In the Democracy School Program, students choose a community problem and implement a Civic Service project to help solve it. The most effective way for students to learn the values and skills of democracy, leadership and problem solving is to practice these skills in projects to serve their school, community, nation and world. The Civic Education Center has now served over 2,000 students with civic service projects, working with community advisors to solve real problems in their school or community.
Outcomes:
• Community benefits (people, institutions, environment, economy, security, etc.)
• Impact on students (civic education, career preparation, personal development)
• Improvement of school culture and connections with parents and community
• Professional development and community support for teachers
• Institutionalization of this instructional strategy in schools and districts
• Still earn the new State Seal of Civic Engagement
• Preparation of the next generation to meet the challenges of the 21st Century
The Civics Secures Democracy Act
Take action: bit.ly/supportcivics
Watch Visalia Unifieds’ Student Services Director Brandon Gridiron discuss Black History in Tulare County. This video is an outcome of the District’s Common Ground Task Force facilitated by our CEO Stephen Morris.
The Educating for Democracy Act
The Center for American Progress reports that, as of 2018, only nine states and the District of Columbia require a full year of civics or government studies while 31 require a half year of studies and fully ten states have no civics requirements at all. That lack of emphasis is reflected in low achievement levels on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NEAP) and, for those students who take advanced placement U.S. government assessments, among the lowest achievement scores among the several dozen tested subject areas. The federal government, too, has chronically underinvested in support for civics education. Civics education can empower students with the necessary knowledge, skills, and mindsets to engage effectively in in the civic and political life of their communities. In today’s contentious civil environment, it is more important than ever that students are equipped with knowledge of our institutions and confronted with the enduring questions of civic life and political change. The Educating for Democracy Act represents a bipartisan commitment to strengthening civics education, from K-12 through higher education. Click link below to read the full report.