Education in a Rapidly Changing Democracy: Strengthening Civic Education for Citizens of All Ages is an article by Matt Leighninger and Peter Levine, published in the October 2008 issue of The School Administrator. Below is the article’s abstract. The shifting relationship between citizens and government has special implications for public schools. How schools approach civic education isn’t just a matter of course content–it is wrapped up in how teachers and administrators view their role in the larger community. This article describes ways in which both […] (continue)

“The Recent Evolution of Democracy” is an article by Matt Leighninger, published in the Spring 2005 issue of the National Civic Review. The article discusses the increasingly large role of citizens in public decision-making in recent years, a condition which has set the stage for the development of democratic governance. To learn more about this article, go to http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ncr.79/abstract. (continue)

“The Seven Deadly Citizens: Moving From Civic Stereotypes to Well-Rounded Citizenship” is an article written by Matt Leighninger and released in the November 2004 issue of The Good Society, a journal published by the Committee for the Political Economy of the Good Society (PEGS) and Penn State University Press. Below is an excerpt from the publication. More information about the article can be found here. American democracy seems to be going through a painful transition process. The symptoms of this shift include declining voter turnout, […] (continue)

The November 5th Coalition was a collaborative initiative dedicated to using the 2008 presidential election as an opportunity to foster deliberation about how we can collectively mobilize the energies and talents of ordinary citizens to address our challenges. Those involved believed the campaign could be a watershed, where citizens reclaim their standing as partners of a government that is truly “of, by, and for the people.” The Coalition was named for the day after the election, when we hoped a new chapter in our civic […] (continue)

Community colleges are often faced with the challenge of helping students who are struggling to overcome the many difficulties they often face. This 2008 Public Agenda Choicework guide explores the question: How can the college and the community work together to close achievement gaps and help all students succeed? 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 guides and Discussion Starters outline […] (continue)

This 2008 working paper written by Alison Kadlec and Will Friedman for Public Agenda shares the preliminary results of research they are conducting to learn about the impacts of different types of issue framing on the capacity and willingness of diverse groups of individuals to engage in productive dialogue and deliberation about complex issues. The research builds on and tests ideas presented in Will Friedman’s article “Reframing Framing,” in which Friedman distinguishes between typical media framing that presents issues in dualistic ways (debate style) and […] (continue)

This article was written as part of the “Democracy Communications Network,” a 2007-2009 project that encouraged leaders in deliberative democracy to periodically write op-eds and blog posts as part of larger, collaborative media campaigns to raise awareness of the importance of quality public engagement. Use the “Democracy Communications Network” tag to see the articles  written in association with this project. Tina tells us that the placement her piece was amazing – full color, on the front page of the opinion section. It’s currently on the Post-Standard […] (continue)

This article was written as part of the “Democracy Communications Network,” a 2007-2009 project that encouraged leaders in deliberative democracy to periodically write op-eds and blog posts as part of larger, collaborative media campaigns to raise awareness of the importance of quality public engagement. Use the “Democracy Communications Network” tag to see the articles  written in association with this project. This op-ed was published on October 26, 2007 in the Indianapolis Star. My view: Lisa Blomgren Bingham Give the masses more ways to enter political conversation […] (continue)

This article was written as part of the “Democracy Communications Network,” a 2007-2009 project that encouraged leaders in deliberative democracy to periodically write op-eds and blog posts as part of larger, collaborative media campaigns to raise awareness of the importance of quality public engagement. Use the “Democracy Communications Network” tag to see the articles  written in association with this project. The following was published in the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Patriot News on October 25, 2007. — Town by town, city by city, democracy has quietly been growing […] (continue)

This article was written as part of the “Democracy Communications Network,” a 2007-2009 project that encouraged leaders in deliberative democracy to periodically write op-eds and blog posts as part of larger, collaborative media campaigns to raise awareness of the importance of quality public engagement. Use the “Democracy Communications Network” tag to see the articles  written in association with this project. Response to Sen. Edwards’ speech this past Saturday endorsing a Citizen Congress Monday, October 15 2007 This past Saturday in a campaign speech in Keene, New […] (continue)