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When a security threat and sense of instability befell the United States after the events of September 11, 2001, the familiar order of political priorities was upset. In a matter of days the American public discourse organized itself around the same principles that have guided the state of Israel for many years: security IN, education OUT. Education is the political mechanism by which the state and the society shape their future character. Decision making about the structure of the education system, the material that will be taught in it and, ultimately, the vision that this system will promote, requires thought about how people want the future society to look. This paper examines how civic education can help shape a society that desires peace and is ready for it, and how education of this kind can prepare Israeli society for the morning after of peace. To clarify what areas in the education system need to be changed and adapted to the peace era, the paper considers how the Israeli education system deals at present with Israeli society's expectation that it produce beneficent and committed citizens and soldiers. It also looks at possible ways of dealing with the new expectations likely to arise after peace comes. The paper focuses mainly on changes in the concept of citizenship in passing from a situation of conflict to an era of peace (or at least one in which the existential threat diminishes), and the implications of these changes for the main dimensions of education. Includes 26 notes. (Contains 8 references in Hebrew and 12 references in English.) (Author/BT)

The visible signs of patriotism displayed in the United States since the events of September 11, 2001 are at once an expression of pride and a palliative for people's grief and sorrow, an understandable response to a national tragedy. But more important is a kind of less visible patriotism that calls for fidelity to the values and principles for which the United States stands. This paper discusses that kind of patriotic fidelity and considers two major questions: (1) what should patriotism mean in a constitutional democracy?; and (2) what responsibilities do schools and educators have for helping students develop a large and wholesome meaning of patriotism? It comments on a March 2002 poll in which 59% of U.S. adults said that involvement in civic life is not essential to patriotism, and on a study of college students in which only about one-fourth of freshmen reported voting in student elections. The paper points to the difficulties that state lawmakers have encountered when crafting legislation for civic involvement by public school students and discusses the 1943 decision of the Supreme Court on "West Virginia State Board of Education vs. Barnette." which stated that every child needs to learn about the basic values and principles of the United States. This learning entails familiarity with and understanding of the nation's founding documents, most particularly with the U.S. Constitution and with the Declaration of Independence. The paper notes that every child also needs to understand why fidelity to those values and principles is essential to achieving the twin goals set for every citizen liberty and justice for all. (Contains 13 notes.) (BT)

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 citizenship in a democracy? (2) How should a particular kind of common education for citizenship in a democracy be included in the K-12 curriculum and in the preparation of elementary and secondary school teachers through higher education? and (3) Why should a particular kind of education for citizenship in a democracy be implemented in K-12 schools and in programs for the education of teachers? The paper summarizes responses about the definition, delivery, and defense or justification of a common education for citizenship in a democracy. It includes discussion of a defensible definition of a common education for citizenship in a democracy; how to deliver or use the definition in K-12 schools and the preservice education of teachers; and why the definition, or something like it, should be in the core curriculum of K-12 schools and teacher education programs. The paper is intended to be a guide to education for citizenship in a democracy. (Contains 2 figures, 14 notes, and 48 references.) (BT)

This paper contends that modern compositionist courses have successfully met the goal of training students to become socially productive citizens by teaching them to be proficient "readers" who critically examine the sources and dissemination of knowledge, but that the field has fallen short of its goal of training students to actively produce their own knowledge because it is presenting a restricted view of what it means to "write" well. The paper argues that because most English departments focus on reading and interpretation of texts, the majority of students who take freshman composition leave believing that "good" writing means grammatically correct writing rather than writing that is morally or politically engaged or writing that constructs or produces new forms of knowledge. By examining the standard departmental syllabi, anthologies, writing handbook, and grading sheet for the 2-semester Freshman Composition sequence at the University of Georgia, the paper shows how reading is privileged over writing and how this hierarchy results in an over-emphasis on writing as a rule-bound skill to be mastered rather than a meaningful way of inventing new ideas and encouraging civic engagement. The paper first gives a brief overview of the history of rhetoric and then examines a syllabus from "a typical large land-grant university" (University of Georgia) to show that many freshman composition courses are still rooted in 19th-century concerns, and that this results in students achieving the status of "reflective" citizen "readers," but falling short of becoming "active" citizen "rhetors." (Contains 10 references. Course materials are attached.) (NKA)

This document contains 18 essays that developed out of a study in which 16 researchers from 10 countries in the Western and Arab worlds examined adult education and how an ecological approach to education focusing on cultural traditions and natural environments can be more useful than education in specialized institutions. The following papers are included: "Open Carriage" (Lisa Zucker); "Ecological Approaches in Basic Education" (Jean-Paul Hautecoeur); "Ecological Education in the Living Environment" (Laila Iskandar Kamel); "Abundance as a Central Idea in Ecological Approaches in Education" (Munir Fasheh); "Ecology and Basic Education among the Indigenous Peoples of Canada" (Serge Wagner); "From Reaching In to Reaching Out: El-Warsha 1987-1999" (Hassan El-Geretly); "The Creation of Knowledge through Environmental Education" (Paolo Orefice); "An Ecological Culture for Teachers" (Viara Gurova); "Education for Regional Sustainable Development" (Jan Keller); "Environmental Adult Education in the Czech Republic" (Michal Bartos); "Literacy Practices in Local Activities: An Ecological Approach" (David Barton); "Addressing Alexandria's Environmental Problems" (Adel Abu Zahra); "The Campaign against the MAI (Multilateral Agreement on Investments) in Canada" (Brian Sarwer-Foner); "Sustainable Development Literacy in Central Appalachia" (Anthony Flaccavento); "Sustainable Community Development with Human Dimensions: The Basaisa Experience" (Salah Arafa); "Revitalizing a Depopulating Region in Hungary" (Valeria Nagy Czanka, Ildiko Mihaly); "Agricultural Development and the Preservation of Indigenous Knowledge" (Ismail Daiq, Shawkat Sarsour); "The Neweiba Seminar" (Jean-Paul Hautecoeur). Some papers include substantial bibliographies. (MN)

This publication is comprised of 43 papers on the topic of promoting lifelong learning. The papers in Part 1, Overcoming False Dichotomies, are "Lifelong Learning in the North, Education for All in the South" (Torres); "Practice of Lifelong Learning in Indigenous Africa" (Omolewa); "Gender and Information Societies" (Youngs); and "Lifelong Learning for a Modern Learning Society" (Somtrakool). Part 2, Scanning Developments in the Regions, consists of these papers: "Challenges of Lifelong Learning in Africa" (Tapsoba); "Promoting Community-Based Learning Centers in Asia-Pacific" (Oyasu); "European Union (EU) Memorandum on Lifelong Learning" (Smith); "Hungarian Response to the EU Memorandum on Lifelong Learning" (Istvan); "Regional Framework for Action for Adult and Youth Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (2001-10)" (Jauregui de Gainza); and "Lifelong Learning" (Essefi). Part 3, Promoting Democratization, contains these papers: "Learning in a Global Society" (Alexander); "Citizenship and Democracy in Socrates' and Grundtvig's Europe" (Ronai); "Education for Non-Discrimination" (Millan); "Lifelong Learning and Work in Developing Countries" (Pieck); "Globalization, Lifelong Learning, and Response of the Universities" (Peng); and "Combining the World of Work with the World of Education" (Romijn). The papers in Part 5, Making Lifelong Learning Work for Women, are "Gender Equality in Basic Education" (Messina); "Women as Lifelong Learners" (Benaicha); and "Lifelong Learning for Elimination of Violence Against Women" (Kuninobu). The papers in Part 6, Learning Across Generations, are "Achieving Youth Empowerment Through Peer Education" (Wissa); and "Role of Intergenerational Programs in Promoting Lifelong Learning for All Ages" (Ohsako). The papers in Part 7, Learning Across Cultures, are "Cultural Contexts of Learning: East Meets West" (Yang); "Building Community Through Study Circles" (Oliver); "Culturally-Based Adult Education" (Smith); and "Perspective of Lifelong Learning in South Asia" (Bordia). In Part 8, Laying Foundations and Sustaining Achievements Through Literacy and Nonformal Education, are "Literacy Linked Women Development Programs" (Usha); "Lifelong Learning Policy and Practices in the Laos People's Democratic Republic" (Mithong Souvanvixay); "Distance Learning and Adult Education" (Wilson, White); "Role of Partnerships in the Promotion of Lifelong Learning" (Lin); and "Toward the Eradication of Illiteracy Among Youth and Adults in China" (Guodong). Part 9, Creating Environments Conducive to Lifelong Learning, has these papers: "Learning Cities/Region in the Framework of Lifelong Learning" (Doukas); "Adult Education and Lifelong Learning in Sweden" (Salin); "Promoting Lifelong Learning in Beijing for a Learning Society" (Shuping); and "Reorienting Teachers as Lifelong Learners" (Tiedao). (YLB)

The idea that U.S. schools have a distinctively civic mission has been recognized since the earliest days of the republic. Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, John Adams, and others believed that the civic mission of schools was to foster the qualities of mind and heart required for successful government within a constitutional democracy. People still believe that education for responsible citizenship should be the schools' top priority. It is worth noting that over the course of 32 years of Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup polling the public has not wavered in that conviction. This paper contends, however, that civic education is grossly neglected and provides abundant evidence highlighting several studies to make its case. The paper discusses the preliminary report in 2001 of the National Commission on the High School Senior Year. It concludes that it is imperative that all people receive the kind of civic education that enables them to fulfill their everyday responsibilities of citizenship: taking part in the discussion of public matters; participating in organizations that make up civil society; monitoring government officials and institutions; serving on juries; voting; and seeking or holding public office. (BT)

This paper uses two stories to illustrate the political attitudes of today's youth. The first story, about a group of young people in a working class area of St. Paul, Minnesota, who were part of the youth civic engagement initiative called Public Achievement, suggests ways to re-engage young people with politics. Through this initiative, students engage in the politics of public work, negotiating diverse interests for the sake of creating things of broad public interest. The second story conveys another politics: canvass politics. The paper argues that the canvass embodies a Manichean politics in which the forces of good do battle against the forces of evil. The second story, about a friend of the author/educator who works for the affiliate of a nationwide community organizing network in a large urban area, points to obstacles to civic empowerment, including conventional ideas of "politics" itself. The story brings to the surface some of the hidden elements in what today's college students experience as politics. Includes 5 notes. Attached are a survey results form which reports data on political attitudes of students and a "Models of Democracy, Citizenship, and Politics" chart. (BT)

Good citizens need good communication skills, and the task is left to departments of communication to give students the communicative skills they need to take part effectively in a participative democracy. This paper presents a short discussion of the pedagogical issue that is of supreme importance for the citizens of democracies--the issue of how to incorporate ethics into public speaking instruction. The paper argues that most western public speaking texts provide students with a typically goal-oriented western approach to public speaking ethics and recounts one educator's efforts to ameliorate this with the inclusion of the Hindu ethical work, the "Bhagavad Gita," into his public speaking courses. The paper initially explores an excellent and representative public speaking text by Beebe and Beebe (2000), paying particular attention to the portrayal of ethics within it. It then gives some general information on the narrative context in which the "Bhagavad Gita" finds itself. Finally, it discusses the uses that the "Bhagavad Gita" can be put to in regard to these typical portrayals of public speaking. The paper ends with some remarks on how to actually employ the text in a classroom setting. Appendixes contain an ethics assignment and in-class discussion questions. (Contains 21 references.) (NKA)

This paper explores Charles D. Kingsley's (1874-1926) perspectives on civic education, his impact on the 1916 "The Social Studies in Secondary Education: A Six-Year Program Adapted Both to the 6-3-3 and the 8-4 Plans of Organization and Report of the Committee on Social Studies of the Commission on the Reorganization of Secondary Education of the National Education Association," and his contributions to the development of civic education. The paper also relates Kingsley's philosophy to the potential reform of civic education in Taiwan. Contains 13 references. (BT)

Citizenship education is a major purpose of schools. What this entails, however, is highly disputable. Recently scholars have suggested that schools should teach and model citizenship values and principles that emphasize freedom of expression, the exclusion of religion from public spheres, and equal protection. These scholars support their conclusions with opinions written by the Supreme Court. This paper addresses the lack of balance these scholars bring to the debate about democratic values evinced in the United States Constitution and Supreme Court opinions. The paper suggests that educators should be wary of teaching one set of values to the neglect of others. More importantly, it argues that citizenship education is not about teaching the "right" values but about teaching the totality of democratic values and the conflicting and competing nature of these values along with the knowledge and attitudes citizenship participation entails. Contains 22 references. (Author/BT)

Given the sweeping changes taking place in the world and their potential impact on the life of the individual, it is hard to explain why U.S. citizens have not been as attentive as they should to international and transnational developments. Recent research indicates that U.S. citizens lag behind residents of many Western nations in their awareness of key political actors, institutions, and events in the world. In this era of globalization, the study of civics and government must include international and transnational dimensions. To restrict the study of civics and government to the domestic concerns of the United States is to fail to prepare students for the world in which they must live, work, and function as citizens. This paper, although it does not present a fully developed curriculum or a set of standards, draws attention to what Richard Stanley calls the "Global Triad" of business, civil society, and government. The paper contends that awareness of these realignments is essential to student understanding of what globalization is and why it has meaning for them as individuals and as citizens. It discusses the three major changes in the global economy, the rise of global civil society, and globalization and democracy. It concludes by asking if the benefits of globalization outweigh the costs, finding no certain answer to that question as yet. It recommends that teachers help their students acquire the civic skills and the will necessary to direct globalization in ways that will protect and promote democracy. (Contains 20 references.) (BT)

In recent years, the concern for civic education has reentered the mainstream agenda of U.S. political science. This paper poses an argument about the nature of the civic education challenge, arguing that the primary issue facing the profession in the area of educating citizens is much "deeper" than those currently being discussed. The focus is on the challenges of the future rather than reviewing the problems of the past. The paper contends that this orientation needs to be taken seriously and considers what needs to be done to "reach" the next generation of students. According to the paper, the emergence of a new worldview among students growing up in the age of the personal computer and other new technologies needs to be taken seriously. Preparation for educating those whom Marshall McLuhan called the "nomadic gatherers of knowledge," the citizens of tomorrow, needs to be undertaken. The paper argues that the very nature of what civic education entails must be rethought as the cultivation of a relevant "narrative" that will engage students in U.S. civic life. The paper first presents a brief and speculative characterization of the "nomadic student," then offers an overview of the role played by different civic education narratives over the past two centuries. Finally, it considers how to approach developing a civic education narrative of the future, and what the implications of the narrative shift might be for those who will be engaged in "educating nomads." Contains 119 notes and a 74-item bibliography. (BT)

The idea of an American "paideia" (an ideal national public culture) is implicit in U.S. civic education and citizenship training. The role of schools in producing a particular type of character capable of sustaining the democratic regime has long been recognized and democratic principles have long guided civic education policy. This paper elaborates the arguments and meanings expressed through the literature on multiculturalism and argues that multiculturalism advocates a specific conception of an ideal national public culture. Two specific claims about multiculturalism are advanced. First, multiculturalism is a unique contemporary expression of a historical idea known as cultural pluralism. Second, the literature in multiculturalism contains both a unified vision of U.S. political culture and a variety of diverse theories concerning the specific political and philosophical principles to be used in constructing an ideal national political culture. The questions presented for citizenship training that derive from the debate about multiculturalism involve how a national public culture can be constructed from the diverse cultures in U.S. society and whether the U.S. "paideia" envisioned by multiculturalism is a desirable model for civic education. Includes 121 references. (LB)

This policy essay urges institutions of higher education to meet the needs of the public by creating more public space on their campuses. It briefly reviews the relationship between these institutions and the citizenry since colonial times, notes renewed efforts by Americans to band together for common public purposes, and reports a study which found that while undergraduates are disillusioned with politics, they recognize their need for civic education. Colleges and universities are encouraged to increase opportunities for faculty and student contact with a democratic public by funding more occasions, events, programs, and places where faculty and students can interact with citizens active in politics and with those engaged in building communities. The paper notes that more than 20 institutions have established public policy institutes or centers to lead forums on the critical issues facing American communities and that there is increased emphasis on a more public kind of scholarship and on educating students to become "civic professionals." The paper urges institutions to adopt a civic network-building strategy and establish institutes whose mission is intertwined with the self-interests of the college or university and to which faculty and staff are committed. (DB)

Although the nation's founding documents do not refer explicitly to education, it would be wrong to regard that which is not explicitly articulated as unimportant. The documents themselves demonstrate the founders' trust in the importance of learning, and the "Federalist Papers" provide the basis for the national regard for education. (SLD)

This paper addresses the role of serving the public interest and how that relates to education. The document provides specific examples of how education reform efforts in Massachusetts often were couched in such vague terms as to be ineffective in establishing educational standards. The paper discusses how politics influences educational policy and what attempts have been made to straighten out some of the confusion. The paper cites examples of the vagaries of educational jargon found in the educational mandates and how the Massachusetts Education Reform Act of 1993 has been undercut. The document advocates that citizen policy makers must be prepared to keep doing the same work over and over again, repeatedly addressing the same tendencies in education toward imprecision and vagueness that are inimical to reform. (EH)

This paper discusses civil society as a central idea in the recent global resurgence of democracy. Recent developments represent a turning away from state-centered conceptions of government, and a renewal of voluntary, community-based, non-governmental organizations as a means of renewing democracy. As civil society has surged globally, it has sagged in the United States, its progenitor and long-time exemplar. The time is ripe to seek a renewal of U. S. civil society through civic education and current educational reforms can lead to such renewal of civil society. The paper is divided into four parts: (1) "The Idea of Civil Society: Its Modern Origins and Development"; (2) "Civil Society and the Democratic State"; (3) "Civil Society in Democratic Consolidation"; and (4) "Civil Society in Civil Education for Democracy." (EH)

This paper recounts the experiences of a U.S. professor involved in field research in Hungary. The professor visited classrooms and observed civics education practices in Hungary. The paper combines a review of the literature with observations, interviews, and field notes from the Hungarian experience. Specific emphasis is placed on a "Good Citizen" class in the Textile Industrial Vocational High School in Szeged, Hungary, as an example of a people struggling with democratic ideals and implementation of those ideas into society. (EH)

The curricula and instructional approaches often used in elementary school classrooms, which too often avoid difficult issues, may restrict the social development needed to promote societal well-being. This problem is exacerbated in the early grades, where the discussion of controversial social issues seemingly contradicts the goal of maintaining an emotionally safe classroom environment. This paper defines the problem, discusses social development in the elementary classroom, and considers factors related to balancing safety and dissonance. A major portion of the paper examines the efforts of three teachers who have managed, each in her own way, to balance dissonance and safety in the early education classroom by: (1) addressing rather than avoiding perplexing social issues, (2) balancing social development and classroom safety, and (3) addressing social inequities through activities in the classroom. These teachers' perspectives and experiences provide a basis for discussing citizenship education in the early grades. (Contains 23 references.) (DR)

Democracy is not a "machine that would go of itself," but according to this paper, must be consciously reproduced, one generation instructing the next in the knowledge and skills, as well as in the civic character and commitments required for its sustenance. This paper invites concerned citizens to join in a nation-wide discussion of civic education, what its principal goals should be, and how civic education can be revitalized. It stresses the role of parents, the media, and private associations in helping children develop into informed and effective citizens. The paper stresses, however, that schools bear a special and historic responsibility for the development of responsible citizens. Schools, therefore, should give sustained and systematic attention to civic education from kindergarten through high school. The paper addresses five questions: (1) What is civic education and what should its principal goals be? (2) What evidence is there of the need to improve civic education? (3) What is the relationship of civic education and character education? (4) What are the characteristics of successful programs in civic education? (5) How can civic education be revitalized? The document concludes with a bibliography. (LH)

Nine articles discuss the relationship between the higher education community and the public. The articles are: (1) "On a Certain Blindness in Teaching" by Michael S. Roth, who stresses the necessity of political citizenship education for a healthy democracy; (2) "Monocultural Perspectives and Campus Diversity" by Jane Fried, who explores the notion of thinking "through" culture rather than "about" culture; (3) "Cross-Cultural Experiences in College" by Jerilyn Lopez Mendoza, who explores living in a multicultural campus community and problems with the melting pot model; (4) "Other Voices: The Campus as Community" by Linda Stamato, who looks broadly at curricula, campus life and governance; (5) "Resolution before Conflict" by William A. Laramee, who streses the need for metaphor, narrative, humor, and silence; (6) "The Public/Academic Disconnect" by David W. Brown, who examines underlying causes of the declining public support for higher education; (7) "Making Things More Public: On the Political Responsibility of the Media Intellectual" by Jay Rosen, who considers the nature of public service for those who study mass communication; (8) "The Renewal of Civic Life: One College's Journey" by Joanne Cavallaro, who recounts the experience of the College of Saint Catherine (Minnesota) in engaging the issues of civic education and democratic action; and (9) "The Politics of Diversity and the Politics of Difference: Are Academics and the Public Out of Sync?" by David Mathews, who summarizes the issues raised in the previous papers. (Some papers contain references.) (MAH)

In this paper, James Sledd and his son Andrew Sledd respond, on seven distinct points, to Sandra Stotsky's "Connecting Civic Education and Language Education" and to her "College English" essay "Conceptualizing Writing as Moral and Civic Thinking," in both of which she attacks the Sledds for their criticism of E. D. Hirsch. According to the paper, Stotsky's technique is to lift short passages of academic prose from their explanatory contexts and then to praise or blame them according to her notions of scholarly responsibility. The paper notes that one of the qualities that Stotsky values highly is academic courtesy. The paper also states that, in both book and essay, Stotsky has called the Sledds' criticism of E. D. Hirsch irresponsible, racist, age-ist and immoral--and rude, too. In response, the Sledds affirm that, although they dislike being called racist, they are not primarily concerned with the personal attacks. In the paper they make three familiar but sometimes neglected propositions: (1) that the politic evasion of an opponent's evidence and arguments, though commonplace, is not an academic virtue; (2) that such criticism of "decontextualized" passages as Stotsky recommends is guaranteed to obscure issues really at stake; and (3) that the ancient rhetorical tradition of justified blame as well as praise should not be submerged in a rhetoric of identification for immediate persuasion. (TB)

This position paper examines the changing focus of citizenship education in Australia over the past 40 years. Citizenship education has not achieved as high a profile in Australia as in the United States and this situation has become a growing concern for many educators and community leaders. An examination is made on how questioning traditional values and changing the international scene have impacted the way Australians and Australian governments have come to see themselves. The changing nature of Australian society in recent years through a series of events, processes, and initiatives is recognized. A call for consensus is made in order to develop a citizenship education program for the Australian students to function in the new era of change. The paper includes the following divisions: (1) "Introduction"; (2) "Conflicting Images of Citizenship Education in Australia"; (3) "Issues for Citizenship and the School Curriculum"; (4) "Levels of Student Understanding"; (5) "Student Attitudes"; (6) "Opportunity to Learn"; (7) "Teacher Attitudes"; (8) "Student Participation"; (9) "National Curriculum"; (10 "Curriculum Options"; and (11) "Conclusions." In summary, the level of student understanding of political concepts and processes is an important component of being an effective citizen. The development of citizen education involves not only a reconceptualization of citizenship education, but also a rethinking of how citizenship education might best become a major component of the school curriculum. Contains 28 references. (EH)

This paper discusses the nature and role of social studies in the public school curriculum. As presently used, the term "social studies" encompasses history, geography, economics, sociology, psychology, and government. In the United States, democratic citizenship is typically taught through social science subjects that are themselves a part of the social studies curriculum. The 1916 report of the National Education Association's (NEA) Committee on Social Studies of the Commission on the Reorganization of Secondary Education is discussed. Although the 1916 report gave no specific outline or curricular framework for social studies content, the purpose of social studies was established. This purpose was to provide for good citizenship. A good citizen was one who followed social customs, was loyal to national ideals, and had a sense of social responsibility. Later reports and studies also are described in this paper. This document cautions that when coverage of content becomes the primary focus of teaching and learning, then students generally do not understand what it is they have learned, and if content was learned through rote memorization, nearly all of it is forgotten within two years. Social studies advocates think that knowledge-based problem solving, decision making, and participatory activities, yield a more competent and committed democratic citizen. If the social sciences are taught as fragmented bodies of disconnected facts, then the curriculum will not achieve its goal of preparing an enlightened, active citizenry. Contains 12 references. (DK)