This report, intended primarily for civics reformers considering how best to defend and improve traditional American civics education, surveys a selection of different civics offerings, both the traditional and the radical. Surveyed providers include organizations such as the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life, We the People, and Hillsdale…

This one-page fact sheet presents findings from a quasi-experimental study to examine the effects of the We the People program on high school students' political knowledge, civic skills, and civic attitudes. The study included 822 program participants who were compared to 735 students in high school government classes with similar demographics. In…

The chairman of the drafting committee of the modern Indian Constitution, Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar, emphasized that education cultivates democracy in society, strengthens the roots of democracy, and brings about social transformation. The social transformation includes a way of life that will promote liberty, equality, and fraternity, which are Dr…

March 18, 2013, marked the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court's unanimous 1963 decision in "Gideon v. Wainwright." "Gideon," a petty criminal, accused of suspicion of breaking and entry was the seminal Supreme Court case that ruled that defendants in criminal cases have the right to an attorney even if they cannot afford to…

Civic education began wandering in the curricular wilderness in the 1960s, when Vietnam and then Watergate brought disenchantment, rebellion, experimentation, a loss of faith in traditional institutions and traditional leaders, the breakup of consensus, the weakening of the core culture and ultimately the erosion of curricular requirements in…

We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution is a civics curriculum developed by the Center for Civic Education (Center). The program, utilized in elementary, middle, and high school classrooms, is intended to foster civic competence and responsibility among America's youth. While educating youth about the principles of American constitutional…

This essay explores the various definitions of "civitas" and how those definitions have valuable lessons for people. "Civitas" means both a political community or government, especially as found in a republic, and the kind of citizenship a republic requires. Specifically the paper examines the role of government in education…

This essay chronicles the move toward national standards in the content areas and examines the civics lessons to be learned from the debates. The paper notes the contradiction found in historically advocating local control and support of schools, moving toward the setting of national education goals and standards with little attention paid to…

Testimony concerning the Supreme Court decisions in the case of Grove City College v. Bell (1984) is presented in this document. The Courts ruling that Federal aid to a student constitutes funding only of the college's student air program, nor the entire institution, reflected the more persuasive reading of the Title IX Education Amendments,…

A major constitutional issue in the twentieth century is the extent to which the U.S. Constitution should be interpreted to fit changing times and circumstances. In the latter part of the nineteenth century, the Supreme Court dispensed a "mechanical jurisprudence" based on an "objective" interpretation of the Constitution and…

Six cases from Rhode Island court history are presented in this document. The cases, dating from the time of Roger Williams to the 1970s, examine religious freedom, personal freedom, treason, robbery, murder, and drug possession. Each case is summarized and questions are supplied to help students understand crime and punishment in Rhode Island. A…

Designed to extend Law Day's impact, this program gives lawyers, judges, and other community leaders the opportunity to teach important lessons about the United States Constitution and the federal government. It is intended to stimulate opportunities for students to reflect on the country's constitutional heritage and gain appreciation for the…

This curriculum unit for citizenship education describes the due process of law as specified in the Constitution, interpreted by the courts, and evolved by practical experience. Its purpose is to inform high school students of their rights so that they may participate more effectively in the U.S. governmental system. It is hoped that the unit…

This paper presents a composite of four separate research studies conducted to assess the impact of constitutional language on classroom environments. The studies were designed to examine the uses of "Judicious Discipline" in a variety of classrooms and how the use of a common language based on rights and responsibilities affected the…

Identifies four areas of deficiency in understanding and applying the principles of the Bill of Rights. Provides guidelines to improve instruction, emphasizing systematic coverage of Bill of Rights topics; analysis of case studies on Bill of Rights issues; and discussion of Bill of Rights issues in an open classroom environment. (CH)