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

May 31, 2006

• From today's Washington Post:

  What You Don't Know About the Immigration Bill

  The Senate passed legislation last week that Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) hailed as "the most far-reaching immigration reform in our history." You might think that the first question anyone would ask is how much it would actually increase or decrease legal immigration. But no. After the Senate approved the bill by 62 to 36, you could not find the answer in the news columns of The Post, the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal. Yet the estimates do exist and are fairly startling. By rough projections, the Senate bill would double the legal immigration that would occur during the next two decades from about 20 million (under present law) to about 40 million.

  One job of journalism is to inform the public about what our political leaders are doing. In this case, we failed. The Senate bill's sponsors didn't publicize its full impact on legal immigration, and we didn't fill the void. It's safe to say that few Americans know what the bill would do because no one has told them. Indeed, I suspect that many senators who voted for the legislation don't have a clue as to the potential overall increase in immigration.

  Democracy doesn't work well without good information. Here is a classic case. It is interesting to contrast these immigration projections with a recent survey done by the Pew Research Center … By Robert J. Samuelson, Wednesday, May 31, 2006, The Washington Post.

  May 30, 2006

• The most recent edition of "Citizenship Matters" has been released by the National Center on Learning and Citizenship at ECS. Highlights include:

  - Governor Christine Gregoire ( Washington ) signed HB 2579 on March 20th, requiring all Washington school students in 4th or 5th grades, 7th or 8th grades, and 10th or 11th grades to complete a classroom-based assessment in civics.
  
  - Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. ( Utah ) signed HB 339, establishing a Commission on Civic Education, to be housed in the office of the lieutenant governor. The Commission is charged with promoting supportive coalitions and collaborative efforts to develop public awareness and training around issues of civic education and with providing leadership to the state's continuous focus on civic and character education in the public schools and institutions of higher education. An annual appropriation of $50,000, subject to future budget constraints, is made to the Commission.
  
  - The new high school curriculum recently adopted in Michigan will require all students, beginning with incoming 8th graders in the fall of 2006, to complete three credits of social studies as part of the rigorous high school curriculum.
  

  - A recent Op-Ed by Washington Post columnist David S. Broder, “Saving Democracy, Pupil by Pupil”highlights the Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools and other national efforts to advance the civic mission of American education. (Free registration required.)
  

  - The inaugural meeting of NCLC's network of District Leaders for Citizenship and Service-Learning was held April 7th at the National School Boards Association's Annual Conference in Chicago. The network is now seeking 56 additional district leaders who have a demonstrated commitment to high-quality citizenship education. Click below to download the application

  To read more go or download an application to the district leaders for citizenship and service-learning meeting go to: http://www.ecs.org/ecsmain.asp?page=/html/ProjectsPartners/nclc/nclc_main.htm

  May 26, 2006

• Senate Approves Immigration Bill - Measure Faces Tough House Opposition

  “The Senate yesterday approved legislation that would trigger the biggest changes to U.S. immigration policy in decades, by strengthening border security, establishing a guest-worker program, and providing the means for millions of illegal immigrants to stay in the country and possibly become citizens…” By Charles Babington, The Washington Post, May 26, 2006.

  Other related news:

  - Critics Say Bill Diminishes Due Process for Immigrants

  - Special Immigration Report

  - Votes Database

  - Graphic: Immigration Bills Compared

  May 25, 2006

• Registration is now open for the Sixth International Service-Learning Research Conference, to be held October 13-16, 2006, in Portland, Oregon. The theme of this year's conference is "From Passion to Objectivity: International and Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives on Service-Learning Research." The conference website includes information on conference organization, program overview, preconference workshops, schedule-at-a-glance, registration, hotel, and travel information.
  
  For more information, go to: http://www.upa.pdx.edu/SLResearch06 .
  

  May 24, 2006

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

  - Energy, Education, Economy: Young Voters' Top Concerns in '06; GW-Battleground Poll of 18-30 Year Olds, New Research Show Young Voters Up for Grabs in 2006 Elections : Battleground Poll of 18-30 Year Olds, New Research Show Young Voters Up for Grabs in 2006 Elections. May 16, 2002.

  For read the article go to: http://www.pewtrusts.org/ideas/ideas_item.cfm?content_item_id=3364&content_type_id=7&issue_name=Youth%20voting&issue=7&page=7&WT.mc_id=05/22/2006

  May 22, 2006

• The Public Education Network announces the following:

  - "Public Schools are Hotbeds of Democracy" Democracies don't materialize out of thin air. They are created – and maintained and deepened – by citizens. If citizens are to safeguard civil liberties, elect wise officials, become wise officials themselves, make sense of the news and negotiate public policy with other citizens in an ever more diverse society, "their minds," as Thomas Jefferson said, "need to be improved to a certain degree." Public schools are ideal sites for this work. They are public places, so they possess the essential assets for cultivating democratic citizens: a diverse student body, shared problems and a curriculum. When aimed at democratic ends and supported by democratic means, schools can help children enter the public consciousness needed for citizenship, or what the ancient Greeks called puberty. This includes the habits of reasoning and caring necessary for public life: the cosmopolitan respect, the insistence on fair play, and the knack for forging public policy with others whether one likes them or not. The opposite is what the Greeks called idiocy – absorption in one's private affairs. Public schools are good places to help young people grow from idiocy to puberty, writes Walter Parker. Schools can't do it alone, to be sure; families and faith communities must do their part. But schools have the key ingredients that make them the most fertile sites in society for this work. Aren't the stakes too high to let the opportunity pass? For more go to:
  http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/262189_democracy09.html

  May 19, 2006

• From today's Washington Post:

  Senate Votes English as 'National Language'-- Bill Keeps in Place Multilingual Laws

  “After an emotional debate fraught with symbolism, the Senate yesterday voted to make English the "national language" of the United States , declaring that no one has a right to federal communications or services in a language other than English except for those already guaranteed by law.

  The measure, approved 63 to 34, directs the government to "preserve and enhance" the role of English, without altering current laws that require some government documents and services be provided in other languages. Opponents, however, said it could negate executive orders, regulations, civil service guidances and other multilingual ordinances not officially sanctioned by acts of Congress

  That vote, considered a defeat for immigration-rights advocates, was followed last night by an important victory: By 58 to 35, the Senate killed an amendment that would have blocked eventual citizenship for future immigrants who arrive under a temporary work permit. Democrats and Republicans agreed that the amendment would have destroyed the fragile, bipartisan coalition backing the Senate bill…” By Jonathan Weisman and Jim VandeHei , Washington Post Staff Writers, Friday, May 19, 2006; Page A01

  May 17, 2006

• From today's Washington Post:

  Immigration Proposals Pass Test In Senate -- Guest-Worker And CitizenshipProvisions Survive

  “A fragile Senate coalition backing a broad overhaul of the nation's immigration laws survived its first legislative test yesterday, beating back efforts to gut provisions to grant millions of illegal immigrants a path to citizenship and hundreds of thousands of foreigners a new guest-worker permit.

  But President Bush's efforts to win House conservatives to his immigration proposals still faced an uphill climb. A day after a prime-time televised address to the nation, Bush continued to make his case yesterday that immigration legislation must be comprehensive -- tightening control of the borders, offering a new temporary guest-worker visa to foreign workers, and offering most illegal immigrants a path to lawful employment and citizenship…” May 17, 2006, by Jim VandeHei and Jonathan Weisman, The Washington Post.

  May 16, 2006

• From today's Washington Post:

  On Immigration, Bush Seeks 'Middle Ground' -- President to Send 6,000 Guard Troops to Mexican Border

  “President Bush said last night that he will dispatch 6,000 National Guard troops starting next month to help secure the porous U.S.-Mexican border, calling on a divided Congress and country to find "a rational middle ground" on immigration that includes providing millions of illegal workers a new route to citizenship...” May 16, 2006, b y Jim VandeHei and Jonathan Weisman, The Washington Post.

  May 15, 2006

• Reminder: City Year's annual convention, cyzygy '06: Be the Change – Advancing Global Citizen Service will be held on June 13-17 to unite more than 1,500 City Year corps members, staff, and alumni with hundreds of corporate, civic, and community leaders to demonstrate the power of citizen service and its potential to change our world - one child, one neighborhood, one country at a time.

  Visit the cyzygy web site for the most up-to-date information on speakers and events.

  For more information on cyzygy, please contact Kristin Walega at kwalega@cityyear.org .

  May 12, 2006

• Campus Compact Teams with AAC&U on Diversity and Learning
  
  Providence, RI ­ Campus Compact announced an academic partnership with the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) through sponsorship of the upcoming Diversity and Learning conference, entitled "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, notes Elizabeth Hollander, executive director of Campus Compact. "Diversity 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;
  
  Campus diversity, when instituted as a part of the core academic mission results in a richer education with a heightened sense of social justice, civic responsibility and a more profound sense of the value of partnership. These principles are congruent to the mission of Campus Compact; and the bi-annual Diversity and Learning conference provides an excellent outlet for Campus Compact¹s message as well as a valuable resource on the state of diversity on a local, national, and global scale.
  
  Campus Compact partners with organizations to disseminate its message about civic and campus engagement, service-learning, and a more inclusive democracy; details are available on the organization¹s website: http://www.compact.org . Information about AAC&U and the Diversity and Learning conference may be found at http://www.aacu.org .

  May 11, 2006

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

  Counting Volunteers: Recommendations for Measuring the Volunteering Rate
  A new CIRCLE Working Paper (#43) by Chris Toppe, entitled, "Measuring Volunteering: A Behavioral Approach," assesses the accuracy of two different sets of survey questions on the subject of volunteering. Toppe contends that the current Bureau of Labor Statistic (BLS) survey method-used in the Current Population Survey (CPS) - does not accurately gauge the number of volunteers in its survey.  He finds that asking behavioral questions about volunteer activities increases the number of volunteers captured by the CPS.
  
  The Working Paper can be found at: http://www.civicyouth.org/research/areas/comm_partic.htm
  
  The New Face of America's Social-Issues Voters
  A newly released CIRCLE Fact Sheet examines the role that "moral values" played in the 2004 youth vote. Based on the National Election Pool national exit poll, 23% of voters age 18-24 ranked "moral values" as their top issue influencing their voting preference.
  
  The Fact Sheet can be found at: http://www.civicyouth.org/research/products/fact_sheets.htm#2

  May 10, 2006

• The Forum for Youth Investment announces the following:

  - Youth Policy Action Center
  The new and improved Youth Policy Action Center (YPAC) features an array of exciting ways to put policy-making power into young peoples' hands: Giving them the same tools used by professional lobbyists and connecting them to organizations at the state level and inside the Washington beltway who can help change youth policies. The new YPAC site includes action alerts, alerts by issues and by organizations, pages of information by state, policy tools, videos, voting and volunteer opportunities, and social networking.

  - Whatever It Takes: How Twelve Communities Are Reconnecting Out-of-School Youth
  As a frequent partner of the American Youth Policy Forum, the Forum for Youth Investment announces the availability of this report, which documents what committed educators, policy makers and community leaders across the country are doing to reconnect out-of-school youth to the social and economic mainstream. It provides background on the serious high school dropout problem and describes in-depth what twelve communities are doing to reconnect dropouts to education and employment training. It also includes descriptions of major national program models serving out-of-school youth.
  

  - America 's Promise Alliance introduces Guide to Federal Resources for Youth Development
  The federal government offers literally billions of dollars to communities across the Nation to help young people reach their full potential. As a member of the America 's Promise Alliance, the Forum for Youth Investment is pleased to announce the availability of this new guide, which provides information on more than 100 priority programs that are available to communities and directly related to the five core resources of youth development. The Guide to Federal Resources for Youth Development was compiled by the America 's Promise Alliance to provide information on federal funds available to support youth programs. Each program is listed by the department that operates the program, and cross-references are made to one or more of the five core resources.

  May 9, 2006

• Late last year, the IBM Center for The Business of Government released a report by Don Kettl on the toughest management challenges facing government in the next several years.  One of the key challenges, he noted, was "engaging citizens in new roles to solve public problems."
   
  In a new Center report, "Public Deliberation:  A Manager's Guide to Citizen Engagement," Carolyn Lukensmeyer and Lars Hasselblad Torres describe a changing landscape in how citizens are becoming more involved in government, world wide.  They indicate a shift from the traditional "information exchange" to an "information processing" model of engagement, where citizens are no longer just consumers of government programs and policies but actively engage in shaping them.  They also describe a spectrum of citizen engagement models, ranging from the traditional approach of informing citizens of planned efforts, all the way to empowering citizens to directly make decisions.  For example, in some communities in Brazil , citizens vote on how some budget items are to be spent in their neighborhoods.
   
  Lukensmeyer and Torres provide a series of examples of how some cutting-edge citizen engagement model work, both face-to-face, and on-line.  They conclude with recommendations to both agency leaders and government-wide policymakers, recommending the creation of "champions" to review existing potential bureaucratic barriers to the use of these cutting-edge tools and to serve as advocates for their use in large-scale initiatives.
   
  For the Kettl Report, go to: http://www.businessofgovernment.org/pdfs/KettlReport.pdf
   
  For the Lukensmeyer Report, go to: http://www.businessofgovernment.org/pdfs/LukensmeyerReport.pdf

  May 8, 2006

• The Pew Internet and American Life Project announce the release of the report: “The Internet Improves Americans' Capacity To Maintain Their Social Networks And Get Help”
  
  The Internet and email expand and strengthen the social ties that people maintain in the offline world, according to a new report released by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. One major payoff comes when people use the Internet to press their social networks into action as they face major challenges. People not only socialize online, but they also incorporate the Internet into their quest for information and advice as they seek help and make decisions. Disputing concerns that heavy use of the Internet might diminish people's social relations, the report finds that the Internet fits seamlessly with Americans' in-person and phone encounters. With the help of the Internet, people are able to maintain active contact with sizable social networks, even though many of the people in those networks do not live close to them. The report, "The Strength of Internet Ties," highlights how email supplements, rather than replaces, the communication people have with others in their network.
  
  This report is based on the findings of two daily tracking surveys on Americans' use of the Internet. The project's Social Ties survey was fielded from February 17, 2004, through March 17, 2004, and it involved interviews with 2,200 adults age 18 and older. The Project's Major Moments survey was fielded from February 21, 2004, through March 21, 2004, and it involved interviews with 2,201 adults. Both surveys have a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points.
  
  To see the full report from Pew Internet & American Life Project go to: http://www.pewtrusts.org/pdf/Pew_Internet_ties_012506.pdf

  May 4, 2006

• The Public Education Network announces the following:

  - “Service Learning Grants to Promote Crime Prevention & Community Service"
  The National Crime Prevention Council will award grants to support service-learning projects planned and implemented by youth who identify needs and create projects to address or prevent crime, violence, and drug abuse in their schools and communities. These grants are intended to encourage and promote crime prevention, community service, and civic responsibility. Maximum Award: $500. Eligibility: Ages 11-19; Youth must be participating in a Community Works or Youth Safety Corps program or be in a youth group or class of six or more members. Deadline: June 1, 2006. For more information go to: http://www.ncpc.org/programs/tcc/

  May 3, 2006

• Today's Washington Post has published the following:

  Volunteer Efforts Spark Push For Public Service Academy

  Teach for America veteran Chris Myers Asch has done his bit for public service.

  After teaching fifth- and sixth-graders for three years in Sunflower County, Miss. , as part of the nonprofit teacher-recruiting program, Asch helped create and lead an organization that mentors the impoverished region's teenagers and assists them in getting into college. Along the way, he completed his PhD in history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill .

  Now Asch and like-minded colleagues are taking up an even bigger challenge: trying to persuade Congress to establish and fund a civilian leadership university modeled after the nation's military service academies.

  The proposed United States Public Service Academy would offer an all-expenses-paid education to 5,000 undergraduates. Its liberal arts curriculum would emphasize leadership development, analytical thinking and service to others, with requirements for summer service internships and a year of study abroad…” By Christopher Lee, Wednesday, May 3, 2006, The Washington Post

  May 2, 2006

• The 2006 National Forum of the Coalition for Community Schools announces “Community Schools: Createing the Conditions for Learning” to be held on June 14-16 at the Renaissance Harborplace Hotel in Baltimore , MD. Leaders and practitioners committed to community schools from across the country are offering nearly 70 Workshops at the National Forum.  These experiences emphasize hands-on learning about issues that community school leaders tell us are of great importance to them.  Topic areas include: Afterschool; Community-Based Learning/Service Learning; Local Community School Initiatives;  Individual Community Schools; Family Involvement/Parent Leadership;  Financing ; Federal Policy/No Child Left Behind; State and Local Policy; Practice; Research/Evaluation; Youth Participation and Engagement.  For more information on how to register go to: Community Schools.

  May 1, 2006

• The Coalition for Community Schools has released a new paper, "Community-Based Learning: Engaging Students for Success and Citizenship". The paper highlights the value of the community-based learning approach to improving academic outcomes, including test scores, attendance rates, and graduation rates, as well as civic, moral, personal, social and work-related outcomes.

  It is not news that students are bored, no matter their background. According to Johns Hopkins researcher Robert Blum, 40% to 60% of students from all economic backgrounds are chronically disengaged from learning. Another study, just released by Civic Enterprises and funded by the Gates Foundation, highlights disengagement as a key factor in the dropout rate. That study found that 47% of dropouts left school because classes weren't interesting, and 81% of dropouts called for more "real-world" learning opportunities.

  The good news is that research affirms that community-based learning has profound impact on the problems of boredom and disengagement—by involving students in real-world problem solving that makes learning relevant and meaningful. This approach brings together under one roof a collection of teaching and learning strategies that have heretofore been seen as different programs: service learning; place-based education; environment-based education; civic education; work-based learning; academically-based community service.

  As highlighted in this paper, studies have shown that students who are involved in community-based learning show improved academic outcomes, including test scores, attendance rates, and graduation rates, as well as positive civic, moral, personal, social and work-related outcomes.

  To read the full report, go to: Engaging Students for Success and Citizenship.