National right-wing media and their viewers are alleging that critical race theory (CRT) is "infecting" public school classrooms, fueling an assault on how schools should discuss race, racism, and our nation's history. This turmoil over curriculum and teaching "sensitive" topics is deeply upsetting to teachers. Principals can…

One of the most controversial notions of the twenty and twenty-first centuries is defining citizenship among nations. The power to decide who is and is not a citizen has become so prominent in the culture of the United States that the topic now pervades the curriculum, particularly in states with diverse and rapidly growing populations, such as…

Notwithstanding all the studies and data on schooling today, one has to go back more than a decade--to the 1998 Public Agenda study "A Lot to Be Thankful For"--for a serious attempt to examine what parents think public schools should teach children about citizenship. The annual Phi Delta Kappan/Gallup poll on schooling has not asked…

This document is the third of four prepared for Phase 1 of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) Civics Education Study. The more than 20 countries that participated were asked to gather data to answer four Core International Framing Questions (CIFQs). Volume 2 explains the process from which the CIFQs…

The sharp decline in voter participation among Canadian youth requires an examination of how our students are being prepared for democratic citizenship. Public schools, including programs falling under the purview of career education, provide the means to prepare learners for vocational, community, and political participation. In Canada, career…

Two clashing positions about the social responsibility of educators and the main purpose of public schools are presented. According to the traditional position, the main purpose of public schools is transmission of a society's essential knowledge, skills, and values, which enables students to develop their capabilities to the fullest and to…

Argues that a commitment to supporting student First Amendment rights can and should be a primary educational goal, helping to instill in students an appreciation for responsible citizenship in a pluralistic society. Discusses definitions of "obscene,""vulgar," and "indecent," and how a school should respond to situations involving charges that…

In the 1920s and 1930s, educational administrators and physical educators saw athletics as a means of developing those character traits associated with efficient citizenship in a modern industrial society. High school varsity athletic competition has changed little since the early part of this century. (CJ)

Civic education is essential to sustaining constitutional democracy. Each new generation presents a new group of people who must acquire the knowledge, learn the skills, and develop the disposition or traits of private and public character that undergird a constitutional democracy. Citizenship training means teaching students to think critically,…

The interest of the Constitutional Rights Foundation in legal and citizenship education helped to instigate a comprehensive, nation-wide study of law-related educational projects for public school-age children. An overview and analysis, introductory remarks, and statistical summary are presented, along with a list of projects of special merit.…

Explains the potential role and benefits of service learning in transforming schools. Argues that service learning has the potential to reinvigorate traditional classrooms and turn passive students into dynamic and engaged learners, but its implementation carries no guarantee of "product satisfaction." Further, its success lies in the…

This paper highlights trends in values education in public secondary schools, crucial issues in both religious and secular values education, and effective strategies for teaching values in formal and invisible curricula. A review of the history of values education in the public schools is accompanied by relevant research pertaining to the…

Most American visitors to Japanese senior high schools have observed only the very best public academic schools in the nation. Two-thirds of Japanese students attend other schools. This book presents findings of a case study that focused on the 12th-grade experience in a Japanese public general high school. The data were supplemented by visits to…

In answer to the concerns about school violence in the United States (especially since the tragedy in 1999 at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado), this Internet curriculum offers lessons and resources that address the topic of school violence and its causes, as well as the search for solutions. The curriculum presents four world wide web…

The lack of economics literacy is a serious problem in the United States. Today, public school students are taught little if any economics and score very poorly on economics literacy tests, with the average test score being 40 percent. This absence of economic understanding hurts the economy in the following ways: (1) economically illiterate…