A civic society depends on people's ability to reason together, which requires them to seek and tell the truth. However, Sarah Stitzlein argues that schools spend too little time deliberately teaching students the value of honesty. Far from being simply a personal virtue, honesty enables citizens to think and act together for the benefit of all.…

A paramount duty of education is to prepare young people for their role as citizens in a democratic society. Voting is one of the important responsibilities of a citizen but statistics indicate that young people often don't vote and don't believe they have a stake in the outcome of the presidential election. Storypath is a teaching strategy that…

The extent to which people abhor or admire patriotism in the schools depends on how it is taught. If educators teach it narrowly as jingoistic, uncritical self-praise of the nation, then such instruction is wrong. It would be indoctrination rather than education. If, however, they teach civic education and define patriotism as a respectful…

Schoolchildren should learn all they can about the people who stood up for humanity against the war-makers and the powerful. In this article, the author suggests that students should learn Burr Tillstrom, one of the geniuses of early television, who created the Kuklapolitans and the show "Kukla, Fran, and Ollie." They were puppets,…

Asserts that young people today are less knowledgeable and engaged in civic life than parents and grandparents. Blames schools for failing to transmit civic knowledge to students. Discusses why civic knowledge matters in a democratic society. Describes characteristics of an effective approach to civic education. (PKP)

Over three decades of teaching, the author has come to a deep understanding of the commitment she made in swearing her loyalty to a governing system dedicated to the virtues of democracy and equality for all--both those within the diverse society and those across a global mosaic of cultures. Every day in the classroom, teachers and students alike…

Describes the programs developed and under development for ethics education in the Salt Lake City schools. (IRT)

In this article, the author hopes to address the challenge of patriotism in this current age. She wants to challenge those who are patriotic enough to criticize common discourses about the nation and national policies to work on recapturing the language so that real debate is not only possible but valued. She makes her argument in a time when this…

Reviews constitutional history and principles, highlighting our federal republic's dual sovereignties, American citizenry as "ruling class," schooling for citizenship, the original Constitution's defects, and projects to amend the Constitution and approach the democratic ideal. Advises against a second constitutional convention because…

Focuses on the wider meaning of the growth of alternative schooling in our society. Suggests that the survival of society depends on the widespread existence of decisionmaking powers, that such power is learned by making decisions, and that alternatives are needed in order that decisions may be made. (Author/DN)

Describes the "Educating for Citizenship" program, comprising curriculum materials based on the real-life experiences of 6-to-10-year-olds. Designed to alert youngsters to citizenship rights and responsibilities and to provide opportunities to practice citizenship skills, the program succeeds because it promotes civic participation and democratic…

The choice that a voucher proposition offers is between weakening the public schools still further by encouraging flight from them and strengthening the public schools by recalling them to their historic purpose of promoting the ideals of the democratic civic community. (Author)

The pedagogical ideas underlying the school-to-work model and embodied in the scholarship/citizenship/artisanship triad can be expressed in various program components: studying the history of democratic capitalism; interviewing CEOs; evaluating personal characteristics and career opportunities; examining economic trends, policymaking, and…

Discusses the initiation and development of the Citizenship Education Project in Texas, based on the concept of infusing citizenship objectives into the social studies curriculum. (Author/WD)