The Institute for Citizens & Scholars (C&S) is fundamentally rethinking how young people prepare to be productive lifelong citizens. A critical element of this work is engaging youth at the intersection of community and civic life. C&S' work has proven that significant civic learning takes place in after-school programs, on the sports…

This 21st Century Skills Map is the result of hundreds of hours of research, development and feedback from educators and business leaders across the nation. The Partnership for 21st Century Skills has issued this map for the core subject of World Languages. [Funding for this paper was provided by EF Education.]

Educators from around the state, with the help of The Vermont Institutes, developed Vermont History and Social Sciences Grade Cluster Expectations (GCEs) as a means to identify the content knowledge and skills expected of all students for local assessment required under Act 68. This work was accomplished using the "Vermont's Framework of…

Representatives at the school, district and state levels, as well as scholars and researchers, have been working with the Education Commission of the States? National Center for Learning and Citizenship (ECS/NCLC) to define citizenship education in terms of three strands forming "a braid" of civic competencies. Beginning with the rationale and…

This home study material, developed for use by candidates for naturalization who speak English but who have little or no skill in reading, is designed so that the individual unable to attend classes may learn to read and write by having a limited amount of help provided by some member of his family or neighbor. (A companion pamphlet, ED 054 913,…

Because they reach almost every young person in the nation, schools are best positioned to prepare the next generation of Americans for active citizenship. The public increasingly recognizes that students' civic learning is important to maintaining our representative democracy, and parents are calling for schools to help prepare young people for…

Representatives at the school, district and state levels, as well as scholars and researchers, have been working with the Education Commission of the States' National Center for Learning and Citizenship (ECS/NCLC) to define citizenship education expressed in terms of three strands forming a "braid" of civic competencies. This updated version of…

This instructional unit for grades eight and nine tells why and how American small towns declined as a result of the availability and acceptance of automobiles, and it tells of the growth of suburbs and their effect on the city. The learning activities also relate the story of the demand for cars and explain the drain on the cities' sense of…

This paper provides an overview of U.S. Department of Education programs authorized and funded under federal law. It includes information as well on the laboratories, centers, and other facilities funded by the Department that provide important resources for education. Each entry, which gives a brief overview of a program or resource, is listed…

This document is an exercise for teachers who are seeking to increase student understanding of the rise and expansion of democracy in new or emerging nations. The exercise complements the National Education Goals for Student Achievement and Citizenship. By design, the exercise challenges students to plan and to conduct (based on the timeless…

This book of essays connects controversies over rights and liberties today to their historical antecedents while explaining how social, political, and cultural changes have influenced understandings of specific provisions of the Bill of Rights. Written for teachers using a collaborative effort, each essay is accompanied by bibliographic…

The purpose of this document is to provide information and recommendations for involving elementary students in civic participation. This document suggests activities and resources teachers can use in the classroom to involve their students in civic duties. There is also a section on tips for parents to help develop effective citizens. A list of…

This document contains nine individualized learning packages for use by elementary and secondary students on the forms and functions of local, county, and state governmental units. The learning activities packages and teacher's guides in this bulletin were developed during a citizenship education workshop. The units explore use of county agencies,…

This is the teacher's guide that accompanies the textbook prepared for teaching civics at the third grade level in Vietnam. The guide presents a teaching method that deals with each lesson in three basic steps: (1) preparation, including defining principal themes and selecting teaching materials; (2) class discussions, including introductory…

The conviction that democratic government rests on an informed electorate was the basis for establishing a free public-school system and State universities. The swift changes in our social and economic life and the complex nature of modern problems require educational facilities beyond the usual programs for children and youth. The agencies of…