Civics education continues to gain national importance, especially in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election and with recent debates about the teaching of history that addresses the legacy of racism and discrimination in the United States. Despite the increasing interest in strengthening civics education, states continue to differ in…

The institutionalization of K-12 Ethnic Studies in California Public Schools is the culmination of decades of grassroots community organizing to address inequities between students of color and their advantaged peers. Empirical evidence suggests that K-12 Ethnic Studies courses have positive academic and social outcomes for historically…

There is growing international concern about the lack of civic engagement among the youth in many nations. These concerns have sparked renewed interest in the quantity and quality of civic education in public schools in the United States. The objective of this study is to determine if the concerns about civic education are about the sufficiency of…

Legislating civics education initiatives can be an arduous process that takes time and resources, and requires buy-in from various stakeholders. Some state officials--including superintendents of public education and chief justices--have used their authority to more quickly advance civics education initiatives and programs without legislation.…

The purpose of this paper is to take a closer look at the states that have designed strong history standards and note what has made them exceptional so other states might do the same. They include Alabama, California, Indiana, Massachusetts, New York, and South Carolina. The report draws on interviews with individuals from each state who sat on…

Civic learning for all students seems like a reasonable and important aim for all schools to achieve. If we believe that the future of our American democracy depends on a citizenry that is informed, engaged, and responsible, what better place to create future citizens than in schools? The Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools…

The "Law in a Free Society" project of the State Bar of California, in cooperation with other associations and institutions, is a systematic and comprehensive program at the K-12 level in civic education, emphasizing the development and application of reasoning and inquiry skills to the concepts of authority, justice, freedom,…

This report examines the current state of citizenship instruction in U.S. schools, how we teach American citizenship, and what citizenship education looks like in California. The National Assessment of Educational Progress civics assessment determined that one-third of test-takers were below proficient and only one-fifth were at proficient level.…

This resource packet contains three lessons on issues relating to recent debates over illegal immigration. Each lesson is designed to provide the teacher with a background reading, a directed discussion strategy, and one or more interactive classroom activities to address the topic presented. The first lesson, "Coming to America--Undocumented…

In 1970, the California State Bar obtained funds from the California Council on Criminal Justice and initiated the Law in a Free Society project. The goal of the six-year project was to develop educational programs for elementary and secondary students, teachers, supervisors, administrators, and community members in an attempt to improve the…

This California examination teacher guide provides essential information and preparation guidelines for teachers and serves as an instructional aid in the classroom. The guide deals with the disciplines of economics, government/civics, and United States history. Each discipline area is divided into five main sections: (1) "Test Content"…

Applauds the adoption of National Standards in Civics and Government as necessary and overdue. Briefly describes the consensus-building process that produced the standards. Contains a list of the five significant questions asked, along with guidelines for classroom implementation of the standards. (MJP)

Adopted by the California State Board of Education on June 10, 1988, this handbook outlines the legal rights and responsibilities that school personnel have and their educational responsibilities in such areas as morality, democratic values, and religion in the schools. Section I, "Moral Values and Public Education," addresses the issues…