What's New in Civic Education and Youth Civic Engagement Work .... (January 2004 Archive Section)

January 28, 2004

• Articles are being accepted for a special issue of Journal of Community Practice on "Youth Participation and Community Change." This issue will feature articles that develop knowledge of youth-led, adult-led, or intergenerational initiatives that increase youth participation and community change, including case studies, best practices, teaching and training, participatory research, program evaluation, interdisciplinary perspectives, and qualitative and quantitative methods. They are especially eager for submissions from practitioners, researchers, and educators from diverse disciplines and fields.

  Manuscripts should be 15-18 double-spaced pages in length and submitted to the journal editors by July 1, 2004. All manuscripts will be anonymously peer reviewed and final decisions about acceptance will be made by the editors. Barry Checkoway is the guest editor of the special issue. For more information contact Katie Richards-Schuster at kers@umich.edu.
  

  January 27, 2004

• The League of Women Voters of Chicago's report A Time for Action: A New Vision of Participatory Democracy is now available on-line. The League of Women Voters Chicago invites you to attend the official release the final report from their year-long Civic Engagement Project. This report is the culmination of a broad-based research study on voting behavior and other forms of civic involvement, and the findings suggest important new strategies to revitalize flagging public interest in politics, especially among young adults. The official release is Thursday, January 29, 2004, 10:00 - 11:00 a.m., Cook County Clerk's Office, 69 West Washington, 5th Floor. Speakers include Kay Maxwell, President, LWV US; Cook County Clerk David Orr; and Kerry Stranman, Vice President, Planning Director, and Leo Burnett USA, Inc.

  January 23, 2004

• The St. Albans School of Public Service is a laboratory, 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 incorporate public service in their lives and their work. For more information on SPS go to http://www.schoolofpublicservice.org. To read a recent newletter, go to http://www.schoolofpublicservice.org/news/Nov2003.pdf.

  January 21, 2004

• On January 20, 2004 CIRCLE released a fact sheet entitled "Young Voter Turnout Quadrupled in Iowa Caucuses." ( http://www.civicyouth.org/PopUps/Iowa_release.pdf) In the January 19 Iowa Democratic Caucus, approximately 20,000 people under the age of 30 participated. These under-30s represented 17 percent of the 122,000 Caucus participants. In the 2000, under-30s represented just 9 percent of Iowa Democratic Caucus participants, according to entrance polls, and total turnout was only half of the 2004 level. The increase in youth turnout was a major factor in the overall turnout increase between 2000 and 2004.
  
  
• Professor Imbues Students With Political Passion "Attending lectures, scouring newpapers, writing essays, debating issues: Those are the standard ways college students learn about politics. But not in Chris Malone's class. At Pace University's Manhattan campus, in the shadow of the Brooklyn Bridge, Malone's students volunteer in political campaigns, teach high school kids what they have learned about politics and -- in presidential election years -- help stage a mock nominating convention that reflects the complexity and rowdiness of the real thing…" By Valerie Strauss, The Washington Post, January 20, 2004.
  

  January 20, 2004

• On January 15, 2004 CIRCLE and the Center for Democracy and Citizenship at The Council for Excellence in Government released a survey of 1,000 young Americans (ages 15-25). The survey provides the latest information on youth attitudes and issue priorities; levels of civic and political participation; and opinions of online campaigning. The survey was conducted by Democratic pollsters Lake Snell Perry & Associates and Republican pollsters The Tarrance Group. The following documents are available from http://www.civicyouth.org/research/products/national_youth_survey2004.htm:

  - Press Release: "Internet Has Limited Appeal - and Some Real Traps - As Tool For Bringing Young People Into Politics. Survey Reveals Top Issue Priorities for Youth and Decline in Trust"
  - CIRCLE fact sheet: "Young People and Political Campaigning on the Internet"
  - Questionnaire and "Toplines" (Basic Survey Results)
  - Survey Analysis from Lake Snell Perry & Associates and the Tarrance Group:
  1) on youth attitudes to information sources;
  2) on youth political priorities and attitudes
  

  January 13, 2004

• "Supporting the Education Organizing Movement: An Exchange Between Intermediaries" by Rosanna Bayon Moore and Susan Sandler has been recently released by Justice Matters Institute. This report documents a gathering in June 2003 of organizations that provide various types of support to community organizing efforts to improve schools. The report captures the themes that emerged from this discussion of challenges, questions, and opportunities for those working to support and enhance the impact of education organizing. Community organizing is a vital strategy for improving education because it engages students and their families, mobilizes constituencies that are deeply and continuously invested in educational success, and is explicitly about building power and citizen ownership, it offers an avenue for sustained educational change. This report can be downloaded at: http://www.justicematters.org/images/Ed_Organizing_Intermed_Exch.pdf

  January 12, 2004

• The newly revised edition of Introduction to Service-Learning Toolkit: Readings and Resources for Faculty (Second Edition) brings together the best, most up-to-date writing and resources on service-learning, from learning theory and pedagogy to practical guidance on how to implement service-learning in the classroom. This edition reflects the tremendous growth in service-learning that has occurred since the first Toolkit was published in 2000. In addition to updated material throughout, this volume includes expanded chapters on community partnerships, student development, and redesigning curriculum, as well as two new chapters-one exploring the connection between service-learning and civic engagement and the other focusing on community-based research. Revised and expanded recommended reading lists, broken down by topic, bring readers a wealth of print and online resources for further study. The Introduction to Service-Learning Toolkit is an essential resource for faculty and administrators who wish to be part of the growing movement toward civic engagement in higher education and includes articles by political scientists Rick Battistoni, Michael Delli Carpini and Scott Keeter, Mary Kirlin, and Tobi Walker. Nonmembers $46.00, members $35.00. To download the Campus Compact publications order form go to: http://www.compact.org/publications/.

  January 9, 2004

• The North Carolina Civic Education Consortium reports that the Civic Mission report just became even more important in North Carolina. The Consortium made a presentation to the State Board of Education to share the results of a Policy Summit on the Civic Mission of Schools, including recommendations related to the Civic Mission report and the Consortium's Civic Index study. After the presentation, the State Board asked the State Department social studies staff to work with the Consortium in developing a new civic education initiative, including studying options for holding schools accountable for social studies and the 6 promising practices identified in the Civic Mission Report. So, over the next year, they will be looking at various options for accountability. The Consortium would be very interested in any other work in this area across the US that they might review and any resources available to serve as a pilot for this effort. They are very excited, even though they acknowledge that this is clearly just a first step....but were most encouraged by the strong support received from all quarters.
  
  
• The new Choices for the 21st Century Education website at the Watson Institute for International Studies at Brown University, has posted materials to engages students at the secondary level in international issues and help contribute to a renewal of civic engagement among young people in the United States. Choices' curricular resources and instructional programs bring international public policy issues to life. For more go to: http://www.choices.edu/index.cfm

  January 8 , 2004

• The CivicMind Award for January 2004 goes to the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law School. The Center works in the areas of democracy, poverty, and criminal justice through scholarship, public education, and legal action. For more information: http://www.civicmind.com/wbrenn.htm.

  In addition, the CivicMind has a new essay "Leadership is the Key to Charitable Success" available at: http://www.civicmind.com/b2bdec.htm. And, would like to remind you to send upcoming events for posting on the CivicMind Calendar at http://www.civicmind.com/dates.htm.
  

  January 7 , 2004

• The final draft standards for Minnesota's science and social studies are now available on the Department of Education Web site at http://www.education.state.mn.us. In addition, Commissioner Yecke held a press conference in the State Office Building in St. Paul to release the documents to the public. To read the press release and a document highlighting the major changes to the standards click Standards or Press release.

  January 6 , 2004

• Just a reminder that the next round of John Glenn Scholars in Service-Learning applications are due on Friday, January 16, 2004. They are seeking applications for two areas of emphasis: 1) Civic Education/Participation, and 2) Academic Outcomes/Cognitive Development. The John Glenn Institute for Public Service and Public Policy will recognize one individual from each emphasis area whose scholarship efforts contribute to advancing the understanding of, or adoption of service-learning, with specific emphasis on K-12 education.

  Applicants should submit a copy of their curriculum vitae and a copy of a single paper upon which the selection review will be based. Papers may report original research on service-learning; develop teaching, practice, policy, or resource development strategies for service-learning; link service- learning to broader social goals; or otherwise further the adoption of or understanding of service-learning in K-12 education.

  Papers may be new research or may appear in other sources. Submissions should not exceed 40 pages of double-spaced, typewritten copy including references, tables, and figures. Content and style should be appropriate for publication in a professional journal (American Psychological Association 5th edition style manual guidelines preferred).

  Please visit http://www.glenninstitute.org/glenn/acrobat_downloads/SLSBrochure.pdf for information on application submission and additional details regarding the John Glenn Scholars in Service-Learning.
  

  January 5, 2004

• Campaign for the Classroom 2004-The National Issues Forums Institute (NIFI) Presents-a Complete Kit for Classroom Deliberative Discussion of Social Issues. "The National Issues Forums Institute (NIFI) is announcing the launch of The Campaign for the Classroom 2004-a complete kit for high school or middle school teachers who want to introduce deliberative discussion of social issues into their classrooms…" Posted December 12, 2003, The National Issues Forums Institute.
  
  Two New Online Resources for Examining The United States' Role in the World. "Two websites, "American Choices" and "CHOICES" a program of the Watson Institute for International Studies at Brown University, have posted materials to help people consider their views about America's role in the world..." Posted November 12, 2003, The National Issues Forums Institute.

  YMCA Project to Promote Civic Engagement in Young People. "In 2002, the YMCA was awarded a grant from the Pew Charitable Trusts to promote the development of civic engagement attitudes, skills, and behaviors in young people. National Issues Forums (NIF) moderator and convener Tina Frank talks about partnering with the YMCA in Northern Kentucky to pursue this project..." Posted October 15, 2003, The National Issues Forums Institute.