The early and formative years of women's involvement in the political structure of the United States was filled with high hopes, especially issues related to women and children. Educational reform was one of the major goals that women hoped to achieve. As demonstrated by an in-depth look at the 1920 National Convention of the Republican Party,…

Voter apathy is at an all-time high in the United States. Important decisions and policies are being determined through disappointing turnouts at the voting polls. In a democratic society, this is unconscionable! Voter turnout needs to improve, but what part can teachers play, besides voting, in helping to change voter apathy? Today's students…

In this article we discuss how classroom voting can be used to create an active learning environment, to provide immediate feedback for both students and teacher and to motivate students to participate in discussions about mathematics.

The purpose of this article is to identify power through voting-school boards; it must be explicitly identified and highlighted as a way to empower students and their families. Implications for teachers are discussed, as their role in public schools is crucial to improved parent participation. It examines how Latino parents have used the justice…

Describes a unit on voting conducted by high school seniors for first graders in Bangor, Maine. Lists learning goals for both groups, describing how high school teacher and students collaborated with first-grade teacher to develop the unit and construct teaching aids. Details the unit's components, including a voting game, democracy, voting…

Describes how one district mounted a successful campaign to get its budget passed after the same budget was defeated three months earlier. (IRT)

Examines this fall's record number of school-related citizen initiatives, which appear to be the work of earnest do- gooders and a healthy sign of democracy in action, noting that as Oregon's campaigns show, direct democracy has become politics as usual. (SM)

Despite a number of savvy strategies, it was a tough year at the polls for libraries. Both building and operating referenda had the lowest passage rates this decade, with only 52% of capital referenda and 57% of operating referenda finding success. In fact, in the 18 years since Library Journal has been tracking these votes, 2005 had the lowest…

Maintains that the expansion of voting rights to African Americans and women is an appropriate topic for Social Studies courses. Discusses suffrage in New York state between 1848 and 1920. Includes a table depicting the women's suffrage campaign in New York state and a list of other resources on the topic. (CFR)

Asserts that the United States has a long, sad history of discrimination against minority rights. Discusses the origins and history of minority inclusion or affirmative action programs. Includes a special report on the "English Only" movement. (CFR)

Describes efforts to enlist community support for a bond referendum to build two new elementary schools in Lunenburg County, Virginia. Recommends (1) establishing a grassroots organization; (2) emphasizing moral issues; (3) stressing needs of the school system; (4) orienting the campaign toward the future; (5) starting the campaign early; and (6)…

After meeting as a community to set policy on schools and other matters since 1766, residents of Deerfield, New Hampshire, are altering that democratic process to make room for modern demands. This article describes the decision in Deerfield to discontinue holding the traditional New England annual school district meeting. Instead, by a thin…

Students at many public universities often have a substantial say in what they will pay for the construction of non-academic facilities usually through referenda in which they vote to enact fees to cover the debt service on the building. However, some students are reluctant to vote in any new fee, given that tuition regularly increases at…

How can teachers get today's students--and tomorrow's voters--really interested in the presidential election? At Moorestown Friends School, a coed Quaker preK-12 day school in Moorestown, New Jersey, the students participate in a simulated presidential selection process that leaves them energized and informed about the candidates and the issues.…

For students of history, the acrimonious and contentious 1876 presidential canvass came to mind during the 2000 election imbroglio. Democrat Samuel J. Tilden won the popular vote, but to the dismay of outraged Democrats, an electoral commission of eight Republicans and seven Democrats decided along strict party lines to give twenty disputed…