Describes events in Fairbanks (Alaska) resulting from an attempt by some community members to remove a book about homosexuality from the high school library. The discussion covers community reactions, media coverage, and a school board campaign that focused on this issue. Tabbert's speech the night of the vote is presented in the second article.…

Profiles the National Women's History Project (NWHP). Since its inception in 1980 this nonprofit, educational organization has produced training and materials designed to increase awareness of the role of women in history and society. These include workshops, videotapes, and bibliographies. Discusses other activities of NWHP. (MJP)

Explores the content and history of the last three constitutional amendments: (1) presidential succession and disability (the Twenty-fifth amendment); (2) voting rights for young people (the Twenty-sixth amendment); and (3) congressional pay raises (the Twenty-seventh amendment). Includes questions for discussion. (CMK)

Uses Presidential and House of Representatives elections as basis for year-long curriculum focus on civics education, integrating print material, software, and the Internet. Describes classroom activities, Internet sites, and software described for four major areas: (1) campaigning for office; (2) moving into a new home; (3) reporting for work;…

Written during the summer and fall immediately following the passage of Proposition 13 (the California tax limitation amendment), this paper examines circumstances leading to its overwhelming support at the polls and the immediate efforts of state and local units of government to cope with the changes. The following are discussed: the political…

Analyzes the election and congressional career of Georgian, Andrew Young. Briefly discusses the demographic, political, and civil rights issues that combined to secure Young his first congressional seat. Includes a series of suggested teaching activities and discussion questions. (MJP)

This report examines underlying causes of racial and ethnic tensions in the Mississippi Delta. It is based on sworn testimony from a public hearing, subpoenaed documents received by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and legal research. Data are provided on: equality of economic opportunity (racial factors and economic opportunity, agriculture,…

Reports on a study of the political attitudes and views toward elections among 140 Nigerian secondary students. Argues that, if schools are to play a significant role in Nigeria, it is essential for social studies educators to try to improve the current orientation of students toward elections. (CFR)

Examines and corrects political science textbook errors concerning the electoral college. Textbooks frequently attribute specific provisions and functions of the college to the federal government when, in fact, they are controlled by the states. Historical dates and contingency provisions are other areas erroneously cited. (MJP)

This report provides a general overview of the activities and experiences of the high school sophomores of 1980, using information from High School and Beyond's (HS&B) base-year, first follow-up (1982), and second follow-up (1984) surveys. It contains a summary of descriptive information about 1980 sophomores two years after leaving high…

This narrative about new and old technologies in communicating school election issues to the voting public discusses desktop publishing, word processing, television tapes, and public opinion sampling techniques. Groundwork involves understanding how campaigns are organized to determine appropriate application of technology to strategies and to…

Provides an overview of the mission and activities of Kids Voting USA. The nonprofit organization promotes student awareness of the importance of voting through civic education programs. Kids Voting USA has projects in 40 states involving debates, craft activities, information gathering, and mock elections. (MJP)

Students of the pedagogy of teaching have found that cooperative/problem-based learning activities engage the learner, promote ownership of the material, advance the development of higher-level cognitive skills and increase retention better than more passive learning activities. Despite broad recognition within the political science discipline…

Summarizes some of the attitudes and circumstances contributing to low-voter turnout in the United States. These include apathy, language problems, lack of education, minority disincentives, a mobile population, and the discouraging effect of polls. Notes the impressive correlation between voter registration and voter participation. (MJP)

Posits a skeptical critique of the early claims of increased and efficient citizen participation in government due to information technology. Recent experiments have been costly and only marginally successful. Further research suggests that advanced information technology will have little effect on voter apathy. (MJP)