The U.S.'s history has gone through significant cultural changes. None have been more profound than those related to a basic philosophical understanding of the foundation of our constitutional structure. This essay asks the reader to reconsider a central theory and organizational viewpoint of the founding generation, which adhered to a more…

Because the national education agenda is focused on standards, testing, and accountability, schools are at risk of narrowly defining their mission as improving test scores. In this environment, it is easy to forget that public education serves a larger civic mission. Preserving and promoting a democratic society was the founding precept of the…

From their first recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, students are taught that the most important unit of social analysis is the nation-state and that people on this side of the border constitute "us," whereas those on the other side of the line are "them." By the time students enter a global studies class as high school…

The re-emerging field of "student voice" has the potential to offer an important contribution to education for civic society. An exploration of what "student voice" aspires to and what it actually does suggests quite different sets of possibilities for educational and civic renewal. A new intellectual framework is offered in…

The aging of the baby boom generation, together with research that links volunteerism and positive health outcomes in later life, has contributed to a burgeoning of interest in initiatives and programs promoting civic engagement among older adults. Although useful in potentially expanding role options in later life, this growing attention also…

The paper aims to investigate the role assigned to state schools in France and Italy in constructing social cohesion and a common citizenship. The theme will be treated by individuating three different stages of a process of progressive mutual rapprochement between state and civil society. From the separatist phase, passing through an intermediate…

Video games provide a diverse set of experiences and related activities and are part of the lives of almost all teens in America. To date, most video game research has focused on how games impact academic and social outcomes (particularly aggression). There has also been some exploration of the relationship between games and civic outcomes, but as…

Young citizens growing up in different societies experience multiple socialization processes that help to shape their values and attitudes toward the political life of their societies. In this cross-national study, researchers asked students directly about their views of what "good" citizens do, how they saw themselves participating in…

In order to achieve its goals, the Social Studies course should convey social events, which took place within or out of the school context, into the classroom environment. Current events can be very beneficial so as to transfer the social events into classroom environment in the Social Studies courses. In this study, semi structured interview…

The author discusses how high school civics teachers can use the Gallup Poll Web site to teach students about the influence of public opinion in politics. The author describes his firsthand experiences using the Web site with high school students. He emphasizes the need for teachers to structure higher-level thinking questions instead of having…

This document examines the state of political education in Germany since reunification. The study chronicles the history of political education in Germany. It argues for greater organization and for creation of standards for political education in German schools. The document offers goals for political education as a subject along with an…

The Immigrant Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986 provided a one-time opportunity for people who had been living in the United States illegally to obtain legal resident status and eventually qualify for citizenship. In order to go from temporary to permanent status, applicants were now required to demonstrate a minimal understanding of English…

This teacher's guide accompanies a 26-minute video by the same name. Intended for grades 3-8, the teacher's guide provides activities to support further exploration of cultural diversity, offers cooperative learning projects, and supplies reproducible masters to use with the interactive segment of the video program. Suggestions are made for five…

Participation in Service activities can be a vital component to civics and social studies education. The sources selected for this topic ERIC bibliography on civics, social studies, and services are intended to aid practitioners in thinking about the developing service activities in their classrooms, schools, and communities. Divided into three…

Trade has been an important factor in United States from the 17th century to the present day. The United States was born out of a trade dispute with Great Britain. From the moment the founders first set pen to paper, trade has helped spur U.S. economic growth. This booklet covers trade topics such as policy, perspectives, difference in nations…