The Spellings Commission report calls for greater access to higher education for low- and moderate-income students, greater transparency in the way higher education works and greater accountability for producing results. These recommendations are all significant in their own right, but the three concepts also converge to provide powerful support…

This article scopes some of the key political elements in the higher educational use of the read/write web, or Web2.0 as it is commonly known. It investigates ways in which these tools can be used to enhance deliberative democracy, the associations between individuals and their capability for decision-making. The structuring of spaces in which…

Building faculty or professional learning communities is an idea that has come of age. This article describes work being done within the Brigham Young University (BYU)-Public School Partnership to form and sustain such communities across higher and public education and in ways consistent with the four aims of the Agenda for Education in a…

The meaning of equality has been radically altered since the Enlightenment. In the 18th century, equality acquired political and economic meanings specifically in the contexts of democracy and capitalism. Today, the context in which equality is understood and practiced is technology as our most immediate and compelling environment. Moreover, the…

The national presidential election, still in the primary stages, has galvanized the country like none since 1968. Sounding a chord with college students and generating on campuses a level of political passion and excitement the likes of which college presidents haven't seen for four decades, the election of 2008 is being figured in the press as a…

This document supports the following positions on building community: (1) as a society, there is a lack of a conceptual framework to engage in moral discourse, and a lack of a clear understanding of the notion of democracy; and (2) to build "real" community requires a means to engage in moral discourse, a clear understanding of…

This document discusses the framework for civic education in Estonia. Objectives of civic education in Estonia come from the traditional beliefs of Estonian society, the new demands of social change, standards established by the Council of Europe, and experiences of neighboring countries. The main objective of civic education is to teach a new…

This book presents essays written by school reformers that discuss the reform movement and examine the partnership that inspired the creation of small, intimate school communities known as charters. They also reflect on the comprehensive changes that inform each charter and the personal and collective struggles to institutionalize these new…

Participation in Service activities can be a vital component to civics and social studies education. The sources selected for this topic ERIC bibliography on civics, social studies, and services are intended to aid practitioners in thinking about the developing service activities in their classrooms, schools, and communities. Divided into three…

This paper argues that there is a near-complete absence of the ideals of democracy from the rhetoric and results of those who make, influence, and implement educational policy. Tied to this is the assertion that any loss of the educational ideal constitutes a loss of democratic ideal. The connection between education and liberal democracy is…

Technical communicators can act as educators, using their skills at bridging the gap between technology producers and consumers to show people what they can do with the new technology of computer-mediated communication (CMC), which is widely expected to bring about great social change. If CMC is to succeed where television failed at educating and…

This essay traces the history of the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment freedoms of assembly and petition--the "right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." These freedoms had their origins in English law and were included in a number of colonial and then state constitutions…

Noting that one way to break boundaries that separate one person from another is to use the writing experience to identify and analyze values, this paper presents guidelines for defining values, discussing values, and teaching about values. Teaching and discussion aids are provided to enhance the examination of narratives and biographies, which…

A recurrent refrain in education is that a restructuring initiative's success hinges on the extent to which the school staff shares goals. An examination of this notion, called the "consensus thesis," is provided in this paper. The report draws on findings taken from a study of two English secondary schools that developed provisions for…

This policy essay urges institutions of higher education to meet the needs of the public by creating more public space on their campuses. It briefly reviews the relationship between these institutions and the citizenry since colonial times, notes renewed efforts by Americans to band together for common public purposes, and reports a study which…