CIRCLE Applauds New Social Studies Framework
Last week, the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) released its College, Career and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards. CIRCLE Director Peter Levine chaired the project’s Civics Writing Committee and hailed the document as an important tool that should help states strengthen their standards and boost students’ civic knowledge and engagement.
The C3 Framework, developed over three years by representatives from more than twenty states and fifteen social studies organizations, is consistent with CIRCLE’s research findings. It includes guidance for teaching America’s founding documents and systems of government and incorporates a strong “action civics” component that features classroom discussion of current issues and experiential learning.
Click here to read CIRCLE’s full response to the new framework.
Peter Levine, CIRCLE Director, Releases New Book on Civic Renewal in America
Peter Levine’s new book We Are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For: The Promise of Civic Renewal in America (Oxford University Press), is now available. Alberto Ibargüen, President and CEO of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, says, “We know what it means to get better leaders. But how are we supposed to produce better citizens? That’s the question Peter Levine brings into focus. If the examples he describes can spur the one million most active citizens into a movement for civic renewal, we will all benefit from communities that are more deliberative, more collaborative, and more engaged.”
And Senator Bob Graham says, “As America has wallowed through an unprecedented decline in civic engagement, Peter Levine has been a lighthouse warning of the dangers of civic alienation. Now, he makes the encouraging case that although we will live for a while with the consequences of past mistakes, the worst of the storm is over.”
Peter will be speaking about We are the Ones … at events that are open to the public: Sept. 25, at Morven Park in Northern VA; Oct. 2, at Elon University; Oct. 10 at the MIT Center for Civic Media; October 21 at Harvard University’s Gutman Library (with Jane Mansbridge and Marshall Ganz); and Nov. 9 at the Texas Conference on Civic Life in Austin, TX. |
CIRCLE Senior Researcher Discusses Using “You for Youth” Web Portal to Enhance Civic Projects
Last week, CIRCLE Senior Researcher Felicia Sullivan joined Jill Bass from the Mikva Challenge for a webinar discussing civic learning and engagement, why it’s a priority for the US Department of Education, and how practitioners can use You for Youth (Y4Y) to enhance local civic projects. Watch the full webinar here.
Get the 2012 Voting Rates for your Campus!
CIRCLE and Tisch College’s National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE) is a research initiative that will measure college students’ voting rates and create a comprehensive national dataset.
Currently, we are in the process of analyzing data for more than 260 campuses. We are now accepting authorization forms for the next group of campuses interested in 2012 rates. Sign up now to ensure comparisons for future elections. Learn more here.
Stay connected to CIRCLE on facebook and twitter to learn more. Sign up here for CIRCLE’s monthly e-update. |
