volunteers
Policy Brief #160
by David L. Caprara, John Bridgeland, and Harris Wofford

The Brookings Institution

March 2007

"As policy-makers search for ways to share the best of America with the world, they should start with our international volunteers, who embody this country's spirit of generosity, resourcefulness and hope. With the support of Congress and the Bush Administration, volunteers can become the first face of America to communities in many nations, while advancing concrete initiatives that lift up the lives of the poor throughout the world.

To maximize the potential of international volunteering, we propose that Congress establish a program of Global Service Fellowships to support American volunteers- nominated by congressional members - serving abroad with qualifying nongovernmental organizations, faith-based groups, and universities that are committed to advancing peace and development. Initial funding of $50 million would support approximately 10,000 fellowships annually averaging $5,000 each to pay for volunteers' travel, program costs, and minimal living expense. In addition, Congress and the White House should work together to double the Peace Corps, authorize and provide support to Volunteers for Prosperity, and increase support of other efforts inside and outside government to enable global service and assess its impact. These efforts will empower a growing coalition of international volunteering organizations to help reach the goal of 100,000 Americans serving in developing countries each year."

To read this policy brief go to: http://www.brookings.edu/comm/policybriefs/pb160.htm.


April 4, 2007


The Student Press Law Center has posted the following:

"Washington state Senate committee hears testimony regarding student free press bill: Bill passed state house of representatives earlier this month"

Washington - "A "big fan club" of high school students filled a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in support of a student free press bill March 27.

HB 1307 was the topic of discussion in the committee, which would offer both high school and college students protection from censorship under the same statute.

Rep. Dave Upthegrove (D-Des Moines) introduced the bill in January, hoping to add Washington to the list of the six states that have established similar laws. Arkansas, California, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas and Massachusetts have laws protecting high school students. California also recently passed a law protecting college students…."March 30, 2007, The Student Press Law Center.