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

September 29, 2006

• Special Webcast Event: Trends in Citizenship

  The Case Foundation and the National Conference on Citizenship present a webcast event sponsored to assess the nation's civic health and to build a common agenda to encourage a more active and engaged citizenry. This year's conference featured Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez, Senator Robert Byrd, White House OMB Director Rob Portman, acclaimed leaders of national and local civic engagement organizations and the release of America's Civic Health Index: Broken Engagement , an index of key citizen measures to broaden the way in which America tracks and defines its success.

  For more go to: Citizenship Webcast

  September 28, 2006

• Education Commission of the States announces the following:

  New Hampshire has established a youth advisory council. The council -- composed of appointed secondary and postsecondary students between 15 and 22 years old -- will advise the legislature on proposed or pending legislation, state budget expenditures and policy matters in areas that affect youth, including education. For more go to: http://www.ecs.org/00CN3168

  September 26, 2006

• Park University 's International Center for Civic Engagement (ICCE) offers several publications that you may find of interest:

  "Social Capital: Lessons from a Service-Learning Program," by Maria D'Agostino, assistant professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

  "Value of Membership in Professional Associations"  by Wendy Haynes, president-elect, American Society for Public Administration, and Antoinette Samuel, executive director, American Society for Public Administration
  
  "Toward a Theory of Civic Engagement"  by Jerzy Hauptmann, professor emeritus of political science and public administration at Park University
  
  For more go to: http://www.park.edu/icce.

  September 25, 2006

• The following have been added to the Pew Charitable Trust's Youth Voting website:

  - New Analysis of State-by-State Midterm Election Statistics Points to Potential Importance of Youth Vote in November: CIRCLE releases new analysis of effective youth GOTV tactics for campaigns and advocates.

  - Youth Voter Mobilization Tactics: A compilation of the most recent research on
  traditional and innovative young voter turnout techniques.

  September 22, 2006

• The Public Education Network's online Weekly Newsblast announces the following:

  “Rewarding Student Achievement & Community Engagement"
  - The annual Magna Awards recognize local school boards that are putting student achievement and community engagement at the center of their work. Maximum Award: $3,500. Eligibility: school districts across the U.S. Deadline: October 02, 2006.

  September 21, 2006

• Civic Involvement Tied to Education: High School Dropouts Unlikely to Vote

  “High school dropouts are significantly less likely than better-educated Americans to vote, trust government, do volunteer work, or go to church, according to a new report that reveals a widening gap in "civic health" between the nation's upper and lower classes.

  The report, a portrait of civic life in the United States , finds that Americans' disengagement from their communities during the past few decades has been particularly dramatic among adults who have the least education. Among people who lack a high school diploma, the percentage who have voted plummeted from 1976 to 2004 to 31 percent -- half the 62 percent of college graduates who voted in 2004.

  The class divide is the most striking finding of the report, prepared by leading social scientists and released yesterday by the National Conference on Citizenship, a nonprofit organization created by Congress. "High school dropouts are . . . nearly voiceless in a system that fails them," said John Bridgeland, a former domestic policy adviser to President Bush who is chief executive officer of Civic Enterprises and leads the conference's advisory board.

  Compiled from several national surveys since the mid-1970s, including some that have not been made public before, the report is an attempt to draw attention of the public and policymakers to civic life, in the same way that economic indicators routinely are used to shape the government's economic policy. It examines 40 indicators of nine basic aspects of civic life, including how much people say they trust one another, stay informed, follow the news and express their political views.

  Overall, the findings of "Broken Engagement, America 's Civic Health Index" reinforce earlier studies that have shown steep declines in civic participation. "The most hopeful signs," the report says, are a recent increase in volunteering, particularly among young people, and an upturn in political involvement since the late 1990s….” By Amy Goldstein, 9/19/06, The Washington Post.

  September 20, 2006

• America 's Civic Health Index Released

  The National Conference on Citizenship, in association with CIRCLE and the Saguaro Center, has released "America's Civic Health Index: Broken Engagement" a tool to measure civic progress in America over time. The Civic Health Index is comprised of over 40 key civic indicators measuring levels such as political activity, civic knowledge, volunteering, trust, philanthropy. Just as economic progress is tracked overtime, the hope is effectively track the nation's civic health with this set of indicators. To access the report and learn about the conference go to: Annual Conference of the National Conference on Citizenship.

  September 15, 2006

• District Leaders Civic Engagement and Service-Learning
  
  - Superintendents and school board members committed to advancing citizenship education have the opportunity to join a national network of district leaders sponsored by ECS' National Center for Learning and Citizenship. Applications will be accepted through September 29. For more go to: http://www.ecs.org/html/ProjectsPartners/nclc/docs/100DistrictLdrsApplication.pdf

  September 14, 2006

• REMINDER: Proposals and workshops for the 4th American Political Science Association Teaching and Learning Conference, to be held in Charlotte, North Carolina in early February, are due September 15. For more go to: http://www.apsanet.org/.

  September 13, 2006

• Beyond the Classroom Living and Learning Program, at the University of Maryland – College Park, invites you to participate in it's "Critical Conversations on Civic Issues Faculty and Film Series".  The first film, Crash starts at 7:00 pm on Monday, September 18th, in 1102 South Campus Commons Building 1.  This event is open to all University of Maryland and the broader community.  For more information and a list of upcoming films and discussions, go to: www.btc.umd.edu .

  September 12, 2006

• The following has been added to the Pew Charitable Trust's Youth voting website:
  
  Back to School, Voter Groups Mobilize to Register Hundreds of Thousands of College Students Nationwide
  
  - A press release from Young Voter Strategies on the largest efforts in 2006 by non-partisan groups to get young people registered to vote.
  
  September 11, 2006

• CIRCLE To Release New Comprehensive Survey of Youth Civic Engagement

  At the National Press Club in Washington, DC on October 3, from 9:30-11 am, CIRCLE will release findings from a major survey that includes numerous indicators of youth engagement as well as information about youth attitudes toward various social and political issues. This survey will update and expand the Civic and Political Health of the Nation Report, published in 2002.
  
  Following the press conference, which is open to the public, CIRCLE will hold a first-ever "Practitioners' Forum" from 11-2:30 to discuss practical implications of the new findings. There will be small group discussions on topics such as:
  
  - Youth Political Engagement and Trust in Government
  - The Civic Engagement of Immigrant Youth
  - Youth Community Service and Volunteerism
  - Tolerance and the Youth Generation
  
  This will also be an opportunity to influence how youth civic engagement is measured in the future and to inform CIRCLE's efforts to connect research and practice.
  
  The Practitioners' Forum will include a lunch, and there will be limited space available.

  Please RSVP by September 22nd to Abby Kiesa, Youth Coordinator at CIRCLE, at akiesa@umd.edu

  September 8, 2006

• National Constitution Day is September 17th .

  - The Choices Program has the resources to help students consider the options faced by our forefathers. Through A More Perfect Union: American Independence and the Constitution examine the political, social, and economic context in which the U.S. Constitution was framed. Students explore parallels between the controversies of America 's formative years and our country's present-day civic discourse.

  September 6, 2006

• How Municipal Leaders Can Mobilize Communities to Improve Public Schools

  - Mayors are in a unique position to rally civic and community stakeholders around a compelling common interest—the future of their cities' children. The visibility and authority of the mayor's office provide opportunities to: (1) Place public education high on the city's list of priorities; (2) Work toward ensuring adequate funding and resources; (3) Forge partnerships that enrich and sustain schools; and (4) Build public will and support to improve outcomes for the city's children and youth. A new report from the Annenberg Institute and other partners looks at five cities where mayors have engaged the public and built civic capacity around education reform, using the leverage of their office in strategic ways. The stories of Denver , Akron , Long Beach , Nashville , and New York identify and describe practical, high-yield strategies and solutions mayors are using and resources they have found or created. Written by Michael Grady, Robert Rothman, and Hal Smith, the report also includes an annotated list of resources for municipal leaders on public engagement in support of schools.

  September 5, 2006

• The National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC) will be held to release the ‘Civic Health Index' Report
  
  The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) provided data, graphs, and analysis for this ambitious NCoC report that explores 40 key indicators of civic engagement over time. These indicators include political activity, civic knowledge, volunteering, trust, and philanthropy, among others. The report also looks separately at various segments of the US population, including youth.
  
  The release will take place on Monday, September 18, 2006 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Marriott at Metro Center in Washington , DC . Prominent speakers will address various aspects of civic engagement.
  
  There is no charge for the event and lunch will be served. Registration is required; please visit: http://www.ncoc.net/conferences/regForm2006.htm .

  September 1, 2006

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

  Nominations Sought for "Outstanding Young Educator Award"
  
  - The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development is seeking nominations for its Outstanding Young Educator Award, which recognizes a teacher under the age of 40 who demonstrates excellence in his or her profession, a positive impact on students, creativity in the classroom, and leadership in his or her school or district. Maximum Award: $10,000. Eligibility: K-12 teachers under age 40; no self-nominations accepted. Deadline: October 15, 2006.