While United States citizens are not compelled to cast a ballot in any given election, the act of voting is often referred to as a civic duty. By actively taking part in local, regional, and national elections, the voter is fulfilling one aspect of what it means to be an active, engaged citizen. Among the responsibilities of individual secretaries…

The Kettering Foundation is a nonprofit, operating foundation rooted in the American tradition of cooperative research. The foundation seeks to identify and address the challenges to making democracy work as it should through interrelated program areas that focus on citizens, communities, and institutions. Each issue of this annual newsletter…

This study presents a unique educational partnership combining the Children's Defense Fund (CDF) Freedom Schools Program with a concentrated iteration of civic education via iEngage Action Civics in order to provide an opportunity for a localized curriculum that featured specificity to the urban community demographic. Participants were asked to…

At a time when many young Americans have reduced their civic engagement, and public schools have de-emphasized their civic mission, some youth are taking initiative at the community level, and some community-based organizations are establishing educational programs to promote their participation. These programs originate in economically…

Educators from Europe, Latin America, and the United States convened to explore issues inherent in democratic citizenship. Media literacy, a central component of democratic citizenship, was studied in depth. Data from the camp were examined for evidence of the participants' understandings of media literacy and how it might be taught. Results…

The Civitas Democracy Camp for Teachers provides professional development for educators to collaboratively explore ideals of citizenship and citizenship education in democratic societies. Reported herein are the findings of a study of the camp experience of a cross-cultural group of educators who examined the concept of social justice and ways to…

The "Education for Democracy Act," authorized by the United States Congress, provides funding through the U.S. Department of Education to support programs designed to assist educators in creating and implementing civic education programs both at home and abroad. One such program is Civitas: An International Civic Education Exchange…

Throughout the world, today's students are being characterized as digital natives, the "net generation." This twenty-first-century student cohort is adept at multi-tasking and at using a variety of tools and resources including electronic search engines, blogs, wikis, visual images, videos, gaming platforms, and social networking.…

The "International Society for the Social Studies (ISSS) Annual Conference Proceedings" is a peer-reviewed professional publication published once a year following the annual conference. The following papers are included in the 2014 proceedings: (1) Legal Profession in the Technological Era with Special Reference to Women Lawyers in…

This issue of "Service-Learning Network" identifies the skills that students need to become responsible citizens in a democracy. In the issue's lead article, a definition of civic responsibility is created after examining a broad array of competencies and skills put forth by prominent organizations in the field, and a list of…

Discusses Freedom Summer, the voter registration and educational program conducted in Mississippi in the summer of 1964. The importance of adult education in this civil rights effort is analyzed in parallel with the work of Paulo Freire in Brazil. (SLD)

This curriculum guide sets forth what the Mississippi State Board of Education believes should be the outcomes of social studies education in the public schools. For each of the grades K-8, and for each of the courses taught at the 9-12 grade levels, an overarching goal statement is listed. For example, for kindergarten, the goal statement is: the…

Designed for middle school through high school students, this unit contains eight lesson plans that focus on Mississippi state law. The state lessons correspond to lessons in the volume, "Antidote: Civic Responsibility. Drug Avoidance Lessons for Middle School & High School Students." Developed to be presented by educators, law…

Recommends studying Fannie Lou Hamer's work in the civil rights movement of the 1960s to teach students a greater appreciation of the citizen's role in enforcing constitutional rights. Includes a role-playing activity, discussion questions, and a handout on Hamer. Suggests students will recognize the relationship between the Fourteenth Amendment…

Examines the gains in voting, schooling, and employment made by Blacks in Mississippi since the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Discusses the effects of affirmative action and civil rights litigation, listing resources on "Lawyers and the Civil Rights Movement." Presents a glossary of legal terms. (GEA)