This announcement comes from Allison Rizzolo, Communications Associate at Public Agenda — an NCDD organizational member.  Public Agenda’s nonpartisan voter guides are back for the 2012 election, premiering on June 13, 2012 with “The Federal Budget: A Citizens’ Solutions Guide.” This important resource offers an unbiased and realistic examination of government spending and helps voters understand the trade-offs and consequences behind policy scenarios that candidates have endorsed. Public Agenda has produced these trusty and crucial “crib sheets” in every presidential election since 1996, to help citizens […] (continue)

Toward Wiser Public Judgment (2011) revisits and expands upon Yankelovich's seminal 1991 book, Coming to Public Judgment, which argued that people advance through several distinct stages to form politically meaningful judgments about public issues. In particular, citizens must "work through" the temptation to opt for easy answers or engage in wishful thinking, reconcile conflicting values, and come to terms with tough tradeoffs, before they can truly support a new course of action. (continue)

Written by NCDD director Sandy Heierbacher to expand upon the text on our “What Are Dialogue & Deliberation?” page. This resource provides enough details to enable you to decide which of these leading dialogue and deliberation methods you should learn more about. In addition to looking at which methods fit your intentions, you will need to consider which methods are aligned with your resources, timeline, and the people you feel need to be involved. The text below is drawn from NCDD’s Engagement Streams Framework. AmericaSpeaks […] (continue)

As both the leading producer of greenhouse gas emissions and the world’s most powerful country, the United States has a special responsibility to lead the way in the search for solutions. Fortunately, we have a long tradition of solving big problems and meeting new challenges. It is high time for the American spirit of innovation to be put to work on meeting the challenges of climate change. This Public Agenda Choicework guide explores the question: Where do we start? Based on decades of research and […] (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)

We live today in an increasingly globalized society where different cultures and faiths are brought into closer contact than ever before. This situation presents both extraordinary possibilities for cross-cultural understanding and profound challenges. While greater opportunities exist for the blending and sharing of cultures, longstanding tensions across cultures and faiths remain. In some cases these tensions may be more intense precisely because the boundaries between cultures and faiths are thinner and more porous than ever before. This Public Agenda Choicework guide explores the question: What […] (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: www.publicagenda.org/pages/nebraskans-weigh-in (continue)