Civic engagement involves “working to make a difference in the civic life of one’s community and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values and motivation to make that difference. It means promoting the quality of life in a community, through both political and non-political processes.” Civic engagement includes both paid and unpaid forms of political activism, environmentalism, and community and national service. Volunteering, national service, and service-learning are all forms of civic engagement.
According to the 2006 National Civic and Political Health Survey, seven percent of 15- to 25-year-old Americans participated in 10 or more community engagement or political activities within the previous year.3 When compared to their peers who report no civic engagement activities, this group was more likely to be African-American, urban, attend church regularly, from a family with parents who volunteer, a current student (in college or high school), and from college-educated home.
AmeriCorps (formerly the Corporation for National and Community Service, or CNCS) is a federal agency that sends people power and funding to communities across the country for causes such as disaster response, the opioid crisis, and education.
Participation in civic engagement activities can help youth become better informed about current events. For example, according to the 2006 National Civic and Political Health Survey, approximately a quarter of youth who had not participated in civic engagement activities within the last year did not answer any questions regarding current politics correctly.
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Encourage your school and other schools in your district to Teach for Democracy. This Self-Assessment Matrix can be used to get an idea of where your school currently lies on civic engagement and informed voting, while our Checklist For School and District Leaders helps your school create a plan to ensure your students become informed, active citizens.
Students are confused about how to evaluate online information. We all are. The COR curriculum provides free lessons and assessments that help you teach students to evaluate online information that affects them, their communities, and the world.
This summer, flex your brain with CK-12's math and science FlexLets™, designed to make sure that you have your bases covered before the next school year begins!
ClassDojo's mission is to reinvent classrooms by bringing teachers, parents, and students together. Teachers use ClassDojo as a communication platform to encourage students as well as get parents engaged too.
Classic children’s books fully available online in HTML format. Includes some of the most popular books that are out of copyright.
Twelve helpful “don’ts” in classroom behavior management.
An article about how to collaborate in the classroom to create a safe social environment for children with mild disabilities.
Commemorate Black History Month in your classroom with lesson plans and resources that cover topics ranging from civil rights events to discussions about race in current events. These lessons are appropriate for history, ELA and social studies classrooms, and include resources for students in middle or high school.
Clever Crazes for Kids® brings to homes, classrooms, and after-school programs across the country, new and exciting ways to engage kids in learning about STEM (how Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics are integrated into their everyday lives). Now CCK has added Arts (turning STEM into STEAM) to demonstrate how visual arts, dance, and music interact with the other aspects of their lives. All of this is part of the interconnected web of wellness—healthy planet, healthy relationships, and healthy individuals. Strong minds are built on healthy and energetic bodies. Reducing the incidence of childhood obesity will result in children who are better learners in school and who, as adults, will have a lower incidence of heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers, depression, and other diseases that impact their health, their future careers, and our economy.
Climate Change is a free, online textbook with a detailed overview of climate change.
Climate change is an important learning and advocacy initiative for today's youth. This free PBL curriculum resource is an engaging and interactive curriculum tailored for grades K-12, focusing on climate change education.
In this engaging and influential program, youth will:
Learn about global climate and environmental problems, including the plastic trash crisis, pollution and its effects, the shortage of fresh water, and other health threats.
Discover how these problems affect their communities.
Explore how their personal choices affect the environment.
Create a proposal to solve a problem related to climate change or the environment in their community.
Present the proposal to experts.
Present the final version of their proposal to their peers at a culminating event
Climate Our Future is an award-winning video experience that educates young people on the science of climate change and empowers them to take action.
CLINIC's Emergency Planning Guide helps you formulate an emergency plan and helps you think through steps you can take before an emergency to best protect your family.
Closing the Gap in Student Performance is an initiative formed by the partnerships of twenty-five different agencies that include: local non-profits, faith-based charities, schools and government agencies to establish community partnerships in specified schools within the Buffalo Public Schools District. The initiative addresses the non-academic barriers that affect families and hinder academic success.
Character education lessons from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools that have the gowl to unite students, parents, teachers, and the community leaders to promote acceptance, achievement, and accomplishment.
Provides athletic coaches with resources to promote respectful behavior and prevent relationship abuse, harassment, and sexual assault
The Coalition for Community Schools is an alliance of national, state and local organizations in education K-16, youth development, community planning and development, family support, health and human services, government and philanthropy as well as national, state and local community school networks. They seek to mobilize the resources and capacity of multiple sectors and institutions to create a united movement for community schools.
Advocating the right of youth to be informed about and in control of their own bodies
At CODE, there are plenty of free resources that provide information to teachers, volunteers, parents, etc. to learn about coding and how to teach it to students of all ages.