What's New in Civic Education and Youth Civic Engagement Work .... (November 2003 Archive Section)

 

November 26, 2003

• The National Service-Learning Partnership has recently announced that The John Glenn Institute for Public Service and Public Policy at Ohio State University has established the John Glenn Scholars in Service-Learning. With support from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, the Institute will recognize 25 scholars (five during the first year and 10 during each of two succeeding years) whose scholarship efforts contribute to advancing the understanding of or adoption of service-learning, with specific emphasis on K-12 education. For more information go to:
  http://www.service-learningpartnership.org/publications/morenews_Nov03.cfm#announce
  

  November 25, 2003

• Volume 2, Number 3, 2003 of the European Educational Research Journal, the online-only journal of the European Educational Research Association (EERA) special theme is civic education. The issue includes:

  - A European Perspective on the IEA Civic Education Introduction - Judith Torney-Purta
  - On the Dimensionality of the Cognitive Test Used in the IEA Civic Education Study: analyses and implications - Roumiana Nikolova & Rainer H. Lehman
  - Civic Knowledge, Civic Skills and Civic Engagement - Carmine Maiello, Fritz Oser & Horst Biedermann.
  - Students' Concepts of Democracy - Vera Husfeldt & Roumiana Nikolova
  - Cultural Appropriation of Concepts of Democracy - Kontogiannopoulou-Polydorides, G.
  Fragoulis, A. Zanni & M. Ntelikou.
  - Participation Experiences and Civic Concepts, Attitudes and Engagement:
  implications for citizenship education projects - Isabel Menezes
  - The Old and New Face of Civic Education: expert, teacher, and student views - Heinrich Mintrop.
  - Civic Education: what are we getting from research? - Maria Roldão

  Further details can be found at http://www.triangle.co.uk/EERJ where you will need to subscribe for free or by contacting subscriptions@triangle.co.uk
  

  November 24, 2003

• There's an ongoing conversation about politics and generations X and Y generated from Under 23 Voters Need a Reason to Believe on the E-the People website. "The real problem with America is the smoke and mirrors complex of the boomer generation. The voter population under 25 stays at home on election day not because they don't care, but because all the candidates come off as fake. The new voter generation (Y and X for people who need to use labels) is more cynical than any previous generation…" on the E-the People website. What people say is not too surprising, but it's interesting to watch the discussion unfold. Close to 500 people have visited the page since 11/19.
  
  
• Federalism-e, a peer-reviewed, on-line journal that publishes undergraduate student papers on the topics of federalism and multi-level governance is accepting papers for volumes 4 and 5 to be published bi-annually. The deadline for volume 4 is December 1, 2003. However, contributions are always welcome, and papers received after December 1st will be considered for volume 5. Submissions may range from 2500 to 6000 words and can be submitted in either official language (French/ English). Submissions will be judged based upon their scholarly strength during a blind review process. Papers must be grammatically acceptable and adequately documented. Papers will be reviewed for consistency with the journal's broad mandate. Authors should include a brief biographical note including their name, institutional affiliation, year of study, and program. Students should submit an electronic copy of their work only, in Microsoft Word. Interested student are encouraged to visit the Call for Papers section at http://www.federalism-e.com/, or to email Terris Lutter at federalism-e@cnfs.queensu.ca.
  
  
• The Dirksen Center invites you to participate in the Robert H. Michel Civic Education grants program. If you'd like to develop lesson plans or student activities about the Constitution, or amendments, or even ideas for new amendments, then consider applying for a grant. Find information about the Robert H. Michel Civic Education Grants, including a sample grant proposal and a list of previously awarded grants at: http://www.dirksencenter.org/grantmichelciviced.htm

  
  November 21, 2003

• CIRCLE announces new "youth-led research" funding opportunity. Deadline is Feb 18, 2004. Research teams of youth and adults working together, or research teams of youth and adult mentors are welcome to apply. Please see http://www.civicyouth.org.

• Civic Education in Schools: The Right Time is Now. In schools across the nation, educators are developing new ways to teach students that citizenship is a rich experience that involves responsibilities as well as rights... Development of these model programs may mean that after years of being on the "endangered" list, civic education will not join the ranks of the dinosaurs after all. Instead of trailing off into extinction, the traditional social studies classes with students learning facts and more facts may be evolving into a dynamic new style of "civic engagement."by Joyce Baldwin, Vol. 2/No. 3, Fall 2003, Carnegie Reporter.

  November 20, 2003

• The Center for the Critical Analysis of Contemporary Culture at Rutgers University encourages and promotes interdisciplinary work. The Center will accept proposals from graduate students dealing with the discourses, narratives, symbols, concepts, and values of 'talking citizenship'; the substance, locations, and debates of defining citizenship; and the actions, practices, movements, status and standing of actual citizens in history. Given the conference theme, papers that connect the theories and discourse of citizenship with the empirical and historical practices of citizenship will be given special consideration. Topics of particular interest include: competing narratives of citizenship; possible changes in citizenship form national to transnational locations; links between citizen identity and citizen practice; citizenship as inclusion and exclusion; differences between 'talking citizenship' and 'doing citizenship'

  Send a proposal of no more than 300 words detailing your work and institutional affiliation. Proposals will be reviewed by a faculty reading committee. The conference will take place on April 2, 2004 at Rutgers University, NJ. For more information contact sandrinesanos@yahoo.com

• The Dirksen Center announces new links and lesson plans:

  - Perspective on Civil Liberties. The terms "civil liberties" and "civil rights" are often confused and used interchangeably, although their definitions differ. Link to CongressLink glossary to find an easy way to distinguish civil liberties from civil rights and help students understand the terms. For more information go to: http://www.congresslink.org/glossary.html#C

  - AboutGovernment monthly hot link offers extensive information on a number of issues related to civil liberties and individual rights. Find "American Civil Liberties Union" at: http://www.aboutgovernment.org/citizenship.htm

  - The "Teaching the Amendments," lesson plan helps students gain a sense of their rights as United States citizens, as well as the reality that many rights are limited
  and controversial. It can be found at http://www.congresslink.org/lessonplans/amends.html
  

  November 14, 2003

• A new series of products by the Education Commission of the State's (ECS) National Center for Learning and Citizenship (NCLC) reveals that wide variation exists in the extent to which state policies address citizenship education. The series, supported by the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement (CIRCLE), includes a 50-state, interactive Web database that gives users a picture of where and how state policy supports citizen-ship education. It also includes a policy brief that outlines the importance of citizenship education, reviews existing state policies and actions, and gives policymakers questions to ponder and resources to turn to for help.

  "The civic mission of education should be given equal status as the focus on academic knowledge; this is consistent with the heritage of American education," said Terry Pickeral, NCLC executive director. "The nation depends on each generation's active participation in our democracy, and schools have a specific obligation to implement and sustain corresponding courses, teaching strategies and activities."

  To access the 50-state database, go to http://www.ecs.org/CitizenshipEducationDatabase. The policy brief and a "StateNote," which gives a quick 50-state look at citizenship-related state policies, can be found at http://www.ecs.org/Service-LearningCommunityService. For more information about this subject, contact Jeffery Miller at 303.299.3665 or jmiller@ecs.org.
  

  November 13, 2003

• The National Governors' Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices Education Division seeks a graduate student intern with an interest in education policy and an issue area of expertise (e.g., early childhood education, higher education). For more information go to: http://www.nga.org/nga/1,1169,C_JOB,00.html#104

• Following the release of Public Agenda's "Aggravating Circumstances" survey on civility in America (supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts), Public Agenda has continued the national dialogue on manners and civility, but this time with a focus on how we treat each other when we travel. Bad manners and rude behavior can often make modern travel a trying, unpleasant and sometimes dangerous experience. You can find out more about the "Aggravating Circumstances" survey and download a complete copy of the report at: http://www.publicagenda.org/specials/civility/civility.htm

  November 10, 2003

• The CivicMind Award for improving civic participation and education about the legal system goes to the Legal Resource Center for Tobacco Regulation, Litigation & Advocacy at University of Maryland School of Law which provides legal support to communities, employers, local governments, and others seeking to reduce smoking, the sale of tobacco products to children, and the dangerous health effects of tobacco products. For more information go to: http://www.civicmind.com/wtobum.htm

  November 7, 2003

• The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement (CIRCLE), has released a working paper that traces the development of three civilian national service programs -- AmeriCorps, VISTA, and the Civilian Conservation Corps. The paper gives reasons why to-date no permanent policy exists supporting national service in the United States.

  To read more of the report visit: http://www.civicyouth.org/research/areas/comm_partic.htm. For more information contact: ekirby@umd.edu.
  

• Applications to participate in APSA's first Conference on Teaching and Learning in Political Science must be postmarked to APSA by November 14, 2003. This pilot conference will take place at American University in Washington, D.C., on February 19-21, 2004. The conference is designed to generate a greater understanding of cutting-edge approaches, techniques, and methodologies that can be applied in the political science classroom. For its first year, 40 political scientists will be invited to participate in the conference; future conferences will be open to a larger audience. The Conference Program Committee has organized the event around a workshop model of four thematic tracks: 1) pedagogy; 2) student assessment and learning outcomes; 3) diversity and global perspectives; and 4) civic education and service learning.

  Political scientists with experience in these thematic areas will be invited to make brief presentations on their ideas or models for teaching and learning in the political science classroom. We are especially interested in proposals from individuals who actively prepare students for civic participation; utilize innovative technology in student learning; integrate curricular content that increases students' appreciation of diversity; incorporate service learning models that engage students in their community; or use teaching techniques that provide students a better understanding of global perspectives.

  For more information go to: http://www.apsanet.org/teach/
  

  November 6, 2003

• The Sharpe Community Partnership at the College of William and Mary seeks a Director to coordinate community-based service and research projects linked with academic courses. The freshman component of this program has been in place for three years. Freshman Scholars live in a common residence and enroll in one of a group of specially designated courses that are the basis for yearlong service-learning projects. The program now looks to develop service-learning opportunities for students beyond the freshman year. For more information contact: jxschw@wm.edu

  November 5, 2003

• The Center for the Study of Citizenship at Wayne State University announces its first New Scholars Conference in Citizenship Studies. The conference will be held on February 27. Joan W. Scott, Professor of Social Science at the Institute for Advanced Studies, the Center's first Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence, will serve as keynote speaker and commentator at the conference.

  The conference will provide junior faculty and advanced graduate students the opportunity to present their own work in citizenship studies. Please submit a one-page abstract of a paper proposal and a curriculum vita by November 10. Proposals are welcome from scholars in all disciplines. For more information contact: Marc Kruman, Director; Center for the Study of Citizenship; Wayne State University. Phone 313-577-2593; Fax 313-577-6987; Email: aa1277@wayne.edu; http://www.citizenship.wayne.edu
  

  November 4, 2003

• The National Conference of State Legislatures will host the official website for the Congressional Conference on Civic Education. Available on the website:
  - The Conference Statement; selected addresses given at the conference;
  - NCSL 'Citizenship: A Challenge for All Generations' survey;
  - Conference press releases and selected articles;
  - Conference agenda;
  - National and state resource listings;
  - Contact information for each state facilitator; and
  - One to two paragraph description of each state plan.
  They are also developing the separate information page -- Facilitators on the Center for Civic Education. For more information go to: http://www.representativedemocracy.org.
  

  November 3 , 2003

• On September 26-28, 2003, more than 600 people attended Grand Opening events as The Dirksen Center officially opened the doors to its new facility. Invited guests heard remarks from Dirksen Center Board President Doug Crew, former House Republican Leader Robert H. Michel, and current 18th district Congressman Ray LaHood who announced his decision to donate his papers to The Center's $1.6 million facility.

  The new Dirksen Center facility is located on the east side of Pekin, Illinois, at 2815 Broadway. For information and photos of The Center, visit: http://www.dirksencenter.org/dcbuildingprojectfinished.htm