Outlines activities designed to help students understand the conflicting and complementary relationships between a democratic government and individual rights. Topics include majority rule and minority rights conflicts; limitations placed on majority rule; the U.S. Bill of Rights; and whether protection of individual rights is necessary to good…

To help public schools produce well-educated citizens, the Center for Civic Education (originating at UCLA in 1965) works with elementary and secondary school students and teachers to promote better understanding of such basic democratic principles as due process, federalism, and judicial review. The process transforms student interactions while…

Knowledge of the United States Constitution was investigated for 111 randomly selected college students. Many students had little or no knowledge/understanding of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. No significant differences were found between those who had read the Constitution and those who had never read it. (SLD)

Civic education in public schools faces major challenges. Under No Child Left Behind, many schools have favored teaching math and English rather than civics, which undermines one of the purposes of public schools--to educate students to be responsible and active citizens in democracy. A second challenge comes inside the classroom: engaging the…

The Constitution provides the ground rules to create obligations on the state and to transform the education system by introducing human rights in line with the best developed democracies. This article is not about state-compelled school attendance, but rather the observe: the right to attend school. So while the right to attend school is part of…

Discusses censorship, the Internet, and school librarians. Topics include the Communications Decency Act; the American Library Association's stand against censorship; the Constitution and the Bill of Rights; free flow of information versus responsible usage; the Internet's lack of government control; and school librarians as protectors of…

By law and example, school boards must govern within scope of Bill of Rights. Cites West Virginia State Board of Education v Barnette, in which Supreme Court in 1943 upheld two Jehovah's Witness children's right to refuse to participate in daily flag salute ceremony. Urges schools to teach students principles of democracy and also of individual…

Considers who was intended to have civil rights under the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Suggests that broad and inclusive historical analysis reveals individual citizens as the intended beneficiaries. Argues that the founders established a constitutional framework flexible enough to function in the transition from patriarchy and…

We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution is an educational program developed by the Center for Civic Education (the Center). The program instructs students on the history and principles of American constitutional democracy with the primary goal of promoting civic competence and responsibility among the nation's elementary, middle, and…

Suggests three monumental social changes in U.S. history have moved us closer to a viable democracy: the Bill of Rights, the abolition of slavery, and woman's suffrage. Notes children face many types of poverty; a children's rights amendment would focus child advocacy efforts. Discusses the precedent of the Equal Rights Amendment, which failed by…

"We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution," is an educational program developed by the Center for Civic Education. The program instructs students on the history and principles of American constitutional democracy with the primary goal of promoting civic competence and responsibility among the nation's elementary, middle, and…

This document from the Virginia Department of Education reports on a project to enable public schools to meet requirements of two laws. The first law required public schools to emphasize instruction on the documents of Virginia and United States history and government. The second requested that all public schools be urged to display copies of the…

This study guide is a product of the Idaho Humanities Council (IHC). The guide is the result of IHC's July 2002 summer institute for teachers held at Albertson College of Idaho (Caldwell). Twenty five Idaho teachers participated. They explored U.S. Constitutional issues and political decisions and participated in a simulated congressional hearing…

When George Washington was sworn in as the first President of the United States on April 30, 1789, the U.S. Constitution had already been ratified, yet the future of the new country was at risk. Some people wanted a bill of rights added to the U.S. Constitution to guarantee individual liberties. Two groups opposed each other--the Federalists…

Focusing on the history and principles of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights, the high school text and teacher's guide are intended to be the basis of study for the competitive component of the "We the People... The Citizen and the Constitution" civic education program. The 40 lessons in the text are divided into 6 study units…