Service-learning is a high-impact practice that increases students' engagement with class material and the community. However, a critical lens is needed to strengthen students' understanding of and commitment to social justice and the inclusion of students from diverse backgrounds. This mixed method study examined the impact of a critical…

A number of social and ecological justice educators have long recognized the need for educational institutions to foster the development of a critical interest in civic engagement. They also have recognized the lack of appropriate education for students who are already civically engaged. One popular way to address this context in higher education…

We examined the degree to which civic learning activities and civic discussion in the classroom were associated with children's civic engagement in the upper elementary grades. We also explored the types of civic activities used by teachers during middle childhood. Survey data were collected from 359 ethnically and economically diverse 4th-6th…

This article explores civic development and its roles in the lives of emerging adults, and the ways in which college contexts--particularly Christian colleges and universities--may foster adaptive civic development. First, the article presents an argument for the importance of fostering civic development as rooted in historic truths of the…

In a time of declining federal funding, partnerships that can leverage resources to accomplish complementary goals are vital to creating and maintaining successful communities. HUD's Office of University Partnerships (OUP) has fostered these partnerships by investing funds in institutions of higher education (IHEs), which use these grants to…

Traditional approaches to civic engagement have been marginalized and have had little impact on the core curriculum. "Critical civic literacy" is an alternative curricular approach to civic engagement that explicitly moves departments, disciplines, and degree programs to examine issues of social responsibility and social justice from the…

This article considers the impact of service-learning in diverse communities on student civic development. A key debate in the literature is whether service-learning in diverse communities fosters student moral/cognitive development or reinforces preexisting stereotypes. This debate has significant implications for student's future civic…

The Community Legal Information Center (CLIC) of California State University, Chico, provides a unique civic engagement program designed to serve the legal service needs of Northern California. Founded in 1969, CLIC is now a 12-program, on-campus law clinic staffed by up to 125 undergraduate students each semester and is the most extensive…

This article describes a model of civic engagement based on four key community organizing practices, created at Occidental College and implemented since 2001. The foundations of this model do not include confrontation, mass mobilization, or demonstrations--tactics commonly associated with the term community organizing. This model, instead,…

This dissertation studies the creation and implementation of service learning policy and the implications of these programs for democratic citizenship and political participation. The project focuses on service learning centers at three universities in the Los Angeles area, framing the creation and implementation of these campus-wide centers as an…

This paper examines a burgeoning network of organizations that is inventing new forms of community renewal and citizenship education. Their names vary--some call themselves public policy institutes, others centers for civic life--yet they share a common methodology, one aimed at tackling tough public issues, strengthening communities, and…

The University of California is the nation's largest and most prestigious public research institution. As such, we have an opportunity and a responsibility to assume a leadership role in an emerging national movement within higher education, translating our identity as a land grant institution into 21st century terms. On June 10, 2005, over 70…

Founded in 1995 and envisioned as a university that would prepare graduates to be active, engaged citizens, California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB) developed a distinctive approach to civic engagement. Guided by an ambitious Vision Statement, CSUMB actualizes its civic engagement goals through an academic plan that mandates service…

In this California state curriculum model for grade 12, "Principles of American Democracy," students study the life of Cesar E. Chavez. The students observe the direct relationship between his work and political philosophy and the U.S. political and legal system. Students examine how Chavez's ideas and actions are a blueprint for active…

In this California state curriculum model for grade 8, "United States History and Geography: A More Perfect Union," students study the life, work, and philosophy of Cesar E. Chavez. They learn about historical events and developments in the United States that Chavez encountered. They examine how Chavez worked to bring the promises…