Published to commemorate the Constitution's bicentennial year and remind Americans that books and the life of the mind are vital national traditions, this volume contains both an essay, "Well Acquainted with Books: The Founding Framers of 1787," by Robert A. Rutland, and James Madison's List of Books for Congress, 1783. The essay…

This document discusses the movement to bring original historical sources into the classroom. Because students of history need access to sources of information that provide direct or primary evidence about reality, teachers must show that realistic alternatives to the traditional history text exist. In the first section of this paper, efforts to…

A biographical sketch of Robert Michels (1876-1936), a political sociologist and economist who taught in Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and the United States is presented. In his best known work, "Political Parties: A Sociological Study of Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy," he put forth his "iron law of oligarchy"…

Discusses the new beginning of the school year, the new nationalism following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and the role of the school library media specialist in recognizing the importance of information in a democratic society. Provides Web resources related to civic education. (LRW)

Discusses the articles in this special issue on classrooms that are democratic communities. Outlines a democratic classroom model and then discusses that paradigm in practice. Offers a list of selected readings and resources, containing 53 professional readings, six professional resources, and 38 books suggested by members of the author team. (SR)

Over the past three years, 183 campuses have joined the American Association of State Colleges and Universities' American Democracy Project. Originally intended as a three-year initiative involving a score of schools, the response exceeded all expectations, and the project has been extended well beyond the initial timeframe. This fall Campus…

Documents and journal articles featured in this nine-item annotated bibliography concern information as a critical resource in a democratic society and the role of the library and information services in ensuring access to information, especially that which is government produced. Citations were selected through a computer search of the…

This annotated bibliography of more than 300 titles of the most recent books on civil liberties was selected and reviewed by the American Civil Liberties Union. Books that are dated or contain highly technical information are excluded from this collection intended for general readership; however, there are titles directed and identified for…

This bulletin is a compilation of a few recent addresses and papers presented by the United States Commissioner of Education. The Commissioner material pertains particularly to the public affairs forum movement. The publication is issued in order to further meet the many requests for information in this field. Included in this bulletin are the…

To aid in the commemoration of the Bicentennial, this document lists 16mm films available for K-12 social studies classrooms. Each entry is listed categorically by theme: American citizenship, free enterprise, heroes, landmarks, and the Communist challenge. Within the thematic categories, the entries are listed alphabetically by title. An…

Presents seven annotations from documents found in the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) database about the U.S. Constitution that are appropriate for secondary and higher education students. Documents include mock dialogues, teaching with documents, and a discussion on the impact of the U.S. Constitution bicentennial on teaching.…

Provides a selective, annotated bibliography of resources listed in the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) database that relate specifically to civic education for democracy from a variety of international perspectives. Includes information about the ERIC system and how to obtain copies of materials cited in the bibliography. (DSK)

Lists some of the documents and journal articles on history education reform in the ERIC database. Includes items on the teaching of history, curriculum development, textbooks, student achievement, and constraints of teaching methods. Gives a brief summary of each work listed. (DK)

Provides a partial listing of documents and journal articles in the ERIC database on the status of U.S. history instruction and history education reform. Includes items concerning curriculum guidelines and development, the study of democracy, teaching methods, and history versus social studies. (DK)

Presents a sampling of the citations in the ERIC database dealing with democratic participation. Includes works on citizenship, teaching about democracy, citizens' roles, civic education in the schools, sources for materials, and the proper role of schools in preparing students for active citizenship. (DK)