Civic and character education are both essential pillars that support the mission of public schools. As defined in statute, civic education means the cultivation of informed, responsible participation in political life by competent citizens committed to the fundamental values and principles of representative democracy. Character education means…

Education leaders are re-examining acceptable use policies in light of the increasing use of highly mobile information technologies. While acceptable use policies were developed to manage and control behaviour, a digital citizenship policy takes a more comprehensive approach by recognizing the important role of education in preparing digital…

Via an imaginary job interview between John Dewey and a curriculum administrator seeking an ideal citizenship education coordinator, this article defines good citizenship as steadfast pursuit of the public interest, not the interests of power wielders fostering uncritical patriotism. Curricula should encourage student responsibility and focus on…

U.S. Secretary of Education, William J. Bennett, expressed concerns about the condition of U.S. education in the areas of content, character, and choice. This document comprises the papers of 12 scholars on the public policy and the research implications of this theme. Three addresses were given on the issue of content by Russell Kirk, Thomas…

An approach to citizenship preparation that might be called civic education for global understanding includes a renewed engagement with and dedication to the civic needs of the nation. A need exists for students not only to continue to study the basic concepts and values of democracy but also to gain a broader understanding of the complex and…

The conventional way of thinking about politics keeps us from studying the important work that citizens must do to achieve political efficacy. Students learn the procedures of government as if politics were a spectator sport. While everyone learns about the politics of government, there is little discussion about the politics of the public. Unless…

CIVITAS is a curriculum framework that sets forth a set of national goals to be achieved in a civic education curriculum, primarily for K-12 public and private schools. It is a framework that proposes to specify the knowledge and skills needed by citizens to perform their roles in U.S. democracy. There are two major sections in the framework. It…

Because the outcome of education should be independence as well as a sense of accomplishment in serving others, educational objectives should consist of a demonstration of competence, the application of learning, creative responses, and the ability of one learner to teach the other. Educators need to reinforce examples of the work ethic and…

Presents an interview by National Endowment for the Humanities chairman, Sheldon Hackney, with historian John Higham on multiculturalism and national identity. Contends that the centrifugal forces of national, ethnic, and religious diversity need countervailing forces to hold the nation together. (CFR)

This report reflects the work of the Commission on Environmental Education created and authorized to study environmental education in the state of New Jersey. The commission identified the knowledge, attitudes, values, behaviors and skills that should be communicated, developed, and/or nurtured among the state's citizenry. A list of…

This report focuses on youth service as a vital component of education for citizenship. The following six major recommendations to encourage voluntary student and youth services are offered: (1) creation of quality student service opportunities as central to the fundamental educational program of every public school, including either elective…

Maintains that the world is nearing the end of a great age of democratic revolutions. Asserts that civic or citizenship education is in danger of being sidetracked by the national educational reform movement. Argues that "CIVITAS," a civic education curriculum framework, provides a model for effective citizenship education. (CFR)

Contends that educational reform efforts have neglected the values of civic education and its implications for civic and social life. Asserts that this is not true in Europe where an increasing focus on the European dimension in education has a strong civic education component. (CFR)

Informed observers, from the political right to the left, believe that citizen education requires reform. While its effects on public life may be unclear, democratic theory insists that education is required as a condition of democracy itself. Most often, students are given information about the founding of the government, its structure, and due…

Describes the paradoxical relationship between the United Nations and African nations. Asserts that the search for democracy, justice, equity, and education has forced many states to look with interest at the pedagogy of liberation. Discusses what is being taught about the United Nations in African schools. (CFR)