The first three years of a child’s life are a time of great opportunity, as well as risk. We can tip the scales in favor of healthy development by providing early experiences and relationships that help babies and toddlers thrive. Our failure to do so can lead to long-lasting harm to our children, communities, and economy. In order to consider ways to ensure a good start for all West Virginia’s children, the Early Childhood Advisory Council of West Virginia joined with the West Virginia Center ... (continue)

On February 1, 2013, National Issues Forums Institute (NIFI) released an Issue Advisory that contains materials that communities might wish to use in deliberating over the issues raised by the tragic events in Newtown, Connecticut in December 2012. This “issue advisory” is not a full NIF issue guide, but a basic outline of the options, entitled How Can We Stop Mass Shootings in Our Communities? It can be downloaded here. The 4-page issue advisory was written by NCDD member Brad Rourke, a Kettering Foundation program officer. (continue)

The National Issues Forums Institute provides many resources for teachers.  Along with an entire section of their website dedicated to educators (including classroom material, issue guides and course descriptions), NIF has created an online forum space where educators can share experiences using NIF material. Are you looking for new ways to engage students in productive, deliberative conversations in your classroom? Are you interested in connecting with other teachers who are thinking about ways to instruct a new generation of citizens? Have you used National Issues ... (continue)

This issue guide was created in 2007 by Kansas State University’s Institute for Civic Discourse and Democracy (ICDD) in association with the National Association of Mental Illness (Kansas).  David Proctor, ICDD director, has made this issue guide available for anyone who is interested in using it to deliberate about mental illness and public policy. The 16-page guide, titled Addressing Mental Health Care: a handbook for discussion & deliberation, presents three possible approaches for deliberation: Approach One – Consumers Come First Supporters of this approach believe that privacy is paramount and that individuals should have ... (continue)

The National Issues Forums Institute’s website includes a dedicated section devoted to sharing resources and information on deliberation programs for educators and the students they work with. Section description from the National Issues Forums Institute website… This is a space where educators of all kinds can learn more about deliberation and its use in the classroom and other educational communities. It is a place to connect with each other, to share your experiences and to learn how deliberation has been integrated into K-12 curriculum, after school ... (continue)

This 206-page book by Patricia Moore Harbour asserts that the relationships between education, community, and democracy are inseparable and illustrates that education is broader than just schooling. “Harbour challenges current thinking about education and reveals how the public participates in the education and development of youth.”  Continued from the book’s description… “This book is a call for action and responsibility—both individual and collective—to transform education beyond simply reforming schools. The author’s professional educational experiences, combined with stories from the field by and about youth and community ... (continue)

The National Issues Forums Institute’s Online Forum section of their website provides a space for online discussions focused on the various issues and topics related to past and ongoing National Issues Forums.  NIF also provides a collection of links to other online discussions dealing with similar themes. Section description from the National Issues Forums Institute website… You are invited to start or continue discussions, or post comments, related to the National Issues Forums (NIF) and public deliberative forums. As a national network of nonpartisan, locally sponsored public forums ... (continue)

CIRCLE (The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement) released a new study in August 2012 on how out-of-school youth engage in civic life, and what stands in their way. Many practitioners informed this project, which was produced in collaboration with the Charles F. Kettering Foundation. A vibrant and thriving democracy requires a deeply engaged and active citizenry. “Civic engagement” encompasses all the ways we identify and understand common problems in our communities, nation, and world. Robust civic engagement not only creates healthy societies; it ... (continue)

One of the National Issues Forums Institute’s issue guides, Jobs: Preparing a Workforce for the 21st Century outlines this public issue and several choices or approaches to addressing the issue. National Issues Forums do not advocate a specific solution or point of view, but provide citizens the opportunity to consider a broad range of choices, weigh the pros and cons of those options, and meet with each other in a public dialogue to identify the concerns they hold in common. From the issue guide… Welcome ... (continue)

One of the National Issues Forums Institute’s issue guides, Admissions Decisions: Should Immigration Be Restricted? outlines this public issue and several choices or approaches to addressing the issue. National Issues Forums do not advocate a specific solution or point of view, but provide citizens the opportunity to consider a broad range of choices, weigh the pros and cons of those options, and meet with each other in a public dialogue to identify the concerns they hold in common. From the issue guide description… Besieged by ... (continue)