Describes the different perspectives held by minority students toward the legal system and how Law Day can enhance their view of the legal system. Reiterates that many lessons in social studies are value laden and one important goal is to teach the difference between neutrality and objectivity. (GG)

Outlines the six elements from educational research that enhance the value of community service programs. Summarizes three school-based programs: Community Involvement Program in Minnetonka, Minnesota; Early Adolescent Helper Program in New York, New York; and Youth Community Service in Los Angeles, California. (SLM)

Discusses how advanced English as a second language students' concerns about a public issue generated a student-produced curriculum on AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). The writing project served pedagogical purposes within the framework of citizenship. (CB)

Examines Colombia's efforts to halt escalating violence and social destruction through political and educational decentralization aimed at bolstering participatory democracy. Discusses the efficiency and anticorruption goals of centralization policies of the 1970s. Describes lack of shared vision and other national and local barriers to…

Presents text from the vision statement for family friendly libraries to help citizens who are experiencing difficulties with public library system policies of the American Library Association. Describes five articles from the statement: traditional family emphasis, parental library rights, respect for standards and laws, respect for minors, and…

Discusses a student-initiated community involvement program in Limestone, Maine, prompted by economic and emotional anxiety over closing of Loring Air Force Base. Student survey showed overwhelming support for community commitment. Introduces the Maine Community Foundation and the Aroostook County Fund, discusses their intentions, and delineates…

Discusses the ways in which families and children with developmental disabilities can attain "full citizenship" with a creed of positive contribution, great expectations, friendships, choices, and strengths. (BB)

Discusses the education for citizenship program that is part of the National Curriculum in Great Britain. Maintains that citizenship can be interpreted in a minimal, or formal way or in a maximal, or more personal fashion. Calls for a national debate to define more clearly the meaning of citizenship. (CFR)

Describes a New Jersey high school's development and implementation of a question-driven model for interdisciplinary research designed to improve students' writing skills, research skills, and their understanding of, and interest in, the local community. (PRA)

One of the purposes of professional education is to educate professionals to honor their social responsibility. This paper presents three stories that identify important preconditions in education for social responsibility. The preconditions include socially responsive faculty and field integrity. Each story includes morals (i.e., lessons about…

Illustrates the enormous range of citizens who entered curricular disputes, the diverse strategies they employed, and the disparate results of their efforts, suggesting a new explanation for the decline of the traditional three-R's and the rise of a differentiated curriculum during the early 20th century. Highlights citizen effects on history,…

Depicts efforts by a second-grade teacher and her students to understand the complex issues of and interact within a community that they conceptualized, built, and lived in. The study examined how students gained civic competence and made informed decisions. The results show how students struggled to understand, cope with, and solve problems that…

Argues that teachers need to dispel the misconceptions of the federal bureaucracy that are fueled by political rhetoric and the lack of information in textbooks. Addresses three misconceptions: (1) the autonomy of bureaucracies; (2) interest groups, Congress, and bureaucracies; and (3) public participation in the regulatory process. Outlines…

Analysis of data from the Iowa Youth and Families Project establishes that parents' social involvement is a source of social capital for their children. Rural children's connection to a civic culture and their involvement in community groups are encouraged by parental social participation and further enhanced by parents' ties to farming. (Contains…

Forecasts what the social studies will be like in the year 2050 A.D. Discusses issues such as the nature of school, the teaching of religion and morality, the type of knowledge taught, and characteristics and preparation of social studies teachers. (CMK)