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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Reinventing Citizenship As Public Work, Harry C. Boyte
Reinventing Citizenship As Public Work, Harry C. Boyte
Civic Engagement
The fate of democracy is inextricably tied to the work of educators, as well as to the meaning of citizenship and the practices of civic education. If we are to create a citizen-centered democracy—with citizens capable of tackling the mounting challenges of our time—we must revisit conventional ideas. We will have to reinvent citizenship as public work, for the sake of ourselves as educators, as well as for our students and for the democracy itself.
Strategies For Becoming A Nation Of Service, Servicenation
Strategies For Becoming A Nation Of Service, Servicenation
School K-12
Strategies for Becoming a Nation of Service represents a vision, endorsed by more than 110 ServiceNation coalition members, to unleash the energy of citizens on our most pressing social challenges by strengthening and increasing community and national service opportunities. This policy agenda proposes meaningful opportunities for service at every key life stage, and for every socioeconomic group, from kindergarten through the post-retirement years. These proposals will help instill a culture of service at an early age and provide opportunities for Americans to continue serving throughout their lifetimes. The policy proposals aim to make service a defining ethic of what it …
Preparing Students For Lives Of Responsible Citizenship: A Higher Education Civic Blueprint For The State Of New Jersey, Andrew P. Frederick
Preparing Students For Lives Of Responsible Citizenship: A Higher Education Civic Blueprint For The State Of New Jersey, Andrew P. Frederick
Thesis, Dissertations, Student Creative Activity, and Scholarship
This thesis develops a working civic education blueprint for New Jersey's public colleges and universities and proposes concrete steps the State, particularly the governor and the Commission on Higher Education, can take to support their efforts. Civic education must be strategically integrated into the campus culture, the co-curriculum, and most importantly, the curriculum of higher education institutions hope to foster an ethic of service that diffuses across campus and reaches all students. Two overriding objectives should guide higher education in its civic mission: 1) providing students with multiple pathways, both curricular and co-curricular, that support their development as citizens across …
Community Service Learning: Tenth Anniversary Edition, California State University
Community Service Learning: Tenth Anniversary Edition, California State University
Higher Education
Beginning in the 1990s, the CSU started to recognize the power of service learning as a vehicle that would meet the state's changing educational needs while also imparting vital civic skills and knowledge. In the past decade, service learning has become a widely accepted and effective way of enhancing the in-class academic experiences of students with the real-world, out-of-class benefits of serving the community.
So Close And So Small: Six Promising Approaches To Civic Education, Equity, And Social Justice, Debbie Abilock
So Close And So Small: Six Promising Approaches To Civic Education, Equity, And Social Justice, Debbie Abilock
Civic Engagement
Perhaps you feel, as I did when I worked in a school, that while teachers develop service projects with the best intentions, they make no effort to build on what is known about effective service learning, nor do they align their work with other service in the school. As a result, my school was full of feel-good, superficial activities and little curricular coherence.
Corporation For National And Community Service: Strategic Plan 2006-2010, Corporation For National And Community Service
Corporation For National And Community Service: Strategic Plan 2006-2010, Corporation For National And Community Service
Service Learning, General
Through the programs of the Corporation for National and Community Service (the Corporation), Americans are investing their time, energy, and talent to improve the lives of others and strengthen their communities. In the process, they are building a more engaged society and becoming leaders in civic life.
Democratic Service Learning, Lew Allen, Kathy Thompson
Democratic Service Learning, Lew Allen, Kathy Thompson
Civic Engagement
The ultimate purpose of American public education is to help students learn how to be compassionate, problem-solving citizens in a democratic society. It is the job of schools to help each generation envision a better future and acquire the dispositions, skills, and experiences to make this vision a reality. Our youngest citizens need a democratic education, for which service-learning is an indispensable element.
Community Leaders' Perceptions Of University And College Efforts To Encourage Civic Engagement, Richard A. Brisbin Jr., Susan Hunter
Community Leaders' Perceptions Of University And College Efforts To Encourage Civic Engagement, Richard A. Brisbin Jr., Susan Hunter
Civic Engagement
"Students who volunteer in the community often end up staying or coming back after they graduate because they find out they can make a difference;' reports one economic development director in West Virginia. He and other community leaders agreed that getting college students involved in community activities not only had short-term benefits for the community but that often their experiences led to long-term gains for community life. This finding is important in a time when scholars, politicians, and pundits argue that a crisis of civic disengagement affects American politics. As a partial remedy for this crisis, educators have linked partnerships …
Civic Engagement And American Democracy, Richard Erdmann
Civic Engagement And American Democracy, Richard Erdmann
Civic Engagement
Alexis de Tocqueville wrote of the United States during the 1830’s and his observations say much about democracy in general, democracy in the United States of the 1830’s and democracy today. His greatest fear for the United States was of apathy on the part of its citizens. He saw individualism and material wealth as potent contributors to the United States but also as potential distracters. He felt that the greatest threat existed because democracy might work so well that citizens would become apathetic. At this point the omnipotence of the majority would cause the democratic freedoms to slip away almost …
Building Citizenship: Service-Learning And Student Learning, William D. Morgan
Building Citizenship: Service-Learning And Student Learning, William D. Morgan
Thesis, Dissertations, Student Creative Activity, and Scholarship
Even the most casual observer of the American news media could walk away with the impression that there are hosts of negative trends, ranging from a drop in the percentage of people who vote, to an increase in political alienation. Some of these are the result of marketing efforts conducted by groups who have a vested interest in making things look worse, and some of this may be the result of the type of news that is covered, with the guiding philosophical perspective being "if it bleeds it leads." Nonetheless, these problems are real. As Jim Wallis (1994) notes, '''Things …
Navigating The Shoals Of Civic Education With Service-Learning: Ethical, Moral, And Political Constraints On Transformative Education, Don Hill
Civic Engagement
American democracy is threatened by an accelerating trend of disengagement from the fundamental responsibilities of citizenship.This disengagement is growing in all segments of society but is most pronounced in youth and young adults which makes it even more troubling. Many thoughtful educators argue persuasively that high quality service-learning can and should become a resource for tackling this problem, that it can stimulate youth to become active democratic citizens.They are, in my judgment, correct, but navigating the shoals of civic education with service-learning is difficult.
Searching For The Meaning Of Youth Civic Engagement: Notes From The Field, Molly W. Andolina, Krista Jenkins, Scott Keester, Cliff Zukin
Searching For The Meaning Of Youth Civic Engagement: Notes From The Field, Molly W. Andolina, Krista Jenkins, Scott Keester, Cliff Zukin
Civic Engagement
This article reports on the early lessons from a multiphase, multimethod study of youth civic engagement. It uses insights from expert discussions along with a series of focus groups to explore how young adults approach politics, volunteerism, community, civic duty, and generational identity. The study finds many of the distinguishing characteristics of today's youth to be subtle and nuanced, which poses unique challenges for qualitative research of the generation. The important implications of language are discussed in detail.
The Transformative Power Of Civic Education, Libby Ethridge
The Transformative Power Of Civic Education, Libby Ethridge
Civic Engagement
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer often speaks about his concern over people's apathy and lack of knowledge about the government (Tulsa World, 1999). Teachers in the public schools often comment on how students are not aware of current events and view politics as something that doesn't affect their lives. University professors often complain about how little their students understand about the democratic process. While many seem to agree that this is an issue of concern, few have proposed any systematic action that will actually transform the situation.
Youth Civic Development: Implications Of Research For Social Policy And Programs, Constance A. Flanagan, Nakesha Faison
Youth Civic Development: Implications Of Research For Social Policy And Programs, Constance A. Flanagan, Nakesha Faison
Civic Engagement
Democracies must insure that each new generation of citizens identify with the common good and become engaged members of their communities. Such goals are prominent in the missions of public schools and community youth organizations. This report summarizes research which points to directions youth programs and policies should follow to achieve these civic goals.
The Missing Link: Democratic Citizenship In Service Learning A Case Study Of Undergraduate Course Offerings At A Large Urban University, Michael S. Bittner
The Missing Link: Democratic Citizenship In Service Learning A Case Study Of Undergraduate Course Offerings At A Large Urban University, Michael S. Bittner
Thesis, Dissertations, Student Creative Activity, and Scholarship
The purpose of this study was to explore a discrete set of service-learning courses to determine. (1) were they of the type conducive to fostering democratic citizens. and (2) did the coordinating center that supported service-learning advocate it for democratic Citizenship. Sixteen university instructors and two administrative staff members from a coordinating center were interviewed, and documents describing the courses and coordinating center were reviewed. Drawing from the literature. a list of ten criteria for democratic citizenship was assembled, and two sets of questions-one for the instructors and another for the administrative staff-were devised to prompt the response of the …
What Kind Of Citizen? The Politics Of Assessing Democratic Values, Joel Westheimer, Joesph Kahne, Bethany Rogers
What Kind Of Citizen? The Politics Of Assessing Democratic Values, Joel Westheimer, Joesph Kahne, Bethany Rogers
Civic Engagement
I was visiting a middle school the other day and saw a sign on a teacher's classroom wall that said "Assessment is your friend." It had a picture of a cuddly looking puppy on it. There was no explanation for the puppy, so I'm not sure why it was there. But it was cute and the message seemed to be saying that "assessment" if perhaps not man or woman's best friend, is, at the very least, something you need not fear. Now we are living in an era of high stakes testing and standards, so many would believe that there …
Education For Democratic Citizenship, Rosemary C. Salamone
Education For Democratic Citizenship, Rosemary C. Salamone
Civic Engagement
Over the past decade, pollsters and pundits have raised warning flags of moral decay and declining political understanding and commitment among Americans. Scandals from Washington to Wall Street, voter apathy and cynicism, and the regeneration of the "me generation" in a climate of unprecedented prosperity have raised increasing concerns in the media over the moral state of the country. The most alarming evidence has emerged from education, validating and documenting the anxieties that Americans share over the failure of schools to create citizens of character. By the mid-1990s, half of the nation's high school students reported that drugs and violence …
Service-Learning As "Citizenship" Education: The Promise And The Puzzles, Bernadette Sun Chi
Service-Learning As "Citizenship" Education: The Promise And The Puzzles, Bernadette Sun Chi
Curriculum
Since developing "citizenship" is a prevalent goal for many service-learning programs and policies, Bernadette Chi's National Service Fellowship research proposed to examine what and how students learn "citizenship" through service-learning. She explored students' attitudes about service, their understanding of citizenship, and the relationship between the concepts as a way to consider how service-learning contributed to students' conceptions of citizenship. To suggest how and why students' attitudes differed, this report also briefly describes the significant role of teachers in shaping service-learning experiences, and the variety of service-learning practices that contribute to a diversity of outcomes. In coordination with a state-funded study …
Discovering Citizenship Through Community Development, Institute For Global Education And Service Learning
Discovering Citizenship Through Community Development, Institute For Global Education And Service Learning
Curriculum
Facilitator's Manual: Curriculum to Establish Community Development Youth Corps
Every Student A Citizen: Creating The Democratic Self, Educational Commission Of The States
Every Student A Citizen: Creating The Democratic Self, Educational Commission Of The States
Civic Engagement
Despite 50 years of scientific and technological achievement, unabated wealth creation and gains in health, transportation, medicine, manufacturing a a host of other fields, a sens of "dis-ese" gnaws at the collective American soul. Something feels wrong.
New Efforts To Engage Youth In Legislative Advocacy, Wendy Schaetzel Lesko
New Efforts To Engage Youth In Legislative Advocacy, Wendy Schaetzel Lesko
Civic Engagement
The National Secretaries of State recent report confirms earlier findings that more Americans feel disconnected from government. The Council for Excellence in Government warns that "if each new generation continued to form a weaker attachment to government than the one before, the country would fairly soon find that only a small minority of citizens was connected to and involved with government." Concerted efforts are underway to test new approaches to entice young people to participate in the public policy arena at local, state, and national levels. A snapshot follows of a few promising initiatives along with some pointers on how …
Missing Pieces In The Service Learning Puzzle, June R. Chapin
Missing Pieces In The Service Learning Puzzle, June R. Chapin
Special Topics, General
The increasing popularity in the schools for sponsoring service learning or community service reflects the grave concern that more has to be done to teach youth to participate in a democratic society. The declining voting turnout and the reported low involvement of adults in community groups are often cited as a need for the schools to counter the current apathy and cynicism about government and political leaders. Whether there really is a decline in civic involvement is open to question but the national debate on promoting civic education and social responsibility is reflected in state and local communities requiring students' …
Wingspread Declaration On Renewing The Civic Mission Of The American Research University, Harry C. Boyte, Elizabeth Hollander
Wingspread Declaration On Renewing The Civic Mission Of The American Research University, Harry C. Boyte, Elizabeth Hollander
Civic Engagement
Civic engagement is essential to a democratic society, but far too many Americans have withdrawn from participation in public affairs. Higher education can contribute to civic engagement, but most research universities do not perceive themselves as part of the problem or of its solution. Whereas universities were once centrally concerned with "education for democracy" and "knowledge for society," today's institutions have often drifted away from their civic mission.
A Lack Of Civic Commitment?, Pablo Eisenberg
A Lack Of Civic Commitment?, Pablo Eisenberg
Civic Engagement
A recent study on youth leaders.hip and community service, conducted by Peter D. Hart Associates for Public Allies (a Washington, D.C., nonprofit that promotes youth leadership), found that today's young Americans are committed to community service and direct, personal assistance to others. But the survey of 728 people between the ages of 18 and 30 also raised disturbing questions about the young generation's commitment to civic engagement and social change.
Education For Citizenship, Service Learning And Political Science, John Annette
Education For Citizenship, Service Learning And Political Science, John Annette
Civic Engagement
In the recent "Crick Committee" report on "Education for Citizenship and the Teaching of Democracy in Schools", citizenship and service learning has made a welcome reappearance on the educational agenda, and the consultation document on Millennium Volunteering, for young people between 16 and 25, has placed an important emphasis on civic values. Religious leaders, including the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Robert Carey and the Chief Rabbi, Dr. Jonathan Sacks, have called for a renewed sense of moral responsibility. At present all the three main political parties appeal to the electorate's sense of civic responsibility and the "New Labour" government sees …
Off The Playground Of Civil Society: Freeing Democracy's Powers For The 21st Century, Harry C. Boyte
Off The Playground Of Civil Society: Freeing Democracy's Powers For The 21st Century, Harry C. Boyte
Civic Engagement
"Civil society" is now the defining map of our civic life. Embedded in its framework are assumptions about the activity of the citizen and the meaning of democracy. The idea of civil society today vividly illustrates the power of framing concepts to structure resources and define political themes. Major foundations have divisions of civil society that allocate hundreds of millions of dollars to volunteer activity. Government agencies give time off to their employees so that they can "do citizenship." Presidents gathered last year at the Summit on Volunteerism to praise the idea. Meanwhile, a coalition organized by "end of work" …
Citizenship Service Learning: Becoming Citizens By Assisting Immigrants, Robert Koulish
Citizenship Service Learning: Becoming Citizens By Assisting Immigrants, Robert Koulish
Civic Engagement
Citizenship Service Learning (CSL) serves to reinforce the strengths inherent in the traditional principles of higher education while concurrently transcending its limitations. CSL principles are celebrated on two grounds. The first is pedagogical. Following liberal arts traditionalists, CSL adheres to the class- room as a site for developing cognitive skills through accumulating information and learning research methods. It then stretches the learning process into the civic arena, where students gain tools in problem solving, critical thinking, leadership, and team work through the experience of working with immigrants.
Students Help In The Naturalization Of Elders, Nina Gibson
Students Help In The Naturalization Of Elders, Nina Gibson
Intergenerational
Many of our elderly citizenship students are struggling to get ready to take the naturalization exam. To help these learners, a collaborative effort between City College and San Francisco State University called Project SHINE began last fall and has doubled in size this semester. Credit students from the Phelan campus and from San Francisco State University are coming out to our campuses to tutor seniors studying in our citizenship classes. The tutors receive credit in an academic class for their work as part of service learning. They have agreed to attend one citizenship class per week under the supervision of …
On Civil Education: Beginning A Dialogue, Laura Martino, Erik W. Robelen
On Civil Education: Beginning A Dialogue, Laura Martino, Erik W. Robelen
Civic Engagement
In his recent book, The End of Work, economist and political activist Jeremy Rifkin describes the dramatic shift the global economy is undergoing as we enter the next century. Rifkin documents the move from a mass worker economy to a high technology global economy that thrives on the innovations of labor-saving technology and corporate downsizing. "In the agricultural, manufacturing, and service sectors," he writes, "machines are quickly replacing human labor and promise an economy of near automated production by the mid-decades of the twenty-first century." Rifkin argues that government is also offering fewer employment opportunities, and that the rising high-tech …
Cis Middle School Community Service Handbook 1998-99, Cis Middle School
Cis Middle School Community Service Handbook 1998-99, Cis Middle School
Curriculum
Our educational philosophy stresses the development of the whole person. Its concerns extend beyond the focus on academic and intellectual achievement and encourage responsible citizenship in the world outside the classroom.