Check out the new DemocracyU website, the internet home to the American Commonwealth Partnership. The website highlights the inspiring work that engaged students are achieving at universities, colleges and communities across the country. The site will include students’ personal stories of off-campus activities as well as discussion and debate on the evolving role of university and college students in engaging in public work that benefits society. (continue)

This post includes details on a new National Issues Forums documentary film on how schools can use deliberation to uncover the best ways for them to address the achievement gap. The film will be aired on PBS stations around the country in 2011, and you can (1) request a free copy of the film and (2) help make sure your local PBS station airs the film. (continue)

Teaching Democracy in Public Administration: a TDI catalyst paper on trends and future prospects is a 2008 white paper written by Matt Leighninger and produced by The Democracy Imperative and the Deliberative Democracy Consortium. The paper addresses the challenges faced by public administration educators, who are responding to trends toward democratic governance in the field. The article will be part of a special issue of the Journal of Public Deliberation devoted to deliberation and democracy in the academic disciplines. Below is a brief description taken ... (continue)

Even with a high school diploma, too many students these days arrive at college lacking the right kind of preparation, knowledge and attitude to succeed. This Public Agenda Choicework guide explores the question: How can our community work together to ensure that students arrive ready for success in college? Based on decades of research and experience concerning how average citizens think and talk about issues, Public Agenda’s Choicework Discussion Starters are designed to help groups and communities talk productively about public problems. Public Agenda’s Choicework ... (continue)

Different people often have different ideas about what the goals of afterschool programs should be. Given that resources for afterschool programs are limited, and no single program can be all things to all people, communities need to make decisions about what kinds of afterschool programs they want to invest in. This Public Agenda Choicework guide explores the question: What kind of after school program do you think is best for your community, and why? Based on decades of research and experience concerning how average citizens ... (continue)

This 2010 Public Agenda Choicework guide explores the question: What can we do, in our schools and community, to keep young people in school and on track for graduation? In today’s world, a high school diploma is not just a good idea, it’s essential. It’s essential for individuals and their futures. In fact, over their lifetimes, high school dropouts earn roughly $200,000 less than high school graduates and about $1.4 million less than college graduates. It’s essential for our community as well. We need an ... (continue)

This 2010 Public Agenda Choicework guide explores the question: What can we do in our schools and community to inspire and help more parents to become more involved in their children’s education? If there’s one thing that just about everyone involved in education agrees on, it’s that when parents are actively and constructively involved in their children’s education it can make a very big difference in how well students do in school. Parents (or grandparents or guardians) are not only their children’s first teachers, they ... (continue)

This 2004 case study by the Public Agenda examines the organization’s work with the Nebraska State Board of Education and the Nebraska Department of Education, where it helped to design and implement a public engagement process to address the issue of how to define the “essential education” for all students. Public Agenda conducted focus groups and helped selected districts facilitate discussion forums with more than 370 parents, students, educators (teachers, principals and superintendents) and members of the general public. Resource Link: http://www.publicagenda.org/public-engagement-projects/nebraskans-weigh-essential-educational-opportunities-all-students (continue)

A 2005 report by Public Agenda on 10 years of public engagement on public education topics in over 70 communities across Connecticut. Supported by the William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund, the report serves as a comprehensive case study of how public engagement can work in communities across America and discusses the specific accomplishments in Connecticut. (continue)

Marrying Citizens and Educators in Decision Making, written by Matt Leighninger, was published in the November 2005 issue of The School Administrator. The article discusses the increasing prevalence of cooperation between school administrators and the public and examines two specific cases of public engagement projects in Hamilton, Ontario, and and Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The introduction of the article is excerpted below; the full text can be found at http://www.aasa.org/SchoolAdministratorArticle.aspx?id=7752. The growing attraction between citizens and educators can form the basis of a fruitful school-community relationship. ... (continue)