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

October 31, 2006

• Citizenship Changes Draw Objections

  "The Bush administration is considering proposals that would make it tougher for legal immigrants to gain U.S. citizenship.

  The proposals being drafted by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), a division of the Department of Homeland Security, could nearly double application fees, toughen the required English and history exams, and ask probing questions about an applicant's past, such as "Who is your current wife's ex-husband?"

  In an interview yesterday, a USCIS spokesman said the contemplated changes are necessary to pay increased administrative costs and to standardize an application that is subjective and varies across the country.

  But immigration rights advocates say the changes would amount to a second wall, a potential barrier against legal immigration that is as formidable as the newly authorized southern border fence is supposed to be against illegal migrants.

  Changes in the citizenship application process are being contemplated amid a contentious debate over whether the federal government should undertake a comprehensive reform of immigration policy that includes establishing a guest worker program, or just build a barrier along the Mexican border and adopt a get-tough policy toward illegal immigrants and companies that employ them. Throughout the debate, however, opponents of illegal immigration have said their quarrel is not against immigrants who are in the country legally…” By Darryl Fears, 10/27/06, The Washington Post.

  October 30, 2006

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

  "Clay Aiken Able-To-Serve Grants"
  Clay Aiken Able-To-Serve Grants support youth, teachers, youth-leaders, youth-serving organizations, and organizations serving people with disabilities in implementing service projects for National and Global Youth Service Day, April 20-22, 2007. Projects can address themes such as the environment, disaster relief, public health and awareness, community education, hunger, literacy, and any issues youth identify as a community need. Maximum Award: $1000. Eligibility: Youth (ages 5-25); teachers and youth leaders; organizations that work with youth ages 5- 25; or organizations that serve people with disabilities. Projects must be either youth-led or co-led by youth and adult allies. Deadline: November 30, 2007.
  http://www.ysa.org/awards/award_grant.cfm#nowavailable

  October 27, 2006

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

  "100 Best Communities for Young People Campaign"
  America 's Promise/The Alliance for Youth is leading a national search for the 100 Best Communities for Young People. The 100 Best campaign will recognize communities for their innovative approaches and difference-making efforts in 2007, including communities that are pursuing community schools strategies. Maximum Award: national recognition. Eligibility: any town, city or local jurisdiction within the United States or U.S. territories, including Native American reservations, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands. Deadline: Friday, November 3, 2006. For more go to: http://www.americaspromise.org/100Best.aspx?id=968

  October 26, 2006

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

  - Elizabeth Partoyan, director of research, training and member services at the National School Boards Association, discusses the need to increase the number of district leaders committed to civic literacy and the resulting implementation of the 100 District Leaders for Civic Engagement and Service-Learning Network. http://www.ecs.org/00CM891

  - New Hampshire Governor John Lynch signed S.B. 323, establishing a Legislative Youth Advisory Council which will examine issues of importance to youth. The council shall advise the legislature on these issues and shall submit an annual report with any recommendations for future legislation. The council consists of 21 members, one of whom shall be a member of the House of Representatives and one of whom shall be a member of the Senate. The remaining 19 members shall be youths between the ages of 15 and 22. http://www.ecs.org/00CM898
  
  - Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich signed H.B. 4832, creating the Community Service Education Act. It gives support to community service education programs and provides that a school district may establish and operate a community service education program that qualifies for a grant from the State Board of Education by complying with the provisions of the Act and rules. http://www.ecs.org/00CM899

  - The National Forensic League has chosen national service as its policy topic for the 2006-07 high school debate. The 2006-07 Policy Debate Topic is: The United States federal government should establish a policy substantially increasing the number of persons serving in one or more of the following national service programs: AmeriCorps, Citizen Corps, Senior Corps, Peace Corps, Learn and Serve America, Armed Forces. http://www.ecs.org/00CM884

  - A new ECS Policy Brief, “Youth Legislative Engagement Initiative” summarizes the state-level goals and accomplishments of the project. Recommendations build cooperation between state legislators and students to enable students to develop civic competencies to contribute to our democracy now and in the future. http://www.ecs.org/00CM895
  
  - A new ECS Policy Brief :Untapped Resources: Engaging Students in Preparation, Response and Recovery” addresses how to engage and mobilize young people in order to prepare them for when disaster strikes, and to do so in sustainable ways to avoid desensitizing youth to the effects of disaster, and prevent wavering attention. http://www.ecs.org/00CM896

  October 24, 2006

• The American Heritage Education Foundation offers "America's Heritage: An Adventrue in Liberty" a free K-12 teacher resource with lesson plans offered by and for teachers. Also available are resources for teachers on organizations, sites and tools related to American history, government, social studies, U.S. Presidents and more. For information go to: American Heritage Education Foundation.

  October 23, 2006

• The National Constitution Center has received the following civic initiative grants from the Pew Charitable Trust. For more go to:

  - Constitution Day Educational Programming (funded through a grant to National Constitution Center)

  - Constitution Day Educational Programming (funded through a grant to National Constitution Center)

  - http://www.pewtrusts.org/ideas/most_recent_grants.cfm

  October 19, 2006

• The following has been added to the Pew Charitable Trust's “Advancing Policy Solutions” website:
  
  10/13/2006 - Election Reform Briefing: Translating the Vote--The Impact of the Language Minority Provision of the Voting Rights Act: electionline.org briefing finds that non-English speaking voters continue to face barriers at the polls despite federal protections.

  October 18, 2006

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

  - "Grants for Teachers of Citizenship Education"

  The VFW's National Citizenship Education Teachers' Award recognizes the nation's top elementary, junior high and high school teachers who teach citizenship education topics regularly and promote America's history and traditions. Maximum Award: $2,000. Eligibility: teachers K-12. Deadline: November 1, 2006.

  October 17, 2006

• The Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago (CRFC) has a five-year grant from the U.S. Dept of Education to engage students and teachers in the discussion of controversial issues in the U.S. and in former Soviet Bloc countries through their program “Deliberating in a Democracy” (www.deliberating.org ) They are entering their third year and would like to have additional teachers participate in the U.S.

  In conjunction with the NCSS Annual Conference, CRFC is offering the following one day clinic at NCSS on November 30, 2006:

  "Learning to Talk with Strangers: It's Good for Democracy"  

  November 30, 2006
  8:00 AM to 3:00 PM
  Convention Center Room 103A
  Washington , DC

  Teachers may register for this workshop for $30 (NCSS members) or $35 (non NCSS members). Anyone registering and attending the workshop will be able to have his/her class participate on the Discussion Board and, of course, use the materials (on-line).

  Registration for NCSS is at www.socialstudies.org/conference .

  October 16, 2006

• The 86th National Council of the Social Studies Annual Conference will be held on December 1-3, at the Washington D.C. Convention Center in Washington, D.C. Some of the sessions include 1) Vital issues session – Democracy and diversity: Educating citizens in a global age and 2) Smithsonian Day – meet with experts on a variety of issues. Key note speakers include Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Eleanor Clift, John Stossel and Jonathan Lipman.

  For more and to access the registration form go to: www.socialstudies.org/conference .

  October 13, 2006

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

  - Confronting Controversy in the Classroom

  Debating controversial topics is a favorite pastime in the Washington area, and social studies teacher Michael Palermo's classroom is no exception. A particularly heated discussion flared in his Leadership and Diversity class last May, a week after the National Security Agency's massive phone records database was revealed. Unlike many Washington politicians and pundits squabbling over the same topic a short drive away, Palermo 's students were learning a critical lesson of debate: that there is no right or wrong answer, only reasoned arguments and personal perspectives, all of which deserve consideration. "I think it's vital to address sensitive and controversial topics in the classroom, especially when it's an issue that hits so close to home," Palermo says. When asked about the impact the French Revolution has had on history, Chou En-lai, the Chinese premier from 1949 to 1976, supposedly replied, "It's too soon to tell." Five years later, it is likely too soon to tell what the lasting impact of 9/11 will be. But educators are leveraging the ongoing debate for a lesson in civics. Around the country, the discussion may take on different tones and tenor, but teachers everywhere are showing students how to discuss controversial issues rationally and respectfully -- a responsibility of an informed citizenry.

  For more go to: http://www.nea.org/neatoday/0609/nineeleven01.html .

  October 12, 2006

• CIRCLE announces the following:

  - Young Voters & the 2006 Midterm Elections
  
  In the most recent midterm election in 2002, 22 percent of young adults voted. However, the best comparison to this year's election may be the 1994 midterm, because it was the last midterm to follow a similar surge in youth voting.  In 1994, 26 percent of 18-to-29-year-olds voted.
  
  More information on young voters in midterm elections can be found a series of new CIRCLE Fact Sheets. The Fact Sheets provide data on the midterm election cycles nationwide - and by state - since 1974 including information on the number of young people eligible to vote in 2006, the racial composition of voters in past midterm elections, and more.  State and national fact sheets can be found at: http://www.civicyouth.org/research/products/quick_facts_youth_voters2006.htm

  October 11, 2006

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

  - The 2006 Civic and Political Health of the Nation Survey: A detailed look at how youth participate in politics and communities.
  
  - The Future of American Democracy: A Mixed Picture: Conventional wisdom is challenged by this report on the political and civic involvement of young Americans.

  October 10, 2006

• Education Week announces the following:

  NASSP Lands Grant for Civic Engagement of H.S. Students

  “The National Association of Secondary School Principals has won a federal grant to involve high school students in creating “civic action plans” to improve their schools and communities.

  The association plans to work through the National Association of Student Councils, which it sponsors, to help students in 780 schools in 41 states. The program, called Raising Student Voice and Participation, will be supported by the $325,000 grant from the federal Corporation for National and Community Service for this school year.

  Gerald N. Tirozzi, the executive director of the Reston, Va.-based association, noted in a press release that the national call to reform high schools has pointed to “the importance of incorporating student voice in community outreach and school improvement.”

  The program will be designed to help students understand their responsibility to become informed and offer a productive voice for change, the NASSP said.” By Ann Bradley, Education Week, 10/4/06.

  For more go to: http://www.edweek.org/ew/index.html

  October 9, 2006

• The University of Maryland will host a upcoming Consortium on Race, Gender, and Ethnicity (CRGE) event entitled, Rebuilding with Tools for Social Justice: Hurricane Katrina One Year Later Symposium on October 18, 2006 .   In conjunction with the symposium, there will be a Provost's Conversation consisting of a panel discussion with distinguished guests Dr. Patricia Hill Collins, Wilson Elkins Professor of Sociology, University of Maryland, Dr. Mary C. Waters, Professor of Sociology, Harvard University, and John O'Neal, Junebug Theatre Productions (New Orleans, LA).
  
  Due to limited seating, registration for this event is mandatory. Attendees must register at www.crge.umd.edu by October 11, 2006 .  This event will promptly begin at 11:30 a.m. in the Stamp Student Union Colony Ballroom.
  
  For more go to: www.crge.umd.edu or call 301-405-2931.

  October 6, 2006

• The Case Foundation's online newsletter Spotlight features “Civic Engagement: What's Missing?”

  “The anniversaries of 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina remind us of the powerful response of everyday citizens -- people who have donated money, helped families in need, rebuilt communities, and discussed and debated reforms.  Getting involved, helping out, and speaking up are the cornerstones of America , but research shows a decline in civic participation, increasing social isolation, and, with the exception of encouraging spikes among youth, only incremental gains in volunteering in the past few years.
  
  What's missing?  What will it take for Americans to deepen their participation and believe they can make a difference?” 
  
  The Spotlight attempts to answer those questions from a number of perspectives, including our their paper -- Citizens at the Center: A New Approach to Civic Engagement -- which offers a model that steers clear of top-down solutions and puts citizens in control. 

  For more go to: http://www.casefoundation.org/spotlight/civic_engagement?source=partnerNCOCWC&emc=sm&m=d7162d4508a84eb7ad0a87e96237120b&l=NCOC%20Newsletter%20CE%20-%20Partner&v=1a304bee80c14e0a882187e96237120b

  October 5, 2006

• The latest edition of The Forum for Youth Investment's “Forum Flash” features the following:

  - New Tool for Advocates
  - Forum organizes panel for 2006 Making Voices Count for Kids Conference in Baltimore
  - Summer Road trip! Children's Cabinets Retreats held in Maine, Georgia and Oklahoma
  - Forum facilitates panel at 2nd Annual National Conference of State Legislatures meeting in Nashville
  - Two America's Promise Regional Forums left

  For more go to: http://www.forumfyi.org/.

  October 4, 2006

• CIRCLE Releases New Survey on Civic Engagement

  “ Conventional wisdom is challenged by a new report on the political and civic involvement of young Americans. Young people are working in many ways to improve their communities and the nation by volunteering, voting, protesting, and raising money for charity and political candidates. In addition, African-American and Asian-American youth are the most engaged, according to the study conducted by the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement (CIRCLE). But, the findings also show that a large group of young people are completely disconnected from civic life. In the last year, more than 36 percent of young people aged 15-25 volunteered, nearly 20 percent have been involved with solving community problems, and almost a quarter had raised money for charity.

  Many of the civic and political indicators showed only small differences between this age group and those aged 26 and older. Despite this higher-than-expected level of engagement, the study does show that nearly two-thirds of young Americans are considered disengaged, with nearly one in five not involved in any of the 19 possible forms of civic participation. “Participating is good for kids' development. Our schools and communities need their contributions. And their civic development is crucial for the future of our democracy,” said CIRCLE director Peter Levine….”

  To learn more and download the report go to: http://www.civicyouth.org/

  October 2, 2006

• Request for Proposals: Intervention Research to Improve Youth-Serving Organizations

  In its online “Forum Flash” the Forum for Youth Investment has announced that the William T. Grant Foundation is providing a grants competition to support intervention research to improve youth-serving organizations, such as schools and community-based organizations, or their subunits, such as classrooms and after-school program sites. They are interested in organizations that seek to improve the lives of youth ages 8 to 25 and conceptualize these organizations and their subunits as “social settings” - proximal contexts for youth's experiences.

  The Foundation anticipates supporting a small group of projects with award amounts ranging from $250,000 to $1,500,000 for the two-to-four-year duration of the project, including direct and indirect costs. And, they are interested in setting-level experiments, wherein settings are assigned randomly to condition, and very strong setting-level quasi-experiments.

  The review of proposals will take place in two stages: the deadline for Letters of Inquiry is October 30, 2006, and the deadline for Invited Full Proposals is February 22, 2007. For more information go to: http://www.wtgrantfoundation.org/usr_doc/2006_William_T_Grant_RFP_for%20_Intervention_Research_Final.pdf