Discusses the nature of social studies as a discipline. Defines it as citizenship education for teaching students how to deal with change and conflict in society. Suggests that social studies teachers believe that content should be interdisciplinary, emphasize themes and concepts dealing with social and personal issues, and teach the process of…

This chart presents the focus, format, status/timelines, implementation plan, dissemination plan, professional development, and contact information for standards in arts, civics/government, economics, English, foreign languages, geography, history, mathematics, physical education, sciences, social studies, industry skills, and health. (SK)

Teacher education must produce teachers who can ensure that schooling generates future good citizens. The paper examines regional and national reform, the civic foundations of education, and the need for dedicated, well-trained people to enter public service committed to public good. A description of CIVITAS, a citizenship project, is included.…

Describes the "History with Civics" course taught in upper level secondary schools in Denmark. Discusses course content, student assessment, teacher qualifications, instructional materials, and teaching methods. Includes an appendix that presents a topical course syllabus. (CFR)

Describes an experiment with class meetings, designed to offer students practice in the democratic process, in a mixed-age, upper elementary, Montessori classroom. Finds that the group setting allowed students to address goals for classroom conduct and to learn ethics by example. Notes problems with tolerance for minority positions within the…

Relates how a local teen court was established in Knox County, Illinois. Discusses the teen court concept, the purpose of such courts, and their relationship to official courts. Describes the Knox County Teen Court's development of a Web site and the benefits that it has brought to the community. (DSK)

Presents an annotated listing of Web sites with information useful for law-related education (LRE) and civic education, including search engines, social studies sites, government sites, LRE and civic-education sites, global-education sites, and general-education sites. Cautions teachers to review carefully the content of any site before using it.…

Describes a class project where New York City second graders worked with the community board of transportation to rename a street for an African American woman. The students succeeded in renaming 134th Street in honor of Mary McLeod Bethune, an African American educator. (MJP)

Advocates adapting the structural and pedagogical principles of whole language learning to social studies instruction. Specifically recommends focusing on the meaning of citizenship instead of its component parts, allowing students to make choices, and connecting citizenship education to developmental growth. Briefly discusses approaches to avoid.…

Critiques a survey of Canadian citizens' civics knowledge for its "Trivial Pursuit" style of questions and the conclusions drawn from the results by the survey sponsors. Argues that a responsible democratic citizenry must display higher cognitive skills than factual recall and that these skills are not measured by the survey. (DSK)

Each month, "Curriculum Review" offers teachers mutual support, the sharing of ideas, and words of encouragement to help them face challenges in the classroom. The April 2004 issue of "Curriculum Review" contains the following articles: (1) "We Hear from Readers"; (2) "What They're Saying"; (3) "Technology Update"; (4) "Use Class Web Site to Host…

Identifies a renaissance in civics and moral education in the Asia-Pacific region. Discusses the need to incorporate emotional literacy in these programs and analyze the influence of emotional literacy on problem behaviors in Malaysian secondary school students. Links results of emotional literacy to internalizing and externalizing problem…

Assesses why educational attainment is associated with many diverse social outcomes. Uses multivariate models to measure schooling, socioeconomic status, and cognitive ability. Explains outcome variables include attitudes toward civil liberties and gender equality, social and cultural capital, and civic knowledge. Indicates only modest evidence of…

This article presents the Cyprus results, and proposes a model of home environment and school climate on the social participation of ninth graders based on the IEA 1999 CIVIC education study data. This study examined ninth graders' participation in social actions by means of a questionnaire; the data were analyzed using structural equation…

For emerging democracies civic education issues have special meaning. Often these issues play a vital role in the process of nation building and democratic consolidation, which makes the interplay between the school system and the socio-political environment particularly important. Estonia, which inherited from the half-century Soviet occupation a…