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Civic Skills and Federal Policy
On April 29, 2010, scholars, civic leaders, and federal officials met in Washington to develop a federal policy agenda for civic skills. The conference was convened by CIRCLE at Tufts University’s Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service. It was co-sponsored by the Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools and Strengthening Our Read More >
Four Youth Organizations that are Working to Build Civic Skills
In 2003, CIRCLE published work by Dr. Mary Kirlin, who conducted a comprehensive literature search for measures of civic skills among young people. This search led her to split “civic skills” into four major categories: collective decision-making, critical thinking, organization and communication. The following article provides examples for how today’s youth organizations are trying to Read More >
Federal Policy and Civic Skills
CIRCLE releases a new fact sheet entitled “Civic Skills and Federal Policy” (PDF). The fact sheet notes that citizens can improve their communities, the government, and the nation through active civic engagement and collaboration. To do so requires skills. Educational programs and other government-supported initiatives have been shown to enhance Americans’ civic skills and their levels of engagement. But these programs and other opportunities are scarce and unequal, often provided to people who are already the most likely to be engaged.
Strengths and Weaknesses in U.S. Students’ Knowledge and Skills: Analysis from the IEA Civic Education Study
by Judith Torney-Purta and Carolyn Henry Barber June 2004 Based on IEA data. Reports American student performance on knowledge measures in relation to the international mean, home background, topics studied in school, and attitudes about types of civic participation. Download “Strengths and Weaknesses in U.S. Students’ Knowledge and Skills: Analysis from the IEA Civic Education Read More >
ECS Study Reveals Gaps in State-Level Policy Regarding Civic Education
In June 2006, The Education Commission of the States (ECS) National Center for Learning and Citizenship (NCLC) conducted a policy scan to define the current state of citizenship education. The study found that states were emphasizing knowledge of civics and government, obtained through traditional classroom instruction. Civic knowledge is necessary, but not sufficient; citizens also Read More >
