Suggests activities for teaching students about the law. Asks students to identify situations where they think laws are needed, reach consensus about the 10 most important national laws, and consider the problems of writing laws that everyone can understand. Presents results of law education. Includes a bibliography about promoting citizenship.…

Discusses recent Supreme Court decisions dealing with sexual harassment and other interesting topics, as well as previewing some cases on the upcoming docket. Provides suggested research and discussion questions for students studying these cases and points to teaching resources on the Supreme Court. (DSK)

Describes the "Close Up Capital Experience," a program to encourage greater civic participation by exposing middle-school students to the democratic principles, history, and political process of the United States. Outlines a four- or five-day schedule that incorporates active student-centered learning using cooperative structures and…

Describes the role played by people's movements and nongovernmental organizations, including educational programs, in empowering citizens and combating injustice in the Philippines. The authors argue that this type of education can play an important role in challenging the materialist vision of progress and awakening people to deeper values.…

Proposes characteristics that racially mixed communities in schools and classrooms should posses in order to realize their highest ethical values and provide a setting for moral education in the area of race and culture. Identifies the absence of cultural imagery supporting ethical values focusing on several films of Steven Spielberg. (CMK)

Provides a concise and informative overview of the civil justice system. Examines various components and issues including the federal and state court systems, differences between civil and criminal law, background in common law, types of civil law, civil procedure, and the effect and implementation of civil law in everyday life. (MJP)

Advocates the use of academic controversies (student research and classroom debate on an issue with clearly defined positions). Identifies three ways that this educates students about civil justice: (1) students learn citizenship skills; (2) provides a procedure for resolving civil justice problems; and (3) increases academic learning. (MJP)

Discusses a middle school project to create a "nation" within the classroom environment in order to explore questions of identity, problem solving, inequity and power, as well as issues of United States history. Includes governance documents and sample class activities. (JPB)

Examines the uses of R.I.C.E. (Responsibility, Interdependence, Creativity, and Empowerment) processes to enhance civic education programs. Highlights R.I.C.E.'s compatibility with the National Standards for Civics and Government in the areas of shared responsibility, global interdependence, dynamic creativity, and people empowerment. Includes…

Discusses the philosophy of Core Knowledge that was developed by E. D. Hirsch and provides a description of the Core Knowledge curriculum sequence. Examines the history and language arts Core Knowledge curricula that foster civic virtue and the relationship between Core Knowledge and character education. Describes one program focusing on character…

This article argues that the field of social studies encompasses concepts critical to students' eventual civic participation. It addresses ways to foster higher level thinking, problem solving, and group skills by working with issues of importance to students with learning disabilities and promoting their futures as active citizens. A…

Describes the Educational Outreach Kit for Monocacy National Battlefield, which takes the story of the civil war battle into local schools and expands the story beyond the traditional interpretation of military strategies and tactics. (CCM)

Used data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress to summarize trends in civics education and achievement over a 10-year period. Compares 1988 and 1998 data on students' civics knowledge, classroom coverage of civics topics, and classroom instructional activities. (Author/SLD)

By focusing on local problems or issues, student writers can craft research essays that exemplify civic engagement, a practice that reaffirms composition's tacit tradition from classical rhetoric and the educational philosophy of John Dewey. Volunteer experiences or local problems that affect students directly allow writers to actively research…

The present study shed light on the continuing debate among students of political socialisation regarding the effects of civic education on the upholding of democratic attitudes. Our major conclusion is that civic education, in and of itself, has only minor effects on democratic attitudes of pupils. Furthermore, among pupils who attended civic…