There are few curricular programs or activities in the schools which help students develop skills that enable them to participate actively in voluntary civic or political activities. Literacy, and especially civic writing, is critical for participation in the civic process. But teaching civic writing, which is distinguished by its purposes,…

A comparative study of constitutions and governments in world history is a key to deeper understanding of the U.S. Constitution. While many countries have constitutions, the United States is among a minority of nations in today's world that has a constitutional government. Many nations' constitutions truly guarantee few protections of individual…

This volume is the first published historical dictionary of Hispanic American voluntary organizations. The work analyzes the history, purposes, organizational structure, activities, and goals of nearly 200 national and local voluntary organizations and associations. Each entry includes source data. The book focuses on the three major Hispanic…

This ERIC digest discusses civic education in U.S. schools in terms of: (1) its meaning; (2) its place in the curriculum; (3) its effects on learners; and (4) suggested methods of improving it. Civic education involves the development of skills in making decisions about public issues and participating in public affairs and encompasses the…

Intended to help secondary and college students and adults develop a clearer understanding of how our democracy works, this booklet examines how Congress makes legislative decisions and how it collects the information necessary to legislate. With 100 Senators, 435 Representatives, and 20,000 staff people receiving and processing information,…

This booklet provides a practical guide for schools to use to help involve parents and citizens in the educational system. It is provided as a resource for Michigan school districts. Schools play a key role in the involvement of parents and citizens in three major areas: (1) communicating with all parties to ensure support and understanding; (2)…

The guide is designed to help educators integrate the study of aging into the high school curriculum. Objectives are to promote and support the study of aging and the aging process, dispel popular misconceptions surrounding aging, aid educators in establishing programs with, by, and for seniors, and provide a list of helpful resource groups.…

This manual, developed by the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, is intended to help concerned community members make school health education a reality. It provides suggestions on how to get people organized to take the right steps. The manual's suggestions are based on three statements. First, health education means teaching people…

The belief in citizen participation, along with the values of liberty and equality, have shaped the U.S. character and are reflected in the nation's institutions and behavior. This participation is manifested by electoral participation, citizen action, citizen involvement, obligatory participation, volunteer service, and mutual self-help. To take…

This booklet was created to help communities (especially in Minnesota) to build community partnerships through community education. Such partnerships are needed in order to identify and meet community needs that are no longer being addressed by the Federal Government. The booklet is organized in three sections. The first section outlines the need…

This paper identifies various goals for citizen monitoring groups concerned with the enforcement of rights that accompany racial desegregation, sex equality, and aid for the handicapped in schools, and presents recommendations for successful civil rights group monitoring. It is suggested that successful citizen monitoring requires: (1)…

This report describes the history of racial integration in the Tulsa (Oklahoma) Public Schools from 1954 to 1982. The first section examines integration from 1954 to 1969, and discusses such initial steps as boundary changes and school transfers that were made in response to government policy and legislation for integration. The second section…

Appropriate for secondary school social studies, this booklet outlines approaches for dealing with the threat of nuclear warfare in six sections. The first section, "Learning to Live with Nuclear Weapons," introduces the topic and considers what can be done to decrease the risk of nuclear warfare without jeopardizing the nation's security. "Arms…

Presented in this annotated bibliography are 857 entries which deal with ethics, attitudes, and values and the relationship of these topics to the natural environment. The entries (numbered consecutively throughout the book) are arranged by these categories and subcategories: (1) comprehensive--general, decision-making, planning, and population;…

This paper applies the Eulau and Karps framework for explaining the responsiveness of legislative bodies to public school boards. Eulau and Karps argue that responsiveness deals with a complex, multidimensional set of transactional relationships that can be analytically divided into four components. A high level of responsiveness in one component…