The Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) examined the demands of the workplace and whether young people were capable of meeting those demands. Specifically, SCANS determined the level of skills required to enter employment. Fundamental changes in the nature of work were identified; these changes were found to hold…

Calls for a renewed effort by educators, schools, and communities to teach character and civic virtue. Discusses the role of civic education within the social studies curriculum and the impetus for affirming democratic principles and ideals. Recommends incorporating character education within the traditional subjects of civics, history, and…

Emphasizes the power of storytelling, particularly heroic stories of virtue, in moral education. Provides a careful delineation of the differences between modern moral "fables" (a man contemplates stealing drugs for his dying wife) and classical stories involving heroes such as Ulysses and Galahad. (MJP)

Addresses some of the concerns surrounding the controversy of religion and public education. Finds some common ground in the ethical issues shared by character education and citizenship education and the nondenominational moral teachings in religious education. Outlines four broad strategies for maintaining productive community discussions. (MJP)

Argues that, through education, we can create a democratic culture and that, within a democratic culture, education may flourish. Locates the roots of this belief in the rebelliousness and critical mind set of the Enlightenment. Considers how to honor and extend this thinking in current educational practices. (MJP)

This paper addresses, from an ecological perspective, the idea that a system of education includes much more than schools, encompassing such elements as families, day-care centers, peer groups, television broadcasters, and workplaces. At the core of such an educational system are educative communities, of which schools are an important part. If…

Youth apprenticeships have the potential to address simultaneously two national dilemmas: how to prepare U.S. business and its workers for a high skills future and how to upgrade the academic skills of all students. The highly successful German model may require some modification to work well in the United States. The biggest change may have to…

Reports on the results of a survey of states regarding support for character education. Discovers that there is broad national support for character education that incorporates varying forms of interpretation and implementation. Includes a copy of each survey question followed by an analysis of the responses. (MJP)

Briefly discusses Alexis de Tocqueville's observation that the United States is a nation largely defined by its civic and social organizations. Contrasts this with the recent assertion that the nation is suffering a decline in social capital. Proposes a combination of character and citizenship education as a possible remedy for this. (MJP)

Presents an annotated bibliography of educational resources from the ERIC database related to democratic education. The materials include digests, monographs, journal articles, and academic papers. The citations include all relevant bibliographic information and a short abstract, as well as, information on ordering and locating the materials. (MJP)

Increasing collaboration between vocational education and the defense establishment has become a priority of the Federal Government in its efforts to meet national defense preparedness goals. As a result of a project to meet this priority need, this set of guidelines was developed for use in motivating and training individuals to develop and…

Provides a rationale for character education and emphasizes its need, based on the visions of America of Theodore Roosevelt, Alexis de Tocqueville, and others. Briefly lists some useful suggestions from the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development for adding character education to the curriculum. Includes a list of references. (MJP)

Reaffirms the responsibilities of social studies teachers to teach character and civic virtue. Identifies a series of public and private character traits that students must learn if democracy is to succeed. These include civility, respect for law, persistence, negotiation and compromise, courage, and tolerance of ambiguity. (MJP)

Emphasizes the role of the school principal in creating a vision, being a role model, and encouraging staff into and through character education. Outlines examples of the staff development and continuing teacher education at a K-6 magnet school. Discusses the school principal's professional philosophy and practices. (MJP)

Maintains that the debate over the social studies curriculum has been heavily influenced by a small group of conservative foundations, academics, and the federal government. These groups work toward creating an ideological consensus that promotes a national identity and strives to preserve European American dominant culture. (MJP)