In 1987 U.S. Secretary of Education, William J. Bennett, published "James Madison High School: A Curriculum for American Students" that proposed a core curriculum for high schools. In response to that publication, this paper examines the core curriculum as it affects social studies. The social studies sequence emphasized history (ninth…

"We the People . . . Project Citizen," an instructional product, involves students in the selection and investigation of important public issues in their community and thus engages students in learning experiences designed to affect positively their civic development, which involves three basic components of democratic citizenship: (1)…

The concept of citizenship is at the core of education for democracy. This Digest presents what citizenship is; why citizenship is an essential element of democracy; and how to teach about citizenship in a democracy. In a democracy, the source of all authority (the legitimate basis of all power) is the collective body of the people, the citizens…

Many totalitarian communist states throughout the world have broken up during the 1990's, and citizens in those countries, from Central and South American to Central and Eastern Europe, are working to build constitutional democracies out of the rubble. Part of creating these new governments is devising new school curricula to include civic…

During the past 30 years, there has been a global surge of democracy. For most people of the world today, democracy is the prevailing source of political legitimacy. In 2002, 121 of the world's 192 sovereign states could be recognized as democracies in terms of the minimal global standard for an electoral democracy. This digest discusses: (1) the…

The multi-faceted assessment of the teaching of religious history in the elementary and secondary schools of Indiana developed from a need for the assessment, a concept and procedure for the assessment, and the applications to educational practice. Textbooks have neglected religious history, and a national movement exists to improve the curricular…

Central questions in the 1980s social studies curriculum reform literature concern selection, organization, and presentation of academic subject materials to elementary and secondary school students. This paper reviews general curriculum and comprehensive social studies reform literature of this period and explores the 1987 Bradley Commission…

Critical thinking is a major goal of social studies education. Teachers need to know what critical thinking is before they can successfully incorporate the skill into their teaching strategies. Understanding why critical thinking is a major goal of education in a free society helps teachers prepare students to be informed and rational participants…

Textbooks may indicate the quantity and quality of subject content in a secondary school curriculum. They tend to conform to state departments of education and large local school districts' curriculum guides and to be the dominant instructional medium in high school courses. Examinations of widely-used textbooks may indicate the strengths and…

A recent report, "Educating Democracy: State Standards to Ensure a Civic Core," was issued by the Albert Shanker Institute of the American Federation of Teachers. This report comparatively analyzes and evaluates the standards for the teaching and learning of civics which state-level departments of education in the United States have…

A report by the National Commission on Civic Renewal has sounded alarms about the declining quantity and quality of citizen engagement in U.S. political and civic life. According to the Commission the overall civic condition is weaker than it was and in need of significant improvement. To renew the constructive engagement of citizens in political…

In this introduction to a series of articles blending perspectives of political science and citizenship education, the author stresses the need for a variety of citizenship skills in voter education programs and for an emphasis on learning by doing. (AV)

As educators abroad have turned to U.S. colleagues for advice about how to teach democratic citizenship, U.S. educators have been challenged to think more carefully about what civic education is, how to do it, and how to justify it. This paper reflects and deliberates about three key questions: (1) What, exactly, is a common education for…

Suggestions are offered for teaching about three kinds of decisions in electoral politics which all citizens face: deciding whether to participate, deciding how to participate, and deciding for whom to vote. (AV)