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

August 31, 2006

• Park University 's International Center for Civic Engagement (ICCE) has
  published its third white paper.  In "Social Capital: Lessons from a
  Service-Learning Program," Maria D'Agostino, assistant professor at John Jay
  College of Criminal Justice, describes the relationships between social
  capital, service-learning and higher education.  She writes, "Confronted with
  decreasing civic engagement and social capital, universities are being sought
  as partners in the movement to address our faltering democracy. University
  based service-learning programs provide an opportunity to address our
  faltering democracy, while addressing the University mission of service to
  the community."  For more go to:
  http://www.park.edu/icce/files/civic200608.pdf .

  August 30, 2006

• Reminder: The 2007 International Service-Learning Research Conference “From Passion to Objectivity: International and Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives on Service-Learning Research” will be held on October 13-16 in Portland , Oregon . In addition to a variety of workshops and presentations, two plenary sessions will showcase focused conversations among leaders who bring a range of perspectives to two important topical areas related to research on civic engagement and service-learning.  These sessions will consist of panel conversations rather than individual presentations in this year's plenary sessions in order to offer a variety of views on the topics to be addressed. They include: "Context and Culture: Models of Engagement Around the World" and “The Research We'd Like to See.”

  The conference will be hosted by Portland State University . For more on the conference go to: http://www.upa.pdx.edu/SLResearch06/ .

  August 29, 2006

• The Practice of Public Scholarship in the State and Land-Grant University
  System (The Kettering Foundation Press) -- Edited by Scott J. Peters, Nicholas R. Jordan, Margaret Adamek, and Theodore
  R. Alter
  
  Colleges and universities are increasingly being called upon to deepen their engagement in the public work of addressing economic, social, and environmental challenges. How should they respond? Engaging Campus and Community examines the practice of public scholarship as a promising means for academic professionals and students to join with external partners in addressing our most pressing public problems. Based on four years of collaborative research by a team of scholars from six different institutions in the national state and landgrant university system, Engaging Campus and Community is the first-and only-qualitative study of public scholarship in American higher education. The book presents and analyzes eight in-depth case studies of public scholarship involving close community-university engagement in public work initiatives that address the economic, social, and environmental challenges of pursuing agricultural and food systems sustainability. The authors draw lessons from these cases that have broad relevance for the larger movement to renew higher education's civic mission and work.
  
  For more call 800-600-4060, or email ecruffolo@ec-ruffolo.com .

  August 28, 2006

• "Grants to Engage Troubled Youth in Volunteer Service"
  
  - Youth Service America/U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention YouthRising program will award grants for organizations to engage high risk and/ or gang-involved youth in volunteer service. A significant portion of the project must take place on National & Global Youth Service Day, April 20-22, 2007. Maximum Award: $2000. Eligibility: organizations with documented success in prevention/intervention work with high risk and/or gang-involved youth. Deadline: October 12, 2006.

  August 7, 2006

• The Public Education Network (PEN) announces the following:

  "Pay It Forward Mini-Grants"

  - This program funds one-time-only service-oriented projects identified by youth as activities they would like to perform to benefit their school, neighborhood, or greater community. Projects must contain a "pay it forward" focus -- that is, they must be based on the concept of one person doing a favor for others, who in turn do favors for others, with the results growing exponentially. Maximum Award: $500. Eligibility: schools, churches and community youth groups (with an adult sponsor). Deadline: October 15, 2006.

  August 4, 2006

• The following has been added to the Pew Charitable Trust's Advancing Policy Solutions website:

  "Survey Finds Voter Registration Processes Stuck in Place” -- Electionline briefing finds that the process of voter registration remains largely unchanged.

  August 3, 2006

• The Public Education Network announces the following:

  “Have We Forgotten Civic Education?”

  Social studies is no longer a priority in schools and has not been for some time, writes Marshall Croddy. Most recently, because of the national No Child Left Behind mandates and the school accountability system, language arts, math and science are emphasized. Resources for history/social science in terms of professional development, materials and even instructional time are scarce. This is particularly true at low-scoring elementary schools serving underrepresented student populations, where instructional time for social studies has been greatly diminished. A cruel irony, really: those least empowered and most in need of the knowledge and skills of effective citizenship and advocacy are the least likely to be exposed to them. Recent studies demonstrate that our nation and state are paying a price for this neglect. The California Survey of Civic Education conducted last year demonstrated that despite taking a course in U.S. government in the 12th grade, graduating seniors' knowledge of the structures and functions of government and of current political issues is very weak. Students averaged only a little over 60% correct on a test of their civics content knowledge, a low "D" on typical grading scales. The survey also revealed that today's graduates are not inclined toward participatory citizenship. Less than half of high school seniors surveyed believed that "being actively involved in state and local issues is my responsibility."

  
  August 2, 2006

• The following has been added to the Pew Charitable Trust's Supporting Civic Life website:

  250,000 Teacher Education Grant Provides Training Opportunities for 332 Teachers in the Greater Philadelphia Area -- The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation announces a grant to improve quality of American history and civics education in Philadelphia-area schools.

  August 1, 2006

• The Forum for Youth Investment announces:

  “Grappling with Big Picture Change: Philanthropic Efforts to Change the Odds for Children and Youth”

  Small foundations have historically been perceived by many in the children and youth fields as the foot soldiers of philanthropy, funding an array of direct services but often lacking the staff, resources or clout necessary to address the root causes of poverty or to influence, much less lead systemic change. This landscape is shifting, however. Many are making intentional efforts to address social change, systems reform and sustainability. Whether they have revisited their grant-making priorities, engaged in a strategic planning process or developed a new theory of change to guide their work, many small foundations are not satisfied handing out money one grant at a time, and are findings themselves heading into sometimes unchartered waters to figure out their role in what we call “big picture change” for children and youth.

  For more to go: Grappling with the Big Picture Change

  July 31, 2006

• CIRCLE Awards Half a Million Dollars For Research on K-12 Civic Education
  
  CIRCLE is pleased to announce that ten research teams have been awarded grants to study K-12 Civic Education.  The ten grants total over half a million dollars. The grant competition was made possible by a generous grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York .
  
  Below is a list of funded research projects:
  
  1. "Research Strategies to Promote Adoption and Institutionalization of Civic Education Programs" Lawrence Bailis and Stan Bolotin, Center for Youth Development, Brandeis University
  
  2. "Energizing Civic Education Through Youth Media" Jen Beck and Katina Paron, Children's Press Line
  
  3. "An Assessment of Civic Engagement and High School Academic Progress" Alberto Dávila and Marie T. Mora, Department of Economics and Finance, University of Texas - Pan American
  
  4. "The Long-Term Impact of a High School Civics Curriculum on Political Knowledge, Democratic Attitudes, and Civic Behaviors: A Multi-Level Model of Direct and Mediated Effects Through Communication" William Eveland Jr., School of Communication , The Ohio State University
  
  5. "Measurement and Changes Over One Semester in High-School Students' Civic Skills, Knowledge, Dispositions, and Beliefs" Constance Flanagan, Department of Agriculture and Extension Education, Penn State University
  
  6. "How Deliberating Controversial Issues in High School Courses Influences Civic Learning and Participation: A Continuation Proposal" Diana E. Hess, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, University of Wisconsin , Madison
  
  7. "A Longitudinal Examination of High School Students' Civic Learning Opportunities and Outcomes" Joseph Kahne, Mills College
  
  8. "Colors of Socialization: Pathways to Civic Identity in Red States and Blue States " Michael McDevitt, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Colorado , Boulder
  
  9. "Bowling Young: Exploring the Link between the Associations of Youth and Citizenship in Adulthood" Reuben J. Thomas, Department of Sociology, Stanford University
  
  10. "The Classroom-Kitchen Table Connection: The Effects of Political Discussion on Youth Knowledge and Efficacy" Tim Vercellotti and Theresa Thonhauser, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
  

  July 28, 2006

• The Forum for Youth Investment announces:

  “Ready By 21: Ready for College, Ready for Work, Ready for Life”

  Just one year after launching Ready by 21, an initiative to prepare young people for college, work, and life by 21, 12 of the more than 20 national organizations partnering with the Forum met to discuss their collaborative efforts to help policy makers, educators, foundations, and corporations on the national, state, and local levels change the odds for young people.

  For more go to: Ready By 21

  July 27, 2006

• In today's Washington Post:

  Drive to Steer Graduates to Public Sector

  “Scott Galla, a recent graduate from the University of Wisconsin , was the first to arrive -- at 9 a.m. By the time the doors opened more than two hours later, the line was wrapped around the building, nearly two blocks long. Two thousand interns had descended on Washington 's Warner Theater to answer a simple call: "Uncle Sam needs you."

  The government has joined the talent war, and sent representatives yesterday to a town hall meeting for Washington interns. The goal was to persuade top graduates to throw aside ambitions of high pay in the private sector, and think instead of high power in the public sector.

  It is a much-needed recruitment drive…” By Ashnuka Asthana, 7/27/06, The Washington Post.

  July 26, 2006

• The Dirksen Congressional Center's “Communicator” -- a web-based e-newsletter providing educators with news and ideas to improve the understanding of Congress announces the following:

  "Getting Involved: How You Can Participate in Representative Government?"

  - In this lesson, students examine the different ways people can participate in representative government through class discussions, group work, and investigation of primary and secondary sources. Students create commercials that inform viewers how to get involved in representative government.

  July 25, 2006

• The Forum for Youth Investment announces:

  “Ready By 21: Ready for College, Ready for Work, Ready for Life”

  Just one year after launching Ready by 21, an initiative to prepare young people for college, work, and life by 21, 12 of the more than 20 national organizations partnering with the Forum met to discuss their collaborative efforts to help policy makers, educators, foundations, and corporations on the national, state, and local levels change the odds for young people.

  For more go to: Ready By 21

  July 24, 2006

• The Special Focus Section of the NACE website (see above) presents "Assessing School Citizenship Education: Implications ofr the Social Studies" created for the Education Commission of the States (ECS) by Gary Homana, Carolyn Barber and Judith Torney-Purta of the University of Maryland. This CIRCLE working paper ocuses on the middle- and upper-grade levels. It presents the School Citizenship Education Climate Assessment—a self-assessment tool developed to help schools evaluate their citizenship education strategies and policies—and examines its implications for social studies classes.

  July 21, 2006

• A recent report by the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation entitled “The State of State World History Standards 2006: indicates “Our world is quickly shrinking and becoming evermore interconnected. But is America 's K-12 education system preparing students for life in a global village? Unfortunately, it is not. Renowned historian Walter Russell Mead, lead author of the report found that thirty-three states deserved D or F grades for their world history standards. States do the worst when it comes to teaching Latin American history. At a time of intense national debate about immigration and assimilation, many states do not seem aware that there are countries and cultures south of the Rio Grande.

  For more go to: World History

  July 20, 2006

• Reminder: Campus Compact and the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) are sponsorship the upcoming Diversity and Learning conference, “A Defining Moment.” The conference, slated for October 19-21, 2006, in Philadelphia, will assess the current status of diversity learning in higher education and chart new directions in the field.
  
  Attendees are challenged to analyze current diversity initiatives, goals, definitions, and practices to determine which are most successful and map out strategies for further development. The conference places a strong focus on campus diversity and community involvement. Issues examined will include consensus, contested, and evolving definitions of diversity; institutional change models that promote inclusive learning; new frontiers in diversity scholarship, programs, and curricular designs; points of tension that propel or hamper progress; and research and assessment findings that can inform new models and approaches to diversity learning.
  
  Educating students for civic participation in a diverse society prepares them to function in a broader capacity beyond their own cultural boundaries. By linking community engagement with diversity initiatives on campus, students develop the skills and knowledge necessary to solve social problems, communicate ideas more effectively, and demonstrate stronger leadership,² notes Elizabeth Hollander, executive director of Campus Compact. ³Diversity and Learning: A Defining Moment is an invaluable resource for students, faculty, and staff to discover the rewards of a more comprehensive and socially aware curriculum.²
  
  For more go to: “A Defining Moment”

  July 19, 2006

• State News: Summit on Civic Literacy in America
  
  Maryland Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. signed Senate Bill 47, which creates a task force to convene a summit on civic literacy in America. The legislation appoints two members of the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) to the task force and "invites" CIRCLE to facilitate the summit.

  July 18, 2006

• The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement (CIRCLE) announces the following new working paper:

  "Assessing School Citizenship Education Climate: Implications for the Social Studies"

  This CIRCLE Working Paper (#48) focuses on the middle- and upper-grade levels. It presents the School Citizenship Education Climate Assessment—a self-assessment tool developed to help schools evaluate their citizenship education strategies and policies—and examines its implications for social studies classes.

  The tool was created for the Education Commission of the States (ECS) by Gary Homana, Carolyn Barber and Judith Torney-Purta of the University of Maryland and is available at www.ecs.org/qna . The ECS Web site also contains a set of items for assessing outcomes of civic education in the areas of knowledge, skills, and dispositions across the elementary, middle, and high school grades. 

  CIRCLE Working Paper #48 can be downloaded from www.civicyouth.org .

  July 14, 2006

• The Dirksen Congressional Center's “Communicator” -- a web-based e-newsletter providing educators with news and ideas to improve the understanding of Congress announces the following:

  - House Floor Debate Simulation
  - Online Textbooks
  - The Civil Rights Documentation Project: May 5, 1994
  - Where the Hill Meets the Web: IQexpress
  - The Executive Branch: The President Has Fun

  For more go to: web: http://www.webcommunicator.org

  July 13, 2006

• The CivicMind announces its July 2006 Award:
  
  Washington Service Corps is a publicly-funded statewide service program which engages young adults in addressing community needs across Washington State in the areas of education, environment, homeland security, emergency preparedness, and other human needs.
  
  For more go to: http://www.civicmind.com/wwacorps.htm

  July 12, 2006

• Democratic Dialogue announces a Special Issue on Patriotism and Education

  A few of the articles include:

  - Patriotism and Education by Joel Westheimer
  - Patriotism and Accountablity: The Role of Educators in the War on Terriorism by Pedro Noguera and Robby Cohen
  - Should We Teach Patriotism by Diane Ravitch
  - The Psychology of Patriotism by Michael J. Bader
  - Once Upon A Time When Patriotism Was What You Did by Gloria Ladsen-Billings
  - Is Patriotism Good for Demcracy? A Study of High School Seniors' Patriotic Commitments by Joesph Kahne and Ellen Middaugh
  
  Democratic Dialogue is committed to the critical exploration of democratic ideals in education and society through a program of international collaborative research and dissemination.
  
  For more information about Democratic Dialogue, go to: www.democraticdialogue.com

  July 11, 2006

• The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement (CIRCLE) announces the following new working paper:

  "Developing Indicators and Measures of Civic Outcomes for Elementary School Students"

  This CIRCLE Working Paper (#47) contains two sets of instruments designed to be used at the elementary school level. The measures include a student survey of civic knowledge, skills and attitudes and a set of corresponding grade level observation checklists of student skills and behaviors. The tools were created by Bernadette Chi of the East Bay Conservation Corps, JoAnn Jastrzab of Abt Associates Inc., and Alan Melchoir of the Center for Youth and Communities at the Heller School, Brandeis University. 
  
  The Working Paper and assessment tools can be downloaded from www.civicyouth.org .

  July 10, 2006

• San Francisco State University has one-day conference on “Identity, Citizenship, and the Constitution” to be held on September 18, 2006.

  For more information contact Christopher Waldrep, Department of History, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Ave., San Francisco, California, 94132.

  July 6, 2006

• Bringing Legal Immigrants into the Mainstream (from The Brookings Institution)
  
  “The congressional debate over immigration reform may go on for quite a while, given the latest stumbling block.

  One piece of the Senate bill proposes that illegal immigrants who adjust their legal status pay back taxes and other fees. But the Constitution allows only the House to create bills that include any revenue-raising, and it is entitled to block any legislation by the Senate that includes such measures.

  While the legislation may be held up, the national conversation will continue. Echoing the debate raging in the halls of Congress, the public debate is centered on what to do about the large group of immigrants living here illegally—currently estimated to be about 30% of all foreign-born residents.

  But let's not forget that 70% of immigrants—nearly 25 million men, women, and children—live, work, and go to school in the United States legally. The economic impact of immigration on our society will be shaped far more by what happens to these immigrants than how we come to terms with those who are here illegally…

  Reaching out to the second generation . The vast majority of the children of immigrants are U.S. citizens, and they are one of the fastest-growing segments of the population. Because they often mimic the financial behavior of their parents, the second generation is at risk of growing up with low rates of bank account usage. By partnering with schools to open student-run branches in high schools, banks can make progress in reaching potential customers, while providing education to the next generation of Americans…” By Anna Paulson, Senior Economist , Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, Audrey Singer , Immigration Fellow , Metropolitan Policy Program, June 23, 2006, American Banker.
  For more go to: http://www.brookings.edu/views/op-ed/asinger/20060623.htm

  July 5, 2006

• The early bird discounted registration rate for the Sixth International
  Service-Learning Research Conference, to be held October 13-16, 2006, in
  Portland , OR has been EXTENDED to July 15.  This is in response to accommodate
  those of you who have a budget year that begins July 1.  The discounted rate is
  good until July 15, at that time it will increase. Registration fees: Now until July 15:  $295; July 16 to Sept 1:  $350; Sept 2 to Oct 12:  $400; On-Site: $425
  
  For more information, go to: http://www.upa.pdx.edu/SLResearch06 .