During the last century, appreciation courses and theatre departments have gained a place in community colleges. An examination of current textbooks reveals that pedagogical approaches to introductory theatre courses have focused on fostering an understanding of the history and the "poetics" of theatre. While this avenue is useful, I propose that…

President Ronald Reagan nominated a woman to serve on the United States Supreme Court. He did so through a single-page form letter, completed in part by hand and in part by typewriter, announcing Sandra Day O'Connor as his nominee. While the document serves as evidence of a historic event, it is also a tangible illustration of abstract concepts…

Discussing controversial topics such as stem cell research is a great way for students to build scientific understanding, enhance communication skills, and develop an appreciation for civic decision making. Tackling a topic such as stem cells at the middle level, however, can be a challenge because most young adolescents see the world in black and…

This is an exploratory study to determine whether the way in which attitudes about citizenship actions were measured would predict American students' endorsement of those actions. In a split-half design, half of the student respondents completed a questionnaire in which they rated the extent to which various citizenship actions were important; the…

This study examines citizenship education policy and practice as they are perceived by teachers in three different societies -- the United States, England, and Hong Kong. Through a secondary analysis of the teacher data in Civics Education Study (CIVED), conducted by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement…

"Naturalization Test Redesign Project: Civics Item Selection Analysis" provides an overview of the development of content items for the U.S. history and government (civics) portion of the redesigned naturalization test. This document also reviews the process used to gather and analyze data from multiple studies to determine which civics…

Over the past 27 years, the influence of technology has revolutionized the professional practice of Design and its products produced. At the same time, technology has also created more advanced and complex pedagogy for design education. However regardless of technology's influence, critical thinking, problem solving, and presentation are still…

The influences of high school community service participation, extracurricular involvement, and civic knowledge on voting and volunteering in early adulthood were examined using the National Educational Longitudinal Study. The major finding in this study is that both voluntary and school-required community service in high school were strong…

Research on the history of civic education in United States has rarely reflected the perspectives of African American teachers and students. Through analysis of archival data, I document how African American educators in one Southern state reported teaching civic values to students in a racially segregated society before the modern Civil Rights…

One of the biggest challenges facing middle school social studies educators is creating powerful lessons that engage young adolescents in acquiring knowledge, stimulate critical thinking skills, inspire passionate interest in social studies and social issues, encourage active participation in civic life, and provide them with opportunities to…

This policy study contributed to an understanding of the types of professional growth activities that improve teacher self-confidence to teach challenging subjects and helped determine the future allocation of resources relative to teaching secondary social studies in Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS), the eighth largest school district in…

This pamphlet is designed to aid law students as they participate in the "Street Law" seminar that pairs law students and educators in the high school classroom. The clinical program places future lawyers in the classroom to help instruct in areas such as how the law affects daily lives, the meaning of the Constitution, dispute…

This brochure describes the varied programs of the American Bar Association's Public Education Division. The Division offers communities throughout the country Law-Related Education (LRE) and civic education programs for all age groups. The brochure describes how the Public Education Division can provide people with information about the law,…

This paper outlines citizenship issues facing the United States today and presents ways to address these issues in society. Voter turnout, welfare issues, the national service program debate, curriculum reform, and multiculturalism all interface with issues of citizenship in a democracy. Elements contributing to the modern understanding of…

Added to the mix in current discussion about the future of American democracy is the potentially revolutionary impact of new information technologies on civic life. This paper explores the claims for technology's ability to enhance civic participation, focusing particular attention on the Internet. The paper states that the claims are grounded,…