What's New in Civic Education and Youth Civic Engagement Work .... (Previous Archives - Undated)

• The Colleagues: Princeton Project 55, in association with the Alumni Council, is pleased to announce a new on-line course entitled "Civil Society and Community Building." The course explores both the theory and practice of building "social capital." The course is designed for anyone interested in strengthening communities and community institutions, whether as a professional, a volunteer, or a concerned citizen. The course will be offered this spring beginning February 3, 2003. For more information please go to https://tigernet.princeton.edu/Education/civilsoc.asp

• The Youth Leadership Initiative at the University of Virginia Center for Politics is pleased to announce that they are now in all 50 states! They continue to provide teachers with free civic education projects that combine technology and learning, including our CD Rom, "A More Perfect Union," where students act as a campaign manager and try to win an election for a U.S. Senate candidate in the fictitious state of Franklin. These projects are backed by on-line lesson plans that meet each state's academic standards. The resources are free of charge to educators. For more information go to http://www.youthleadership.net/

• The Corporation for National and Community Service has joined with the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars to create the "Civil Society Nonprofit Scholars Program." They are now accepting applications for individuals to conduct nine-month-long research projects during 2003-2004 and will be provided with a stipend. Scholars will work out of the Corporation's Washington, D.C. offices. Applications from postdoctoral academics, as well as distinguished practitioners are welcome.

  The application form can be downloaded from http://www.wilsoncenter.org/scholars or the CNS website at http://www.nationalservice.org. Further information can be obtained by calling 202-606-5000.
  

• Just under five years ago the Library of Congress's American Memory program, in cooperation with the Law Library of Congress, introduced a seven-volume set of documents covering the First Congress. This planted a seed of historic U.S. Congressional documents in the collection A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation (http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/) that today has grown into a massive archive of significant materials spanning the first one hundred years of the nation's legislative process.

  The current release features the addition of a number of new titles, updates of existing ones, and a redesign of the site itself. The new titles include the twenty-five-volume Letters of Delegates to Congress (1774-89) published by the Library of Congress, the thirty-eight-volume American State Papers (1789-1838), the six-volume Revolutionary Diplomatic Correspondence, Joint Resolutions of the Senate (1824-73), and the first three volumes of the Congressional Record (1873-75). Other recent additions to existing titles include bills of the House (1799-1811), and the Journals of the House and Senate along with the Statutes at Large from the 43d Congress. The site's new design includes a more consistent layout for describing and presenting the materials, a page of selected bibliographies, and links to related information on the Internet.

  With this update, A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation has met, and even
  exceeded, its original goal to digitize 440 volumes of Congressional documents. The site currently includes approximately 700 physical volumes of materials selected by the Law Library of Congress to reflect the history and development of the U.S. Congress. Future updates currently in digital production and planned for release in 2004 will include selected additional volumes of titles already online, particularly the Statutes at Large up to 1950 and the Senate Executive Journal up to approximately 1920.

  Please send questions regarding this announcement to
  http://www.loc.gov/rr/askalib/ask-memory.html
  

• The Academic Exchange Quarterly (AEQ), an independent, peer-reviewed journal, includes articles on all aspects of elementary and secondary education on an ongoing basis. Special attention is paid to studies and articles concentrating on policy issues, the impact of high-stakes testing on pedagogy, and best practices in the classroom. Additionally, they seek articles and studies that focus on the history and philosophy of education as it impacts grades K-12. For more complete submission guidelines go to http://rapidintellect.com/AEQweb/spri03.htm or http://higher-ed.org/AEQ/

• The University of Nebraska-Lincoln's will be the site for the 51st Annual Nebraska Symposium on Motivation on Thursday and Friday, April 3-4, 2003. The meeting will unite leading scholars in the field who have pushed forward the study and understanding of moral motivation during one or more particular stages of life. The scholars will present keynote addresses at the meeting and the essays will later be collected in a volume to be published by the University of Nebraska Press. There is no registration fee for attending the meeting. They also encourage presentation of cutting-edge research in the poster session for more information go to http://www.unl.edu/psypage/symposium

• The National Online Youth Summit, a program of the American Bar Association supported by an award from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) at the U.S. Department of Justice, hosts a series of summits to encourage young people to think critically about a timely legal public policy issue. The summits give students an opportunity to learn about legal and policy issues with peers and policy resource persons. Discussions are made possible through the use of Web-based conferencing software.

  The next summit "Access Denied, R-Rating, V-Chip: Should Youth Access to the Internet Be Restricted?" will be held in Spring 2003. For more information visit
  http://www.abanet.org/publiced/noys/
  

• The Tenth International Literacy and Education Research Network Conference on Learning will be held at the Institute of Education, University of London on July 15-18, 2003.

  The overall theme of the Learning Conference 2002 is 'What Learning Means' - the kinds of skills and knowledge, indeed the kinds of persons, required for the world of the near future. Critical issues include education for local and global cultural diversity, the impact of new technologies, changing forms of literacy, and the role of education in social and personal transformation.

  The conference welcomes presentation proposals from across the field of education. Papers submitted for the conference proceedings will be fully peer-refereed and published in print and electronic formats. If you are unable to attend the conference, virtual registrations are also available allowing access to the electronic versions of the conference proceedings, as well as virtual presentations which means that your paper can be included in the refereeing process and published with the conference proceedings.

  The deadline for the next round of the call for papers is February 1, 2003. Full details of the conference, including an online call for papers form, are to be found at the conference website http://www.LearningConference.com
  

• The Dirksen Congressional Center, a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization in Pekin, Illinois, is is providing educators with a variety of news and ideas to enhance civic education and improve the understanding of Congress. A few include:

  - Congress for Kids - http://www.congressforkids.net has been selected for
  inclusion in the American Library Association's Great Web Sites for Kids -
  http://www.ala.org/parentspage/greatsites/amazing.html

  - Reconvening of The 108th Congress on January 7. Visit The Dirksen Center's Web suite - http://www.dirksencongressionalcenter.org - to help your students learn more about the new 108th Congress.

  - Search The Dirksen Center's Congressional Information Center to find your U.S. Representative and Senators, learn tips about contacting them, track legislation, stay current with committee and floor schedules, follow campaigns, and much more. Find this comprehensive, daily-updated guide to Congress at: http://www.congresslink.org/informationcenter.html

  - A monthly lesson plan. This month's plan will acquaint students with their senators and representatives and the positions they hold in Congress by using a variety of Web sites. Find "Communicating with Your Members of Congress" at:
  http://www.congresslink.org/lessonplans/communicating.html

  For more information on these items, as well as others, go to http://www.webcommunicator.org or contact ckoeppel@dirksencenter.org
  

• National Public Radio (NPR) has been running its "Citizen Student" series on Morning Edition, reporting on how young people learn about citizenship. Three parts of the series have aired during the first week of each month since November 2002. Segments have focused on student voting, bringing the First Amendment into the classroom, and the implications for civic education by extending the classroom into the community through volunteerism. For more information go to http://discover.npr.org/features/feature.jhtml?wfId=905341

• The New York Times Learning Network Lesson Plan, developed in partnership with The Bank Street College of Education in New York City, as a part of its ongoing work is featuring "I'm the Taxman!: Exploring How Taxes Provide Government Revenue." Though an one hour lesson plan students will develop an understanding of how federal revenues are gained by taxes to help them understand the changes in federal tax policy. For the complete lesson plan, as well as other information on the site see http://www.nytimes.com/learning

• The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History is pleased to announce the opening of the exhibition, Freedom: A History of US, at The New-York Historical Society. Freedom presents 200 artifacts, many never exhibited before, that evoke the evolving meaning of freedom for Americans from the late eighteenth century to recent years. Artful pre-Revolutionary propaganda by Paul Revere, a letter by George Washington expressing his hope for an end to slavery, a 10' x 5' Abolitionist flag from the 1850s in which slave states are omitted from the stars-and-stripes tally, a letter from Frederick Douglass to his former master proclaiming "I love you but hate slavery," an original 1959 speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. on integration - all this and more is on display in Freedom.

  For more information on location, hours, etc., please contact The New-York
  Historical Society at 212-873-3400 or visit http://www.nyhistory.org.

  The items in Freedom are drawn from the Gilder Lehrman Collection, the largest private collection of American historical documents in the U.S., and the Meserve-Kunhardt Collection, a photographic collection rich with rare nineteenth-century originals. The exhibition is co-curated by the Gilder Lehrman Institute and Kunhardt Productions, sponsored by General Electric and presented by Picture History. It was organized in conjunction with the upcoming PBS series (based on Joy Hakim's acclaimed book series) of the same title.

  The exhibition runs through January 26th at The New-York Historical Society, and will open at the Decatur House Museum in Washington, D.C. on February 2, 2003.

  For more information on location, hours, etc., please contact The New-York
  Historical Society at 212-873-3400, visit http://www.nyhistory.org or send an email to barry@gilderlehrman.org The conference website is http://www.gilderlehrman.org
  

• The Dirksen Congressional Center, a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization in Pekin, Illinois, invites proposals from scholars who would like to present at The Center's Congress in the ClassroomR 2003 program. Congress in the ClassroomR is a three-day workshop for 35 high school teachers and college faculty from throughout the country. Nearly 200 applied for last year's workshop. All of them teach American government,
  American history, civics, or a related subject. The 2003 program theme will be "An Overview of Congress." Individual sessions will be offered on such topics as:
  - What Young People Leaving High School Should Know about Congress
  - What You Can Learn about Congress Members from Statistics
  - The President and Congress
  - How Does a Bill Become Law? Not the Way the Textbooks Say
  - How Does One Lead Congress?
  - The Media and Congress
  
  The workshop will take place from July 28 through July 31, 2003, on the campus of Bradley University, Peoria, Illinois. The Center will pay $200 for each presentation plus $100 per day for each day a presenter participates in the workshop. They also pay travel and lodging expenses.
  
  If you are interested in presenting at the workshop, submit a proposal not to exceed two pages. The proposal should contain the following information: 1) a working title for the session, 2) an abstract describing the topics you would cover and the format you would use, 3) a description of the value to a classroom teacher of hearing your presentation, and,4) a brief biographical statement emphasizing the experience you have had (if any) in similar settings.

  Examples of for each session can be found at http://www.dirksencenter.org/progcongressinclassroom.htm#invitation
  Please submit your proposal via e-mail to Frank Mackaman at fmackaman@dirksencenter.org PROPOSAL DEADLINE: February 1, 2003
  The workshop is endorsed by the National Council for the Social Studies.
  

• The Youth Leadership Initiative's e-Congress is an Internet project that allows students to simulate the role of a Congressional Representative in the United States Congress. Participants draft original legislation, submit it to the "YLI Hopper," debate its merits during committee sessions and work to move their bill to the House Floor. The project requires at least nine blocked class periods and is recommended for middle and high school students. Thousands of students across the nation participated in the 2002 e-Congress introducing more than 850 pieces of legislation. Of the total, 104 bills were released from the student legislative committees. More than 33,000 final votes were cast, passing 11 pieces of legislation through the 2002 spring session of the e-Congress. For more information go to http://www3.youthleadership.net/e_congress/newindex.cfm
  

• Saints & Citizens was a two-year project (1999-2001), funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts, that compared and critically assessed the effectiveness of civic education programs in a carefully chosen and widely representative sample of Christian organizations and churches.

  The first fruits of this project are now available in the form of the report "At a Political Crossroads: Christian Civic Education and the Future of the American Polity." A second part of the project involved the first major survey and assessment of civic education programs among diverse Christian organizations around the country. For more information go to http://www.cpjustice.org/saintsandcitizens
  

• Curry School of Education, University of Virginia announces the Intercollegiate Studies Institute Bache Renshaw Fellowship for Doctoral Study in Education.

  The purpose of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) Renshaw Fellowship is to improve the ability of teachers to understand their heritage and to pass it on to those they teach. Successful candidates will be thinkers who intend to pursue doctoral work at the University of Virginia's Curry School of Education. They will intend either to teach future teachers by seeking a position in a college of education, or shape the curriculum in a school district by becoming a superintendent or a curriculum developer, or influence education by teaching in the classroom, while also writing and lecturing on educational issues.
  
  Applications for the Bache Renshaw Fellowship must be received by January 15. For more information, call 1-800-526-7022, fax to (302) 652-1760, or email: awards@isi.org.
  Applications for admission to the Curry School of Education must be received by February 15. See http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/admissions/ or call (434) 924-0740 or (434) 924-0808.
  

• The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement, Amsterdam (IEA) has published the fourth volume issued under their auspices from the IEA Civic Education Study, "Civic Knowledge and Engagement: An IEA Study of Upper Secondary Students in Sixteen Countries" (covering 16-19 year olds). Authors are Jo-Ann Amadeo, Judith Torney-Purta, Rainer Lehmann, Vera Husfeldt, and Roumiana Nikolova (from the University of Maryland's Department of Human Development and the Humboldt University of Berlin, respectively).
  
  This volume joins "Citizenship and Education in Twenty-Eight Countries: Civic Knowledge and Engagement at Age Fourteen" (Torney-Purta, Lehmann, Oswald, & Schulz, 2001). Analysis of data from approximately 140,000 respondents in 29 countries is represented in these two volumes. In addition to comparisons between countries, the new volume looks at differences between early and late adolescents. IRT scaling performed on an instrument containing anchor items administered to both age groups allows these comparisons to be made on the test of civic knowledge as well as on attitude scales.
  
  The full text of both reports, executive summaries of both reports, the instruments used in collecting data, and a list of further publications may be found on the study's web page: http://www.wam.umd.edu/~iea/
  
  Information about ordering paperback copies of the two volumes may be obtained from b.malak@iea.nl
  
  Further information about the study, the upcoming release of data for secondary analysis (in 2003), and the opportunities for doctoral study at the University of Maryland with access to the data may be obtained from Judith Torney-Purta, jt22@umail.umd.edu.
  

• The Peace Studies Institute at Manchester College, Indiana, has announced three university-based social change efforts:

  1. The Graduation Pledge Alliance, initiated by Humboldt State University (CA), is now coordinated by the Peace Studies Institute. The Graduation Pledge of Social and Environmental Responsibility states "I pledge to explore and take into account the social and environmental consequences of any job I consider and will try to improve these aspects of any organizations for which I work." Students define what being "responsible" means to themselves. Students at over a hundred colleges and universities have used the pledge at some level, at schools which range in size from Whitman, to Harvard, to University of Wisconsin. This now includes some schools overseas, graduate and professional schools, and high schools. Graduates who voluntarily signed the pledge have turned down jobs they did not feel morally comfortable with and have worked to make changes once on the job. For more information go to http://www.manchester.edu/academic/programs/departments/peace_studies/files/
  gpa.html

  2. A proposed new TIAA-CREF retirement fund is building on the socially responsible fund set up five years ago by the organization. A national group of professors and staff have lobbied so the fund will not only avoid certain companies, but invest in particularly responsible one and in low-income area housing/business (and do shareholder advocacy, as well). They are seeking support in this effort. For more information on the fund go to http://www.manchester.edu/academic/programs/departments/peace_studies/files/
  gpa.html

  3. Manchester College researchers discovered the country's hungry population nearly doubled and the homeless population increased by an alarming 45 percent from 1995 to 2000. For the third consecutive year, a research team led by Dr. James Brumbaugh-Smith, Dr. Neil Wollman, and Dr. Brad Yoder have released the National Index of Violence and Harm, which compares data from 19 different variables from 1996 to 2000-- the most recent years of available data-to 1995. For complete details about the index, visit
  http://www.manchester.edu/academic/programs/departments/peace_studies/vi/index.htm
  

• National Campus Compact is supporting the Raise Your Voice Campaign to connect, challenge and support university students in their community work, activism, advocacy, leadership and civic growth. Students can get informed by learning about the history of student movements from the people who were there, connect with other students across the country to find out what they are doing in their communities, and access resources, jobs, internships, fellowships and more. For additional information go to http://www.actionforchange.org

• The Institute for Politics at Harvard University has released a national study that finds undergraduate students are committed to community but not the political process. The survey reports that among 1,200 undergraduates surveyed, sixty-one percent performed community service in the last year and that three-quarters of the group volunteered at least once a month. In addition, the students reported that the "habit" of volunteerism was instilled in high school. At the same time, only 14 percent of the students have participated in a government, political or issues-related organization, and 9 percent have volunteered on a political campaign. The study also reports information regarding Iraq and September 11. The full report is available online at http://www.iop.harvard.edu/2002survey.pdf and the survey data is available at http://www.iop.harvard.edu/toplines.pdf

• In a November 24 article by The San Diego Union-Tribune entitled "Putting the politics back in politics," Richard Louv talks with Harry Boyte about how we have essentially banned politics from our neighborhoods, businesses, and schools and faith-based organizations. He also discusses the difference between service and politics, and the work the Minnesota based initiative Public Achievement that organizes teams of students, from elementary through hgh school, to work during the school year on a public issue of their choice. To read the article go to http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/louv/20021124-9999_1e24louv.html

• Project 540 - a project funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts has released The Civic Resource Guide that offers students, educators and community leaders more than 100 resources for harnessing the power of young people by engaging them in civic activity. Produced by Project 540- an innovative new initiative that involves high school students in school and community change efforts-- The Civic Resource Guide is the first comprehensive guide to organizations across the United States that are working to connect young people with the programs, services, opportunities and funding streams they need to become more active in community life.

  An online, down-loadable version of the guide will include an even more extensive list of resources. Visit http://www.project540.org, and click Act.
  

• Peace Games is seeking a Director of Communications to position Peace Games nationally as an effective and innovative partner in preparing young people to be peacemakers. This position reports to the Vice President of Development and works closely with senior management to guide the organization towards its mission. The Director of Communications is responsible for helping Peace Games achieve its mission by positioning Peace Games nationally as an effective and innovative partner in preparing young people to be peacemakers.

  Applicants dedicated to creating a diverse and collaborative community that values the peacemaking potential of all people should send a cover letter, resume and references to Julie Vulliez at 285 Dorchester Avenue, Boston, MA 02127 or fax it to 617-464-1174 or email it to talent@peacegames.org. They suggest that in your cover letter, you tell them a little about your dream job and what makes you excited to come to work. For more information go to http://www.peacegames.org
  

• The Center for the Study of Public Debate of Tours University (CEDP, listed in Information and Communication Sciences & Political Science) has issued a call for papers at their international symposium in May 2003. The title of the symposium is : “The Deliberative Position in Public Debate”.

  Four main topic areas constitute this symposium :
  1. Deliberative processes: history of their elaboration, epistemology.
  2. Models of communication and the emergence of facilitation.
  3. The place of deliberation in contemporary public debate.
  4. Dissemination of models of debate and deliberation.
  The venue dates are May 14-16 in Tours (France).

  For more information on the call for papers at :
  http://net.iut.univ-tours.fr/recherche/appel/english/callindex.htm
  and the CEDP homepage at :
  http://net.iut.univ-tours.fr/recherche/index.htm

  You can also call ((0)247 36 76 20) or write (cedp@univ-tours.fr) for further details.
  

• National Public Radio has released "Learning To Vote - Florida High Schoolers Debate Participating in Elections" in the first of monthly reports on how youth learn about citizenship.

  Next month, NPR's Morning Edition will carry a report on what grade school students learn about freedom. January's segment will examine the debate over how to teach the "real history" of America. February's report will look at whether volunteerism is supplanting voting as a civic duty among young people.

  To read and hear "Learning To Vote" or for more information on upcoming reports go to http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/civics/young_vote.html
  

• In July, 2002, the YMCA of the USA was awarded a grant from the Pew Charitable Trusts to continue its work of consciously promoting the development of civic engagement attitudes, skills, and behaviors in young people ages 15-22 through their Civic Engagement Initiative. This grant builds upon the YMCA's work with Pew over the past two years to promote civic engagement among young adults ages 18-29 through the Young Adult Civic Connectors Initiative (YACCI).

  For the purposes of the initiative, they are defining civic engagement as a person's capacity to work with others to affect common interests, to see oneself as a stakeholder in public life, to value the mechanisms for democratic decision-making and to believe that individuals have a responsibility to contribute to their communities. Some examples of civic engagement include:

  · Participating in service-learning projects and volunteering for local not for profits;
  · Serving on advisory boards or other local boards of directors;
  · Participation in rotary clubs and places of worship;
  · Involvement in school governance like student council;
  · Voting and registering voters; and
  · Participating in neighborhood councils and other community action committees.

  For more information on the YMCA's Civic Engagement Initiative go to http://www.ymcacivicengagement.org
  

• The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement (CIRCLE) has introduced two new services on its Website:

  -- An online, searchable "Practitioner Database," consisting of hundreds of organizations in the youth civic engagement field. This is a useful tool for practitioners and citizens who want to find organizations by location, focus, or type. It is also a research tool for people who want to study a sample of youth civic engagement organizations. The data were collected by Carmen Sirianni and Lewis A. Friedland. For more information see http://www.civicyouth.org/practitioners/index.htm

  -- Abstracts of numerous recent, research articles on topics relevant to youth civic knowledge and engagement. These will be updated periodically. For more information see http://www.civicyouth.org/research/products/research_abstracts.htm

• The Council for Excellence, through The Partnership for Trust in Government, created the Partnership Youth Council to assemble a dynamic group of young leaders that will advise the Partnership and the Council on how best to engage young people in its activities. The Youth Council gives a voice to the unique concerns, ideas, and solutions of young Americans. During their two-year tenure, Youth Council members review Partnership programs and activities to determine how they can better serve or reach youth; advise the Partnership on the design and implementation of proposed initiatives; and recommend new programs for the Partnership.
  For more information on the Partnership Youth Council go to http://www.excelgov.org

• "Fronteras No Más: Toward Social Justice at the U.S.-Mexico Border" by Kathleen Staudt and Irasema Coronado at the University of Texas at El Paso offers a civic blueprint on ways to enhance cooperation, given the continuing interdependence along the North American of the U.S.-Mexico border. Since NAFTA, more transnational institutions and policies have emerged, facilitating the growth of civil society, such as community-based and nonprofit organizations. Yet cross-border organizing remains a challenging and complex version of local politics: residents live and work within a region of vast economic inequalities and markedly different governments. For more information email icoronado@utep.edu

• The National Center for Education Statistics released The Nations Report Card: Geography 2001 in June 2002. The report offers a comprehensive overview of the state of geography education in the 4th, 8th, and 12th grades across the United States. It presents the results of the sample survey of student achievement in geography, along with comparing the results to the 1994 study. In addition to providing overall average scores and achievement-level performance indicators in geography, the report contains detailed information on the performance of different subgroups, such as gender, race and ethnicity, region of the country, and parents' education. Some of the major findings show that the average geography scores for 4th and 8th graders were higher in 2001, while the performance of 12th graders was not significantly different. Appropriately, the report also contains an extended discussion of the survey's methodology and its sampling method.

  For more information go to http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/pdf/main2001/2002484a.pdf
  

• CityCares has just launched Service To Civics, a national technology initiative to help increase citizen involvement in service, enable volunteers and nonprofits to connect more effectively, supply nonprofit management tools to meet community needs and dramatically improve the ability of the nonprofit community to evaluate and analyze the impact service has on the community. They anticipate that, over time, they will be able to track basic numbers and trends, but the first goal is to study the elements that result in moving volunteers from episodic volunteerism to longer term, sustained community involvement.

  In addition, two years ago City Cares launched the national program Citizen Academy, with the support of the UPS Foundation and the Surdna Foundation, which has continued to energize individuals to take action and become involved in their cities, towns and neighborhoods. The program is now in eight cities and has touched more than 12,000 people through innovative programming that includes town meetings, panel discussions, films, and political gatherings focused on community issues.

  For more information about CityCares, or if you are interested in seeing Service To Civics through online site tours, go to http://www.citycares.org/national

• Two different simulation packages have been released that give students a "real world" approach to civic education. In The Game of Politics as well as Micro Simulations of American Politics, students assume legislative, executive and judicial roles in the American national government while confronting a variety of complex story lines. For more information go to http://www.gameofpolitics.com

• The Campbell Public Affairs Institute at The Maxwell School of Syracuse University announces the WEBCAST Symposium: Constructing Civic Virtue on Friday, November 1, 2002 from 9:00 am - 12 pm EST. Papers and comments will be available on November 1. This symposium will address three broad questions:

  1. Whether policymakers are right in diagnosing an unhealthy decline in civic responsibility;
  2. Whether actions by government are likely to be effective in remedying the problem; and
  3. What values or principles should be central to the conception of civic virtue that would be promoted through such policies

  Visiting panelists include Bill Galston, The University of Maryland; Jim Sleeper, Yale University; and James Bernard Murphy, Dartmouth College.

  For more information go to http://civic.campbellinstitute.org
  

• The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning & Engagement has just released Youth Voter Turnout in the States during the 1998 Midterm and 2000 Presidential Elections (0ctober 2002). The report indicates that voter turnout among citizens varies substantially across states, in both the 1998 Midterm election, and the 2000 Presidential election, and is consistently lower than voter turnout rates of adults 25 and older. Key findings include:
  

  • Voter turnout rates have generally declined in midterm election years between 1978 and 1998 by 6 percentage points among young citizens between the ages of 18 and 24
  • In Presidential election years between 1972 and 2000, the national youth voter turnout rate has declined by 13 percentage points among young citizens.

    To review the entire report go to http://www.civicyouth.org/research/areas/pol_partic_outside5.htm
    

• The William T. Grant Foundation awards up to $300,000 ($60,000 per year for five years) to each of five post-doctoral scholars from diverse disciplines each year through the W.T. Grant Scholars Awards. The awards fund research that increases the knowledge base contributing to creating a society that values young people (ages 8-25) and helps them reach their potential.

  Now in its 23rd year, the W. T. GRANT SCHOLARS PROGRAM promotes positive youth development by supporting:
  · Original research on youth development
  · Evaluations and analyses of programs, policies, laws, and systems affecting young people
  · Original research on adult attitudes about and perceptions of young people, and on the consequences of those attitudes and perceptions.

  Deadline for applications for the 2004 Awards is July 1, 2003. For application guidelines, including new, expanded eligibility requirements, visit http://www.wtgrantfoundation.org or contact the Foundation at 212.752.0071 or wtgs@wtgsfdn.org

• "Cyberage Politics 101: Mobility, Technology and Democracy," by Stephen E. Frantzich, Professor, U.S. Naval Academy addresses questions that have significant implications for democratic citizenship. Some key findings address internet usage and political interest and the association of mobility, education and job change regarding citizen participation. The new book is available from Peter Lang Publishers - ISBN 0-8204-53467 at 1.800.770.LANG or customerservice@plang.com

• The New York Times Learning Network Lesson Plan, developed in partnership with The Bank Street College of Education in New York City, provides tremendous resources for teachers and students to learn more about a wide range of subjects. You'll find lesson plans, access to current articles from The New York Times, crossword puzzles and more. Visit today at http://www.nytimes.com/learning

• At Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania, the Department of History, Political Science and Economics and the Pennsylvania Center for Civic Life are cosponsoring Electing a Governor. Students are framing issues for online deliberation and citizens across Pennsylvania are invited to join in at http://www.teachingdemocracy.org

• In an October 20, 2002 article entitled "Youth Voters' Disengagement Skews Politics" for The Washington Post, Amy Goldstein and Richard Morris report that if the trends in lack of youth voting continue the number of people age 65 and older is likely to exceed that of youth by 4:1 by 2002. The net effect, the authors write, is "an accelerating cycle of political disengagement" where youth don't vote, don't have their issues addressed, thus spiraling into further disincentives to participate in the process. The full article can be found at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53238-2002Oct19.html

• St. Albans School of Public Service (SPS) is pioneering new approaches for civics education at the high school level. SPS is an intensive, four-week summer residential program open to young women and men nationwide who are entering their senior year of high school. The program combines rigorous academics with opportunities to experience personally the challenges of making policy decisions using the case method of teaching. SPS totally immerses its students in the world of public policy and government with two goals: 1) to help them understand how to be effective and involved citizens in a democratic society and 2) to inspire them to pursue careers in public service.

  Through its partnership with the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, SPS hopes in future years to expand its efforts beyond its core summer program to include teacher training and dissemination of its innovative curriculum nationwide. To read more about the program or a PDF newsarticle go to http://www.schoolofpublicservice.org/inside_sps/inside_sps.aspxo and Albans.pdf

• The University of Missouri-St. Louis College of Education is seeking nominations and applications for the Theresa M. Fischer Endowed Professor of Citizenship Education. The professor will hold twelve-month tenured appointment in the University of Missouri-St. Louis College of Education, the largest preparer of educators for Missouri and the St. Louis Region. For more information, go to the PDF file Endow_Prof

• The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching is conducting the Political Engagement Project addresses the growing disengagement of young people from politics. Colleges and universities are the institutions most involved with shaping the values, knowledge, skills, and motivation of those between 18 and 28 years old. But there are few attempts to help strengthen students’ political engagement at these institutions, and those that do exist remain episodic and isolated from each other, and little is known about their effects. The PEP is an effort to address these issues through educational programs and research.

  This three-year project involves a collaborative investigation into the neglected question of what works and why in the realm of increasing undergraduates’ political engagement. The project will bring together leaders of twenty-one promising curricular and extra-curricular programs with a focus on political engagement. These courses and programs represent a range of curricular and extra-curricular approaches at different types of educational institutions. For more information go to http://www.carnegiefoundation.org/PEP/index.htm

• NEW VOICE FELLOWSHIPS TO SUPPORT NONPROFITS AND PROMISING NEW LEADERS COMMITTED TO SOCIAL JUSTICE AND PEACE
  New Voices, inaugurated in 1999, is a national program to help nonprofit organizations bring innovative new talent to their staffs. It awards salary-support grants to small nonprofits demonstrating a commitment to cultivating and strengthening the leadership potential of "new voices."

  The program is administered by the Academy for Educational Development with funding from the Ford Foundation. The two-year grants offer support for salary, fringe benefits, financial assistance, mentoring, and a professional development account for a promising new leader. The organization may recruit its candidate, based on organizational goals, priorities, and needs, or the prospective fellow may approach an eligible organization, based on his or her professional interests.

  Proposed fellows must clearly represent a "new voice" to the organization and its field of work. Most Fellows will have completed an undergraduate or graduate degree or have equivalent education and experience. Applications are strongly encouraged from candidates reflecting diverse educational, cultural, and experiential backgrounds.

  Only U.S.-based nonprofit organizations are eligible. Preference will be given to organizations with annual budgets between $75,000 and $2 million. Sponsored fields of work include: foreign policy; international economic policy; international peace and security; international human rights; women's rights; racial justice and civil rights; and migrant and refugee rights.

  Complete eligibility criteria and application guidelines and forms are available from the New Voices Website. Deadline for proposals is January 13, 2003. To obtain a copy of the RFP, visit: www.aed.org/newvoices

• In an October 15, 2002 article for The Washington Post, Michael Zimmerman, reports that the Center for Democracy and Citizenship, part of the Council for Excellence in Government, is conducting a "30 Million Missing Voters" campaign to get youth ages 18 to 24 to vote. As part of the campaign the center has developed "30 Million Missing Voters: A Candidates Guide to Reaching Young Americans." The publication provides help to candidates so they can dedicate time and resources to younger voters by engaging them in the voting process. The article can be found the Washington Post Website.
  
• In a September 21,2002 article for The Hill, Peter Brand reports that a group of House democrats are convinced that young people are the largest untapped voting bloc. As a result, they unveiled an effort designed to reach out to them. An eight-member working group headed by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (Conn.), assistant to the Democratic leader, presented the "Young Voter Project" to the Democratic Caucus. "Young people are the largest group of unclaimed voters in the country, " DeLauro said. "Neither party has been particularly effective in reaching out to them." The group spent some four months crafting a Democratic agenda for young Americans, including economic empowerment, corporate responsibility, affordable college costs and workplace skills training. The article can be found at http://www.hillnews.com/issues/091802/youth.shtm
• September 19, 2002: A ground-breaking new study of the nation's civic life was released at the National Press Club. The report analyzes a comprehensive survey of Americans' civic and political behavior from voting to volunteering, chronicles the differences between the generations, and takes the most in-depth look to date at the civic perspective and behavior of "Generation DotNet" (ages 15-25).

  The research was funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts, and is being presented in collaboration with the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at a briefing for leading practitioners in the youth civic engagement field.

  Some highlights of the study:

1. Young people are much more likely to support government action and are just as engaged in apolitical civic activities as are older generations, but are less likely to trust others and participate in electoral politics.
2. "Generation DotNet" (15-25 year-olds) has a strong and distinct generational identity, while joining older citizens in using consumer activism as a vehicle for expressing their political and policy views.
3. Younger Americans don't share older generations' views about the responsibilities of citizenship, but they do say that civic education makes a big difference in fueling their interest in public affairs.
4. The report also identifies what is working to increase the civic engagement of young people.

For more information about the study-including detailed results, methods, and personnel-please see http://youth_index.civicyouth.org.

• Public Agenda has released "Knowing it by Heart: Americans Consider the Constitution and its Meaning" describing Americans beliefs on of use of the U.S. Constitution for other countries, attitudes toward the government and its actions after September 11, and their rights and responsibilities as citizens. A free online copy of "Knowing it by Heart" is available until October 8 at http://www.publicagenda.org/PDFStore/PDFLogin.cfm
• "Give Class of 2006 a chance to create its own syllabus" an interesting and somewhat more positive view of youth civic engagement was written by Jane Eisner for the Philadelphia Inquirer on September 5, 2002, http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/4003843.htm
• Choices for the 21st Century Education Program at Brown University's Watson Institute for International Studies, has developed a new curriculum to help teachers engage students in discussions about U.S. policy toward Iraq and its leader Saddam Hussein. It has also developed an array of other educational programs and curricula for students to encourage discussion about international and public policy issues. These resources are posted on the Institute's website: www.choices.edu.
• The Bill of Rights Institute has created a 45 min. lesson, "September 11: Commemorating America's Civic Values." In this lesson, students will commemorate the tragic events of September 11, 2001 by focusing on those civic values that enabled the American people to respond - both individually and collectively - to the horrific attacks of that day and to ultimately triumph over adversity. "September 11: Commemorating America's Civic Values" is available free from www.BillofRightsInstitute.org.
• The Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University is holding a conference on civic education this Fall as part of its annual Rutgers Invitational Symposium in Education (RISE) series. Titled "Social Studies for a New Millennium: Re-envisioning Civic Education for a Changing World," this conference will bring together experts from a variety of disciplines to discuss the future of civic education in these complicated times. Participants will include Judith Torney-Purta (University of Maryland), Carol Hahn (Emory University), Henry Giroux (Penn State University), Alan Rosenthal (The Eagleton Institute, Rutgers University), Margaret Smith Crocco (Teachers College) and others. The conference will result in an edited collection, to be published by Earlbaum.

  The second day of the conference, October 18, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., is open to students, teachers, school administrators, policy-makers, researchers and any other interested members of the public. Those interested may register and receive more information by contacting gsece@rci.rutgers.edu or 732-932-7496, x8202.

• NACE is cited in Michael A. Fletcher's Washington Post article of July 4, 2002, "Struggling to Get Civics Back in the Classroom."
• The New Hampshire Institute of Politics at St. Anselm's College is looking for an Executive Director. A major focus of the Institute's work is in the area of civic education and civic engagement. Please see their position annoucement.

• CIRCLE has released a fact sheet showing that voter turnout among young Americans (ages 18-25) has declined substantially since 1972. There are methodological complications involved in calculating youth turnout, but the decline is evident regardless of the method used. CIRCLE's fact sheet also presents turnout trends for various subgroups of youth.
• The Council for Excellence in Government has released a new Hart-Teeter poll of young Americans and their interest in public service careers. It shows an increase in interest since 1997. Also, more young people are motivated by public spirit to consider jobs in the public sector; and more believe in the importance of giving national attention to domestic problems.
• The National Association of Independent Colleges & Universities has mailed a booklet entitled Make Your Vote Count and Your Voice Heard in the 2002 Elections! to college and university presidents. The handbook has been produced by the National Campus Voter Registration Project in every federal election year since 1996, and offers guidance on how to organize voter registration campaigns and develop voter education activities. The handbook also includes a full list of voter registration deadlines by states. In many cases, the deadline falls in June.

• The following news comes from Liz Beaumont, Anne Colby, and Tom Ehrlich of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching: "We are in the process of completing a book on the first project, the Moral and Civic Responsibility in Higher Education project, which will be published by Jossey-Bass this winter [click for flyer]. We are also making good progress with a new project, the Political Engagement Project (PEP), which will include a group of 21 courses and programs with a focus on increasing undergraduates' political knowledge, interest, skills, and involvement. We also have some information about PEP on the Carnegie Foundation web site at: http://www.carnegiefoundation.org/PEP/."

• First Amendment Schools, in conjunction with Newsweek's Education Program, will host a First Amendment Summer Seminar, July 12-14, 2002 in Washington, D.C. All seminar-related expenses will be paid for the 30 teachers invited to participate. Teachers will receive instructional resources, including a free classroom set of Newsweek for the 2002-2003 school year. Click here for more information and on online application. Deadline is April 15, 2002.

• The Public Employees Roundtable has free Teachers Kits available on their Website.

• NPR has just done a report on the updated new GED examination. In addition to addressing the move toward higher literacy standards and the need for some statistical literacy, the GED will expand coverage of civic education.

• CIRCLE, the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, has made its first four research grants and released a new national survey of 1,500 young Americans, focusing on their civic and political engagement. CIRCLE welcomes proposals for research (not practice) on topics related to the civic engagement of Americans between the ages of 15 and 25.
• Henry Milner has published Civic Literacy: How Informed Citizens make Democracy Work.