WASHINGTON — Six $150,000 grants – to promote civic learning in the public schools of Colorado, Maine, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina and Pennsylvania—were announced today by the Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools.

The Campaign is a major national initiative to renew and restore a core purpose of public education—preparing America’s young people to be informed and active citizens in our democracy. It is funded by Carnegie Corporation of New York and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and managed by the Council for Excellence in Government in partnership with the Academy for Educational Development. The Campaign endorses a comprehensive approach to civic learning, with schools not only being places where young people acquire knowledge but where they also are exposed to all facets of citizenship through experiential activities that instill civic knowledge, skill, and behavior.

The grants were awarded through a rigorous national competition, with the six winning coalitions selected from 36 state proposals. Each grant covers a two-year period beginning in November and will help support the work of state-level coalitions organized to advance the cause of civic learning.

“This is a milestone for a Campaign that’s only six months old,” David Skaggs, Executive Director of the Campaign and former Congressman from Colorado, said in announcing the grants. “Over the next two years we expect these state coalitions to show what can be done to restore civic learning to a central place in our schools.”

“Today’s students must experience, debate, understand and argue about what it means to be a citizen. There is no better place to transmit the ideas—and the challenges—inherent in our democracy than in school,” said Vartan Gregorian, president of Carnegie Corporation of New York. “The work to be done in the states chosen for these grants will not only revitalize the teaching of our democratic principles, but strengthen them as well.”

Knight Foundation president and CEO Hodding Carter III voiced his support of the campaign. “We are convinced that we need to reknit the strands tying together the republic’s civic life,” he said. “That means we must be about the business of encouraging and supporting citizenship education, beginning in grammar schools and progressing straight through secondary and higher education.”

The six state coalitions consist of a wide range of civic and professional organizations, educators, government officials, youth service organizations, philanthropies, media and corporations. The grant selection criteria specifically encouraged broadly based coalitions to apply.

“We want all Colorado students to experience high quality civic education,” said Jill Conrad, Director of the Colorado Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools. “Our bipartisan coalition of over 150 educational, community, and policy leaders is ready to take action so that all our students graduate with knowledge and skills needed to be productive citizens.”

“We are delighted to be among the grant recipients,” Maine Education Commissioner Susan A. Gendron stated. “The grant will help us provide our young people with opportunities for authentic participation in democratic processes and ensure that they develop the beliefs, skills, and knowledge to be effective citizens.”

“What could be more important than civic education?” asked Senator Ron Jelinek and Representative Hoon-Yung Hopgood, Co-Chairs of the Michigan Coalition on Civic Education. “Active participation is a cornerstone of democracy, and this grant will help Michigan in both improving civic learning and also instilling the excitement of being active citizens.”

Judith Simpson, Coordinator from the Nevada Advisory Committee on Participatory Democracy, stated, “A revived and focused civics education program in our schools will help our youth better understand the greatness of our nation and more fully appreciate the political process that has made the United States a beacon for democracy in the world.”

“The North Carolina Civic Education Consortium is excited about the opportunity provided by this grant,” Debra J. Henzey, Director of the Consortium, commented. “It will assist us in filling gaps in our knowledge of best practices that promote life-long civic engagement and in giving policymakers better information on decisions that support these practices.”

“We welcome the opportunity this grant affords us to improve civic learning across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and to inspire our youth with a better understanding of the importance of participation in our democratic system and the gift that is our United States citizenship.” U. S. Circuit Judge Marjorie O. Rendell, First Lady of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, said.

The Campaign’s focus on improving policy and practice affecting civic learning at the state and local level reflects the fact that most educational policy is made and most resources are provided at that level. The Campaign is reviewing applications to support smaller projects and will announce grants to 12 additional state coalitions next month. It will also pursue support for the civic mission of schools at the national level, working with Congress, the Administration and various national organizations.

The Campaign’s work is grounded in the Civic Mission of Schools report [February 2003, civicmissionofschools.org] and is guided by a Steering Committee composed of representatives from some 40 national organizations active in the field. These organizations have a variety of missions and emphases but are working collaboratively to develop a richer, comprehensive approach to civic learning.

The Council for Excellence in Government [www.excelgov.org] is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C. The Council’s mission is to improve understanding of, participation in, and performance of our government and representative democracy. The Academy for Educational Development [www.aed.org] is a leading human and social development organization. It operates more than 250 programs in all 50 states and 80 countries to help people improve their lives through better education, health, and economic opportunities.