Analyzes three characteristics of American public culture that help explain our civic quietism: (1) lack of meaningful information for making informed decisions; (2) lack of democratic rights in the workplace; and (3) lack of a cooperative social vision. American schools as presently organized provide few opportunities for learning and…

A guide to publications and organizations in the field of citizenship education. (MLF)

Evanston's new civic education units all deal with examples of inhumanity. Primary source documents, simulations, and discussions are used to open up the students' minds about human rights and responsibilities. (Author/MLF)

Preparing students to function effectively in our multiethnic society must include ethnic literacy. (Author/MLF)

Law-related programs and classes make the study of law pertinent by focusing on issues of genuine concern to students and by attempting to help students develop legal survival skills. Information sources are provided about these programs. (Author/MLF)

Researchers currently working in citizenship education are nearly unanimous in advocating student participation. (Author)

As nations become increasingly interrelated, citizenship education must include development of a global perspective. (Author)

Describes the aims, benefits, and challenges of service-learning programs in public schools. (PKP)

Argues that while customizing education through home schooling may permit schooling to be tailored for each individual student, total customization also threatens to insulate students from exposure to diverse ideas and people and thereby to shield them from the vibrancy of a pluralistic democracy. (Contains 10 references.) (Author/PKP)

Citizenship curricula should be broad, realistic, and practical. They should reflect global interdependence and the diversity of American society. (Author)

Data collected by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) on 9-, 13-, and 17-year olds for two periods of time show a decline on items dealing with political knowledge and attitudes; but a gain in ability to describe ways to avoid future wars. (Author/MLF) Aspect of National Assessment (NAEP) dealt with in this document: Results…

Describes the First Amendment Schools project aimed at teaching K-12 public and independent school students their constitutionally protected religious, speech, press, assembly, and petition rights and responsibilities. Includes examples describing the project in several schools. Includes annotated list of resources for educators. (PKP)

A set of ten value concepts for a democratic political community that schools should seek to exemplify are divided into those that primarily promote desirable cohesive and unifying elements and those that primarily promote desirable pluralistic and individualistic elements. (Author/MLF)

A primary goal of any economics program should be a strong commitment to citizenship education. Other criteria are development of critical thinking skills, emphasis on basic conceptual tools of economics, objectivity of the materials, variety of instructional approaches, local curriculum goals, and a strong evaluation component. (Author/MLF)

Students in Detroit learn about other ethnic groups using locally-developed materials. (Author)