Curriculum Resources for Global Citizenship Education

Table of Contents

Program: Center for Ecoliteracy

Content: Science education with an emphasis on the web of life and the natural habitats of schools and communities

Summary: The Center for Ecoliteracy is a resource for teachers who want to bring the personal, lived experience of their students into the classroom and develop the habit of 'systems thinking' in their students. Founded by physicist, systems theorist, and author Fritjof Capra, the mission is focused on 'fostering a profound understanding of the natural world, grounded in direct experience, that leads to sustainable patterns of living.' With the goal of sustainability in mind, the Center for Ecoliteracy disseminates and supports a range of projects, curriculum materials, and publications, many of which are available to educators on the Web site.

Resources and Tools: The Web site of the Center for Ecoliteracy is the tool that makes a variety of tools, publications, and resources available. For example, High School teachers will find the downloadable Making Sense of Integrated Science Guide published by Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS), to be a valuable introduction to making science a multidisciplinary study. (BCSC is a nonprofit science curricula developer that also provides professional development opportunities for science teachers at all levels on its Web site, www.bcsc.org). Teachers of Elementary and Middle School students will want to know more about the Edible Schoolyard, the now-famous school garden program initiated by Chef Alice Waters of Berkeley, California's Chez Panisse Restaurant. Younger students will also enjoy the Food Systems Project, a project initiated by the Center for Ecoliteracy to foster an ecological curriculum, bring an integrated approach to child nutrition services, improve the quality of school meals, create a garden in every school, and support the economic viability of local sustainable family farms.

Other online educator materials include Dr. Art's Planet Guide, which introduces and applies systems thinking to understanding planet Earth, and Journey North: A Global Study of Wildlife Migration. This section of the site also provides links to other resources, such as http://www.ecostudies.org, where the Schoolyard Ecology Project can be found, or http://ei.cornell.edu/watersheds, a curriculum developed by Cornell University, which includes protocols that high school students can use 'to explore the science of watersheds and to perform original investigative research.'

A final, important resource is the possibility of a grant. Through grant-making, the Center for Ecoliteracy 'nurtures school communities and educational organizations in the San Francisco Bay-Delta region engaged in fostering the experience and understanding of the natural world.'

Teacher Training Opportunities: While the Center does not offer teacher-training events or credits, the Resources section of the Center for Ecoliteracy Web site leads to a variety of Professional Development Links, including Internet-based tutorials developed by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD). Also, the various projects and programs mentioned above include teacher's guides and other components to help educators implement the ideas.

Reach: The projects outlined on the Web site have primarily been implemented in the Western United States. However, with the online availability of these resources, the reach is truly unlimited.

Results: While thousands of students have benefited from the projects made available on the Center for Ecoliteracy Web site, particular studies measuring results are not available. However, The Food Systems Project was instrumental in drafting the food policy for the Berkeley Unified School District, an important result influencing the nutrition of thousands of students.

Contact:
Fritjof Capra, Founder and Director
The Center for Ecoliteracy
2522 San Pablo Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94702
f. 510-845-1439.
w. http://www.ecoliteracy.org

Program: Center for Social and Emotional Learning

Content: Resource for educators and healthcare workers offerings books, videos, shared lesson plans, and an annual conference

Summary: The Center for Social and Emotional Learning (CSEE) was founded in 1996 by educators, parents, and health care professionals under the leadership of author and educational psychologist Jonathan Cohen. The Center disseminates information on the interconnections between good relationships, good self-concepts, and success in school, work, and life. The resources, tools, conferences, and networks provided by CSEE promote social and emotional skills and enhance knowledge of developmental issues related to children and adolescents.

Resources and Tools: The CSEE Web site includes a Resources page that connects users to a range of publications, videos, and links to professional organizations. The site also includes a feature that allows teachers to share lesson plans, thereby building on one another's experience and providing a way to engage in a professional dialogue. Guidelines and Lesson Plans developed by CSEE staff, such as The September 11th Anniversary: An Opportunity for Social and Emotional Learning, are also available while the Spotlight feature offers in-depth information and further resources on a specific topic, such as 'childhood trauma.'

Teacher Training Opportunities: Since 1998, the Center for Social and Emotional Learning has offered a week-long summer institute in collaboration with the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. In 2002, the institute was entitled Educating Minds and Hearts: Safe Schools, Healthy Character Development, Academic Success, and Social-Emotional Education. Further information about this and earlier conferences is available on the Web site.

Reach: In 2002, nearly 80 educators representing approximately 20 schools from the U.S., Canada, and as far away as China participated in the annual conference.

Results: There are no definitive numbers available on the impact of the Center for Social and Emotional Learning. However, the value of social and emotional learning is well documented on the CSEE Web site with a detailed listing of research-based outcomes entitled Benefits of EQ: A Compelling Compilation of Research. This listing of over 50 cited facts and findings compiled by Joshua Freedman and Anabel Jensen supports the important work of CSEE and many other initiatives.

Contact:
Jonathan Cohen
Center for Social and Emotional Education
1841 Broadway, Suite 713
New York, NY 10023
p. 212-707-8799
f. 212-957-6616
e. sel@csee.net
w. http://www.csee.net

Program: The Character Education Partnership

Content: Resources for teachers and administrators who want to bring high standards of character education into the learning process

Summary: According to the mission statement, 'The Character Education Partnership (CEP) is a nonpartisan coalition of organizations and individuals dedicated to developing moral character and civic virtue in our nation's youth as one means of creating a more compassionate and responsible society.' With this goal in mind, CEP has offered teachers and administrators a variety of tools and resources since 1993. In addition to a quarterly newsletter, conferences, and events, CEP has made a serious effort to establish a framework for character education by publishing evaluation standards and a 'tool kit' based on eleven principles of character education. While not exactly a curriculum developer, CEP hopes to influence the learning process in all subject areas, at all grade levels, by transforming the culture of schools.

Resources and Tools: Character Education Quality Standards is an instrument designed to help schools evaluate their commitment to character education. It is based on the 11 principles below which were developed by Tom Lickona, Eric Schaps, and Catherine Lewis. Character Education Quality Standards can be used in conjunction with the 11 principles to evaluate available character education programs, books, and curriculum resources.

Eleven Principles of Character Education

  1. Character education promotes core ethical values as the basis of good character.
  2. 'Character' must be comprehensively defined to include thinking, feeling, and behavior.
  3. Effective character education requires an intentional, proactive, and comprehensive approach that promotes the core values in all phases of school life.
  4. The school must be a caring community.
  5. To develop character, students need opportunities for moral action.
  6. Effective character education includes a meaningful and challenging academic curriculum that respects all learners and helps them succeed.
  7. Character education should strive to develop each student's intrinsic motivation.
  8. The school staff must become a learning and moral community in which all share responsibility for character education and attempt to adhere to the same core values that guide the education of students.
  9. Character education requires moral leadership from both staff and students.
  10. The school must recruit parents and community members as full partners in the character-building effort.
  11. Evaluation of character education should assess the character of the school, the school staff's functioning as character educators, and the extent to which students manifest good character.

CEP tools and resources also include a Character Education Evaluation Toolkit created by Julea Posey and Matthew Davison with Meg Korpi. This resource helps schools identify and measure the impact of character education efforts.

Additionally, since 1997, CEP has offered a National Schools of Character Award. The award recognizes 10 schools and one district each year that demonstrate outstanding and effective character education initiatives. One hundred Promising Practices awards are also given. Selected schools and districts receive a cash award of $2,000, a commemorative flag, national recognition, and a featured position in CEP's National Schools of Character publication.

Teacher Training Opportunities: Conferences throughout the year, some within the framework of a particular discipline like science, offer teachers and administrators many opportunities to keep character education high on the list of priorities. The annual conference of the Character Education Program attracts over 800 participants, including educators, administrators, community leaders, parents, policy makers, researchers, and university professors.

Reach: CEP is supported by over 100 organizational members, including the National Education Association and the American Association of School Administrators. Through this network, it reaches thousands of students nationwide.

Results: The best measurement of the program is the popularity of the National Schools of Character Awards. Since 1997, over 50 schools have been honored with awards and over 500 Promising Practices have been chosen from hundreds of entries, each of which involves a rigorous process of meeting schoolwide standards.

Contact:
The Character Education Partnership
1025 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 1011
Washington, DC 20036
p. 202-296-7743 or 800-988-8081
f. 202-296-7779
e. geninfo@character.org
w. http://www.character.org

Program: Choices for the 21st Century

Content: Supplementary social studies curriculum focused on international public policy

Summary: Choices was created in 1988 as a program of the Thomas J. Watson, Jr., Institute for International Studies at Brown University. Through publications, in-depth curriculum units on a range of international issues, discussion forums, and materials built around 'Teaching with the News,' Choices strives to foster dialogue and develop critical thinking on international policy matters among secondary level students nationwide. While historical background is vital to an understanding of the material, the emphasis of this program is on decision-making and international relations in our world today as important goals for citizenship. As the Choices for the 21st Century Web site states, Choices 'is built on a foundation of high expectations for all students as a prerequisite for successful participation in the democratic process.'

Resources and Tools: The Choices program includes more than 20 supplemental units focusing on current issues and historical turning points. Each unit includes background readings, a framework of alternative policies, and suggested lesson plans. Current issues include terrorism, conflict, environmental policy, Middle East, Mexico, Russia, and China. Historical turning points include a range of U.S history and world history topics such as The Cuban Missile Crisis: Considering its Place in Cold War History, Ending the War Against Japan: Science, Morality, and the Atomic Bomb, and Crisis, Conscience, and Choices: Weimar Germany and the Rise of Hitler. Curriculum materials can be ordered online in print form or as downloadable documents.

Another category of material falls under Teaching with the News. The recent material entitled Crisis with Iraq (which is offered FREE online) presents three starkly different policy options each with a different set of underlying beliefs and each with clearly articulated counter-arguments. In addition to timely segments like this, the Teaching with the News page of the Web site offers an archive of newsworthy situations dating back to 1998.

Another valuable resource is the Capitol Forum program, which engages students and teachers in discussions about our nation's future within the framework of the changing international environment. This program involves informed dialogue and debate among students and educators both within the social studies classroom and beyond the classroom at state capitols.

Teacher Training Opportunities: Professional development workshops designed to help teachers make the most of the Choices methodology and materials are held at a variety of locations in the U.S. throughout the calendar year. Detailed information about these workshops is available on the Web site.

Reach: Choices curricular materials are used annually in more than 5,000 secondary schools nationwide.

Results: In 1993, Choices completed a successful evaluation with the U.S. Department of Education and became a member of the department's National Diffusion Network (NDN). According to the Web site, teachers who use Choices units report that the collaboration and interaction that take place are highly motivating for students. Responding to Terrorism: Challenges for Democracy won widespread media attention. Excepts of this unit are now posted to the PBS/News Hour Web site and the material has been listed as a recommended resource for teachers by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS), and The New York Times.

Contact:
Susan Graseck, Director
Choices Education Program
Brown University, Box 1948
Providence, RI 02912-1948
p. 401-863-3155
f. 401-863-1247
e. choices@brown.edu
w. http://www.choices.edu

Program: Concordia Language Villages

Content: World language and cultural immersion program

Summary: Concordia Language Villages is an internationally recognized world language and culture program whose mission is to prepare young people for responsible citizenship in our global community. By creating small communities called 'villages' in which participants are immersed in the target language and culture, Concordia Language Villages brings the study of a foreign language to life. Authentic games, sports, traditions, music, and food are brought into the daily curriculum by native speakers. It should be noted that family and elderhostel programs are also part of Concordia Language Villages, thus young people can combine a language learning experience with family and extended family. The program is sponsored by nearby Concordia College.

Resources and Tools: The three, key options available to students are outlined below.

  • Village Weekends-Weekend immersion for students and teachers.
  • Summer Programs-Numerous 2-week sessions in over a dozen languages offer a rare opportunity for students to surround themselves with the target language and culture.
  • Global Mission Village-These weekend retreats are similar to the Village Weekends, but with the added component of how participants can reach out within a Christian context and do mission and service work, both nationally and internationally.

Teacher Training Opportunities: Teachers often participate in Village Weekends with their students. However, 7 to 10-day summer seminars and workshops are also available with graduate course credit for Second Language Methodologies. As these activities are concurrent with a variety of other summer programs, teachers have a wide range of opportunities to interact with students in all age groups at varying levels of language learning.

Reach: Concordia Language Villages reaches an international community of students and teachers by providing innovative foreign language immersion in over 12 languages including Chinese, Danish, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish.

Results: Since it was established in 1961, Concordia Language Villages has served nearly 10,000 young people aged 7-18 each year with a variety of programs. Participants have come from all 50 of the United States, Canada, and 24 other countries.

Contact:
Concordia Language Villages
901 8th Street South
Moorhead, Minnesota 56562
p. 218-299-4544 or 1-800-222-4750
f. 218-299-3807
e. clv@cord.edu
w. http://www.cord.edu/dept/clv

Program: Conflict in Context: Understanding Global to Local Security

Content: Interdisciplinary curriculum focused on security and global awareness

Summary: This curriculum from Educators for Social Responsibility was developed by Gayle Mertz and Carol Miller Lieber to provide middle and secondary educators, and their students with inquiry-based tools to support an interdisciplinary exploration of emerging local, national, international, and transboundary security issues. In nearly 50 well-structured and lessons, most of which can be easily-integrated into existing curricula, this material is presented within four broad categories encompassing history, economics, environmental issues, culture, conflict, math, science, literature, and the arts: Basic Concepts, Personal and Community Perspectives, National Perspectives, and International and Global Perspectives. This interdisciplinary approach to global society and global security sets the stage for empowering young people to create a more peaceful world through an understanding of how their lives and the many facets of our complex world are interconnected.

Resources and Tools: The primary tool is the workbook-like curriculum guide entitled Conflict in Context: Understanding Local to Global Security , which is available for purchase in the online store of the ESR Web site and through the ESR catalogue. This book includes 236 pages of introductory material and lesson plans, complete with learning outcomes and extension activities, and approximately 100 pages of material designed as handouts for students. Lessons progress from a Personal and Community Perspective (e.g. 'Security in My Life') to a National Perspective (e.g. 'What is Poverty?') and then an International and Global Perspective (e.g. 'The Bomb').

While the over-arching content falls within the larger framework of traditional social studies, each lesson resists compartmentalization into traditional disciplines. Materials suggested for each lesson are either provided as a handout or easy to access (newspapers, census data, tables and chairs, etc.). Best of all, the multiple lessons, suggestions, and handouts make this resource ideal for those teachers who cannot devote extended time to the curriculum. Included in the notes for teachers are a range of suggestions for how to focus and/or combine the material in 2-3 week units.

Teacher Training Opportunities: The book entitled Conflict in Context: Understanding Local to Global Security includes lucid introductory material and lesson-by-lesson information for teachers. No teacher-training program specific to this curriculum is available or necessary.

Reach: Educators for Social Responsibility has been active for over 20 years in the area of social and emotional learning and peace education. Thousands of classrooms have used ESR's materials in that time. As this curriculum is new to the market, definitive numbers are not yet available.

Results: The curriculum has been used in several schools since it was published in 2001. Studies of impact on learning have not yet been undertaken.

Contact:
Larry Dieringer, Executive Director
Educators for Social Responsibility
23 Garden Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
p. 617-492-1764 or 1-800-370-2510
f. 617-864-5164
e. ldieringer@esrnational.org
w. http://www.esrnational.org

Program: Connecting Math to Our Lives

Content: A Global Learning Network connecting the study of math to social studies.

Summary: The basic principle of global learning networks is to connect classrooms in different parts of the world to work on common projects. 'Connecting Math to Our Lives' is co-directed by De Orilla a Orilla (or 'Shore to Shore'), the Center for Language Minority Education and Research (CLMER), and the iEARN-Orillas Center. Through critical inquiry, curriculum content is related to students' individual and collective experience in order to help them analyze broader social issues relevant to their lives. Project coordinators work with teachers to coordinate online activities which take students beyond the traditional descriptive activities found so often in textbooks to deeper levels of comprehension, critical inquiry, and opportunities to act on what they are learning. These deeper levels are reached through:

  • to personal and interpretive activities in which students link curriculum content to their individual and collective experience
  • to critical inquiry and analysis in which students engage in the more abstract process of critically analyzing the issues or problems that have been raised to creative social action in which students discuss and explore ways in which social realities might be transformed through various forms of democratic participation and social justice.

Resources and Tools: Email and Internet technology makes the global connections on which this program relies possible. Activities and shared discoveries thus become the 'tools' that are available in classrooms.

Teacher Training Opportunities: Online facilitators introduce the project to teachers and work closely with them. A Listserv and bilingual online dialogues with math educators are also offered.

Reach: This program is open to students of all ages speaking all languages throughout the world. The only limit to the reach is the availability of Internet technology.

Results: Connecting Math to Our Lives (CMTOL) is now in its seventh year. More than 300 classes from 30 countries have now participated, exchanging ideas on-line in English and Spanish. In 2000-2001, 65 teachers in 20 countries participated.

Contact:
Kristin Brown
Co-director De Orillas a Orillas
and Senior Professional Development Specialist Center for Language Minority Education and Research
College of Education
California State University, Long Beach
1250 Bellflower Boulevard,
Long Beach, CA. 90840
Location: ED1, room 18
p. 562-985-5806
e. krbrown@igc.org
w. http://www.clmer.csulb.edu 

Program: Creative Response to Conflict, Inc.

Content: Conflict resolution operating in the U.S. and globally

Summary: Summary: Children's Creative Response to Conflict was founded in 1972 and became incorporated as Creative Response to Conflict (CRC) in 1992. As one of the oldest conflict resolution programs available, it draws on 40 years of experience in its work which is built around six themes: communication, affirmation, cooperation, bias awareness, mediation, and creative problem solving. While the founding branch is in Nyack, NY, CRC has over 30 branch affiliates around the globe and conducts thousands of workshops each year. The publication program of CRC offers manuals, books, activities, songs, reprints of articles, and a newsletter entitled Sharing Space.

Resources and Tools: Resources and Tools: In addition to over 25 publications, including The Friendly Classroom for a Small Planet in five languages (Arabic, English, Serbian, Spanish, and Russian), Creative Response to Conflict, Inc., offers a wide range of workshops:

  • Staff Development workshops for teachers and administrators
  • School-based workshops designed to create a safer, more productive environment
  • In-Classroom Workshops in which a teacher and a CRC facilitator work together to plan and implement a series of 3-4 classroom workshops
  • Community-based Workshops from short, introductory sessions to three-day workshops for after-school programs, camps, and religious organizations

Other offerings include mediation services, consulting, and meeting facilitation.

Teacher Training Opportunities: The staff development workshops mentioned above, and the in-classroom workshops, offer teachers the opportunity to develop their conflict resolution skills. Course credits are available to teachers, and teachers-in-training, for work in the field of conflict resolution. Additionally, training for workshop facilitators is available in Nyack, New York, for those who wish to deepen their knowledge of conflict resolution theory and expand their skills.

Reach: Over the past 40 years, thousands of young people have been influenced by CRC programs and publications. For example, Public School 230 in Brooklyn, New York, has become a model program where 75 mediators and 30 interpreters have been incorporated into school life to assist a student population in which 45 languages are spoken. (Several videos documenting the P.S. 230 experience are available through CRC.) In some cases, entire districts have implemented CRC programs, like the Flagstaff Unified School District in Arizona with its 19 public schools.

Internationally, CRC has provided workshops around the world and developed successful 'peace camps.' For example, the Georgian and Abkhazian Peace Camp organized by CRC in 1998 brought 20 young people (ages 10-17) to New York for a month-long experience that resulted in many friendships. In 1997, with 5,000 teachers already trained in CRC methods, the government of El Salvador made a decision to train all teachers in the country through CRC workshops and resources.

Results: CRC has received numerous awards, including the Margaret S. Herman Award given by the National Conference on Peacemaking and Conflict Resolution and the Chemical Bank Racial Harmony and Diversity Award. Feature articles on CRC have appeared in Parents Magazine, Reader's Digest, Scholastic Magazine, and Educational Leadership, to name a few.

Contact:
Executive Director and Co-founder
Creative Response to Conflict, Inc.
Box 271
521 North Broadway
Nyack, NY 10960
p. 845-353-1796
f. 845-358-4924
e. ccrcnyack@aol.com
w. http://www.ccrcglobal.org

Program: Earth Charter Education Programs

Content: Global ethics, sustainability, and cross-cultural understanding

Summary: The Earth Charter is a 'people's declaration' of global ethics reached through an unprecedented process of consultation with groups and individuals throughout the world. In 2000, the final draft was accepted by the Earth Charter Commission of the Earth Council based in Costa Rica. As part of the Youth Initiative of the Earth Council, and Education Advisory Committee has been appointed to develop curriculum materials focused on issues and principles raised in the text of the Earth Charter with collaborative support from organizations such as UNESCO, LEAD, and the International Baccalaureate Organization. Currently, Earth Charter Stimulus Materials and Teaching Resources are available on the Web site. Ongoing additions to these resources are planned, as more teachers build projects, lessons, activities, and curricula around the interdisciplinary content of the Earth Charter.

Resources and Tools: An online discussion forum was conducted in 2001 with the goals of articulating an educational philosophy as a basis for educational use of the Earth Charter, and to identify strategic educational opportunities, priorities and partnerships. The results of this exchange are summarized on the Web site.

Projects currently in development include:

  • Educational resources focused on the unique themes and perspectives presented by the Earth Charter that guide students to consider what its values and principles mean to their lives, and how the Charter can be used within existing curricula;
  • Professional development workshop materials based on using the Earth Charter to facilitate multi-stakeholder dialogues, especially on community level problems;
  • Establishment of an Earth Charter Schools network to provide contributors for the action research that will co-develop and trial new educational resources, and provide support and inspiration for school communities working in ways that reflect Earth Charter values;
  • The Earth Charter will be used to assist in planning for the UNESCO/University for Peace, Chair in Education in Peace;
  • An Earth Charter module will be developed as a contribution to the UNESCO 'Teaching and Learning for a Sustainable Future' program.

Until these concepts are a reality, teachers should consult the Web site where a Earth Charter Teaching Resources Archive will capture ideas from teachers throughout the world who are using the Earth Charter as a teaching tool.

Teacher Training Opportunities: In a real sense, the Earth Charter Initiative looks to teachers for information and ideas as to how the Earth Charter might be used in educational settings. Rather than approach teachers as persons who must be trained, there is a desire to enlist teachers as creative thinkers and advisors. Thus, no formal teacher training programs are available.

Reach: To date, over 8,000 organizations, including communities and professional associations, representing 100 million people worldwide have endorsed the Earth Charter. It is hoped that this initial show of support will develop into a presence for the Earth Charter in classrooms throughout the world.

Results: It is too early in the process to measure results.

Contact:
Brendan Mackey, Education Chair
The Earth Charter Initiative, International Secretariat
The Earth Council
P.O. Box 319-6100
San Jose, Costa Rica
p. 506-205-1600
f. 506-249-3500
e. info@earthcharter.org
w. http://www.earthcharter.org

Program: Education About Asia

Content: Supplemental social studies publication to bring the Asia world to your classroom

Summary: Summary: Education About Asia is a magazine published since 1995 by the Association for Asian Studies. It appears three times per year and is dedicated to bringing articles, information, photographs, and cultural awareness relating to 57% of the world's people into middle school, high school, and undergraduate college classrooms. The publication also connects teachers with a range of resources such as films, books, curriculum guides, Web sites, and other educational tools.

Resources and Tools: This publication is the essential tool of this program, but'as mentioned above' it connects to other kinds of tools. Thematic issues such as 'Teaching About the Religions of Asia' (Spring 1997) or 'Teaching Asian Literature' (Spring 2000) serve as a unique kind of 'teacher's guide' and offer high school teachers unique opportunities to develop their own lessons. Also, teachers who subscribe to the publication automatically have the permission of the Asian Studies Association to reprint articles for classroom use.

Teacher Training Opportunities: There are no teacher training activities associated with this publication.

Reach and Results: Currently, 3,600 schools and 5,400 undergraduate instructors subscribe to the publication. While no formal studies have been conducted to measure results, the Web site includes examples of positive comments from history teachers.

Contact:
Lucien Ellington, Editor
Education About Asia
Association for Asian Studies
1021 East Huron Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
p. 734-665-2490
f. 734-665-3801
e. lucien-ellington@utc.edu
w. http://www.aasianst.org

Program: Educo USA

Content: Teen leadership and multicultural education through wilderness adventures

Summary: Educo is a Latin word meaning 'to draw forth.' Educo International was founded Canada in 1969 and is now a network of schools located on six continents: Australia, North and South America (Brazil, Canada and the United States of America), Europe (Bulgaria), Asia (Korea), and Africa. While the various schools offer leadership programs to all ages, the special programs for youth (ages 10-17) provide excellent opportunities for global citizenship education based on Educo's stated purpose: 'The purpose of the organisation is to contribute creatively and significantly to the lives of all people, with a special focus on youth. Each of Educo's programs values and empowers the individual, builds communities, promotes responsible citizenship, and fosters a sense of respect for the environment.'

Resources and Tools: Educo's 'resource' is the opportunity to participate in a guided wilderness experience. Through Educo USA, which is located in Colorado, a variety of programs are available:

Summer Youth Programs in the Colorado Rockies last from one to two weeks. Each course has a slightly different emphasis, level of difficulty, or is directed to a defined age group. For example, one course is designed for 'girls only,' ages 13 to 15. Another is limited to ages 14+ and features two weeks at altitudes of 8,000 to 13,000 feet across 'challenging terrain.'

Multicultural Programs bring students from around the world together for a memorable wilderness experience, although all Educo courses attempt to relate ecosystems and diversity in the natural world to human diversity. In 2003, a special project entitled The Kilimanjaro Expedition marked the formation of a more formal international alliance of the various Educo organizations. Two underprivileged young people, one male and one female, were selected from each of Educo's schools to climb Africa's highest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. As the Web site explains, a rigorous schedule of training was involved to prepare the students for this climb which was intended ' to become a symbol of hope and triumph for all young people around the world.'

School and Youth Groups sponsored by a particular teacher or administrator can be arranged, from a half day experience in rock climbing and team building to a multi-day backpacking expedition. Interested educators should contact the Colorado office to discuss ideas for customized courses.

Teen Leadership Programs are offered throughout the year from three Colorado locations. Each course focuses on team-building and includes wilderness skills such as Leave No Trace principles, wilderness first aid, and map reading. Co-Created Teen Leadership Programs for underprivileged youth involve collaborations between Educo USA and community organizations such as the Girl Scouts, the Boys & Girls Club, and La Familia.

Teacher Training Opportunities: As classroom teachers typically do not 'teach' the courses or lead the wilderness expeditions, no special teacher training is offered. It should be noted that opportunities for qualified volunteers and field staff positions are often available.

Reach: As mentioned above, Educo is active on six continents.

Results: The goals of Educo include confidence building, goal setting, decision making, respect and appreciation for the environment, skills in living and working as part of a team, and understanding the value of establishing trusting relationships. The growth of Educo USA from approximately 800 participants in 2000 to over 1,300 in 2001 suggests that they are achieving these goals.

Contact:
Ken Nicholls, Program Director
Educo USA
406 N. College Avenue
Fort Collins, Colorado 80524
p. 970-494-0785
f. 970-494-0753
e. educo@educointernational.org
w. http://www.educointernational.org/usa

Program: Facing History and Ourselves

Content: History as a moral enterprise and interdisciplinary study that offers opportunities to learn from both triumphs and failures

Summary: Summary: Facing History and Ourselves is a multi-faceted organization established in 1976 aimed at guiding middle and high school students through a thoughtful study of history. More specifically, the Holocaust and 'other instances of collective violence' are emphasized as a means of developing self-knowledge that is informed by an examination of history and human behavior. By focusing on compassion, shared understanding, and the ability to develop an objective perspective of one's own motives and choices, the creators of Facing History and Ourselves hope to encourage responsible citizenship. This linking of curriculum and ethics is accomplished through a wide range of resources and materials.

Resources and Tools: Facing History and Ourselves encompasses offices in seven United States cities, as well as a National office and a European office. Teacher training workshops and institutes are central to the program, which advocates a school-based commitment to the teaching of tolerance. The 'Online Campus' section of the Web site provides lesson plans, support materials, and resource guides keyed to texts and videos, such as the resource guide for Schindler's List, with the expectation that these materials will be brought into history, science, language arts, and visual art classrooms. A Resource Center loans materials to teachers who are members of the Facing History Teachers Network and a multi-media exhibit entitled Choosing to Participate: Facing History and Ourselves has been touring the country since 2001. The diverse resources of Facing History and Ourselves are informed by a National Board of Scholars that includes prominent thinkers, educators, and psychologists.

Teacher Training Opportunities: Teachers can choose from a number of workshops and six-day summer institutes held in different U.S. locations. In addition to the initial training that takes place at these scheduled workshops and institutes, Facing History also provides ongoing support through regional representatives who often bring speakers into classrooms, for example. Publications and special events, such as the September 11, 2002, evening program entitled Art & Memory: How Individuals and Communities Remember Their Tragedies at the National office also extend the training component of the organization.

Reach: Since it was established in 1976, Facing History and Ourselves has trained over 15,000 teachers and served over one million students in the U.S. and in Europe. The addition of regional offices in the 1990s greatly expanded the impact of the organization, which began with a Holocaust curriculum in the early 1980s.

Results: Facing History and Ourselves has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education an 'exemplary program.' In 1996, it was awarded a two-year grant from the Carnegie Corporation to explore the effectiveness of the program in developing citizens who are informed, engaged, and compassionate. The results of the study document 'increased relationship maturity and decreased fighting behavior, racist attitudes, and insular ethnic identity relative to comparison students.' In addition to this in-depth study, Facing History and Ourselves conducts ongoing evaluations, surveys, lesson plan reviews, and journaling activities to monitor the effectiveness of the program. Since its inception, the activities of the organization have been subject to evaluation under an Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Title IV grant. The combined findings of these various forms of evaluation have demonstrated that the program succeeds in several key areas:

  • builds skills and knowledge necessary to discuss critical issues
  • increases empathy
  • creates awareness of choices and opportunities
  • prepares students for responsible citizenship

Contact:
Margo Stern Strom, Executive Director
National Office:
Facing History and Ourselves
16 Hurd Road
Brookline, MA 02445
p. 617-232-1595
f. 617-232-0281
e. margot_strom@facing.org
w. http://www.facinghistory.org

Program: Green Schools Program

Content: Comprehensive Educational Initiative Promoting Energy-Efficiency

Summary: Green schools, a project developed by the Alliance to Save Energy (ASE), works to protect the environment and prolong the energy resources through energy efficiency. In short, it shows young people that small changes can have large-scale effects. A press release describes the program as, 'a comprehensive, multidisciplinary educational initiative that encourages behavioral changes and retrofitting schools so that they are more energy-efficient.' This is achieved by teachers, administrators, and building service professionals working together in teams. These teams develop plans that integrate instruction, behavior, and school wide and community involvement to save energy.Lessons on energy are woven into traditional math, science, and language arts curricula as students learn to assess and monitor energy-use behavior as well as track and record changes. As students explore the links between energy use and the environment, they are encouraged to think about not only 'what' to do but 'why' what they do matters.

Resources and Tools: The ASE provides participating Green Schools teachers with educational objectives that they can incorporate into their curricula free of charge. The Annotated Bibliography of Green Schools Instructional Resources lists materials that support the teaching of key learning concepts and provides a brief summary of classroom lessons on energy, efficiency, and the environment. In addition to these materials, teachers can access a Web site containing a range of resources such as steps to starting a Green Schools program, curriculum materials, and examples of other energy saving programs across the United States. Green Schools publishes a newsletter, lesson plans, and curriculum materials, all of which are downloadable.

Teacher Training Opportunities: The ASE has developed several training programs for teachers in the U.S. and in India, Ghana, and Serbia, such as five-day workshops that educate teachers about energy issues and prepare them to start Eco-clubs in their own schools. Additionally, the ASE Web site provides teachers with step-by-step instructions on how to implement the Greens Schools program in their schools. Some of these steps include building partnerships with local businesses and organization as well as identifying curriculum tie-ins. The Web site provides teachers with free materials to help implement these steps.

Reach: The Green Schools program has been used in 18 schools in various cities in California, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Washington.

Results: In their first year, three Green Schools in Seattle, Washington averaged more than $6,000 each in energy and water cost savings from behavioral and operational changes alone. Seattle also expects to save $260,000 each year after retrofitting its three Green Schools and twelve others. Four Green Schools in the Iroquois School District near Buffalo, New York saved twelve to twenty-one percent on electricity within the first 8 months of implementing the program, with an average savings of $2,500 per school.

Contact:
Green Schools
A Project of the Alliance to Save Energy
1200 18th Street, NW, Suite 900
Washington, DC 20036
202-857-0066 (phone)
202-331-9588 (fax)
e. www.infot@ase.org
w. http://www.ase.org

Program: How Big is Your Backyard?

Content: Environmental ethics curriculum

Summary: How Big is Your Backyard?: An Ethics-based Approach to Environmental Decision Making prepares middle and high school to recognize the ethical issues surrounding some of the world's most troubling environmental problems and dilemmas. By teaching a process of ethical decision making, this material helps young people identify their core values, analyze choices, and resolve 'right-versus-right' situations, as well as distinguish between right and wrong. As the introduction to the curriculum explains, 'Every environmental problem has at its base an ethical dilemma of some kind, the clashing of two fundamental 'rights' that can be identified and resolved in this process of ethical decision making. By combining teachings in ecology, natural history, environmental issues, and ethical decision making, this curriculum allows students to think through these tough questions.'

Resources and Tools: The key tool is the free, downloadable curriculum consisting of ten lessons covering a range of topics from Air Quality and Water Resources to Environmental Stewardship. Time needed for each lesson varies, but most would take less than a week of class time.

Within the lessons, activities are built around four ethical paradigms:

  • Justice vs. Mercy
  • Truth vs. Loyalty
  • Short-Term vs. Long-Term
  • Individual vs. Community

The paradigms combined with a set of 'tests' (What is legal? What is your gut telling you?) tassist the student in the decision-making process. A Teachers Guide, also free and downloadable from the Web site, encourages journal writing for each student throughout the curriculum.

Additional materials available through the Institute for Global Ethics include publications, videos, reports, and an extensive Ethics in Education program focused on responsible decision making and based on founder Rushworth Kidder's book entitled How Good People Make Tough Choices. Among the resources available is a video designed for social studies classes, Tough Choices: Today and in History.

Teacher Training Opportunities: Ethical Fitness Seminars can be adapted to specific curriculum resources for groups of teachers on request.

Reach: The curriculum reached over 2,500 students in its first year of publication.

Results: This curriculum is based on the Institute for Global Ethics' Ethical Fitness' model and was developed in response to a project carried out by the Institute for Global Ethics and the Gallup Organization entitled Reaching Out: Broadening College Student Constituencies for Environmental Protection. By relying on the findings of this survey of nearly 800 'non-activist college students' in March 2000, the curriculum was created with the assumption that developing ethical decision-making skills in middle and high school students will lead to a stronger engagement with environmental issues later in life. The curriculum was published in 2001. To date, no studies have been undertaken to measure impact or results.

Contact:
Paula Mirk, Education Director
Institute for Global Ethics
P.O. Box 563
11 Main Street
Camden, Maine 04843
p. 207-236-6658
f. 207-236-6659
e. education@globalethics.org
w. http://www.globalethics.org

Program: Human Rights Education Association

Content: An in-depth resource for human rights education

Summary: The Human Rights Education Association (HREA) is a non-governmental organization dedicated human rights education. To this end, HREA trains activists, community leaders, professionals, and serves as a clearinghouse for educational materials for all age groups. Through HREA, teachers can access valuable teaching tools that have been developed by its numerous worldwide partners, which include the United Nations, Amnesty International, and the Council of Europe.

Resources and Tools: The best way to become familiar with HREA is through its Web site, which includes a Library within its Resource section. The Library contains summaries of over 1,000 guides, curricula, and other documents that can be used in the classroom, including nearly 50 online texts and portions of texts for high school students developed by HREA and its partners. For example, 'Teaching About Conscience Through Literature' was created by Amnesty International-USA's Educator's Network. This curriculum analyzes literary texts in light of five, different aspects of conscience: not speaking out, learning to speak, taking a stand, fear of acting on the basis of conscience, and consequences of acting on the basis of conscience. The Introduction, Table of Contents, and one activity are available on the HREA site.

Teacher Training Opportunities: Teacher Training Opportunities: HREA makes technical assistance in program and curriculum development available to community leaders and professionals. Thus, customized teacher training is available. According to the Web site, 'Specific tasks can include the sharing of exemplary resources, assistance in the conception of content and formatting of texts, details on methodological approach, guidance in field testing materials, and writing and editing.'

Reach: The far-reaching nature of the materials accessible through HREA encompass the world. Many of the texts in the Library are available in languages other than English.

Results: No formal studies have been done to gauge the impact of the Human Rights Education Association.

Contact:
Felisa Tibbitts, Executive Director
Human Rights Education Association-USA
P.O. Box 382396
Cambridge, MA 02238
p. 617-625-0278
f. 617-249-0278
e. ftibbitts@hrea.org
w. http://www.hrea.org

Program: Language of the Awakened Heart

Content: Spiritual awareness curriculum connecting poetry, values, and experience

Summary: This curriculum, designed for ages 8-13, includes ten lesson plans, each one based on a topic related to spiritual or social values: Animal Wisdom, Jubilant Joy, The Great Mystery Me, The Gift of Generosity, Bountiful Beauty, Honoring the Heart, The Sounds of Peace, The Power of Praise, Fostering Forgiveness, and Wishes for the New Millennium. The framework for exploring each topic is the poetry of famous poets, like Druid poet Amergin or Pablo Neruda, and also by students. Poet Terri Glass developed the curriculum in association with the Fund for Global Awakening as part of its Universal Child Initiative which 'encourages projects that enable young people to create from their hearts and reach out to the world.' Through this program, students learn the language of poetry–form odes to metaphors–as well as the language of expressing feelings.

Resources and Tools: The essential tool for this curriculum is the curriculum guide entitled Inspirational Guide for a New Language: Language of the Awakened Heart. This 69-page, spiral-bound booklet includes the ten chapters mentioned above with poems, lesson plans, 'poetic tools' to help teachers teach the literary language of poetry, writing exercises, visualizations, samples of student poetry, and more. The guide can be ordered from the Web site of the Fund for Global Awakening. It is Terri Glass' intention that the guide provide 'a framework for children to express their highest truth with poetry.'

Teacher Training Opportunities: No teacher training component is available.

Reach: Because the curriculum can be ordered online, the potential reach is vast. To date, 400 students in Marin County, California, have gone through the program with success.

Results: Results:Language of the Awakened Heart was piloted over a period of two years in the rural school district of Point Reyes, California, and published in 2001. At this point, no studies of measures have been conducted to measure results.

Contact:
Nancy Pasky, Program Manager
Fund for Global Awakening
P.O. Box 1179
Point Reyes, CA 94956-1179
p. 415-663-8211
f. 415-663-8261
e. npasky@ffga.org
w. http://www.ffga.org

Program: Model UN

Content: Experiential program for global leadership

Summary: Model United Nations (MUN) is an extracurricular program designed to foster leadership skills and international awareness with a network of over 175 community-based chapters and divisions in the United States. This program typically relies on the energies of a dedicated teacher or faculty advisor to motivate students to prepare for and fund their own participation at one of the 400 Model UN conferences held throughout the year worldwide. Students select one of 189 countries to represent, in cooperation with other conference participants. Through the process of preparation and role-play, young people learn the perils and possibilities of international cooperation and negotiation as they engage in authentic simulations of the UN General Assembly, the Security Council, and other multilateral bodies of the UN. The process leads to a deeper understanding of the world and its conflicts; it also develops the skills of research, writing, negotiation, listening, and public speaking.

Resources and Tools: The primary tool is the opportunity to attend a Model UN conferences. (Check the Web site for dates and locations.) However, the United Nations Association of the United States (UNA-USA) offers a range of tools and resources to help prepare students for that ultimate challenge:

  • The Model UN Survival Kit combines a number of UNA-USA publications, including the 'Guide to Delegate Preparation.'
  • Model UN for Everyone is a 15-minute video narrated by actor Alec Baldwin filmed at real Model UN conferences and at UN Headquarters in New York.
  • Model UN e-news keeps participating students and teachers informed of events, internships, contests, and networking opportunities.

For those who cannot attend an actual conference, MUN has developed a standards-based curriculum entitled Global Classrooms that allows students in middle schools and high schools to participate in a Model UN experience without leaving their schools. Two curricular units, one on Peacekeeping and the other focused on Sustainable Development, are now available, along with teacher's guides and student workbooks. The Peacekeeping unit includes four possible scenarios for a Security Council simulation, while the Sustainable Development material provides an opportunity to learn about six of the 21 topics under the United Nations' Agenda 21, including Freshwater Resources and Combatting Poverty. Outlines and samples of both units are available online.

Teacher Training Opportunities: Because a successful Model UN program depends on a motivated and knowledgeable faculty advisor, many opportunities for teachers exist and an active network of experienced teachers is available for mentoring and support. Individual chapters offer conferences, briefings, and workshops throughout the year to keep teachers up-to-date on a range of UN issues and to help them build skills, from fundraising to negotiation. UNA-USA also holds an annual convention that attracts close to 1,000 members. Teachers who are committed to Model UN help each other by sharing information. For example, the Web site includes a page of links to downloadable syllabi from experienced Model UN educators.

Reach: Model UN is active worldwide.

Results: Each year, approximately 200,000 high school and college students participate in the Model UN program. Over one million teenagers have participated in MUN at some level since it was founded 60 years ago. Because MUN has typically had more participation from affluent students, the Global Classrooms program is an important effort to include traditionally under-represented groups in the Model UN community. Through the generosity of a number of foundations, Global Classrooms has been able to engage the participation of thousands of students in New York City, Chicago, and Berlin, Germany.

Contact:
Lucia Rodriguez, Executive Director
Education and Model UN
United Nations Association-USA Headquarters
801 Second Avenue, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10017 p. 212-907-1300
e. modelun@unausa.org
w. http://www.unausa.org

Program: National Audubon Society

Content: Environmental education with an emphasis on birds and their habitats

Summary: Summary: The National Audubon Society was founded in 1905 and named for the well-known ornithologist, explorer , and wildlife artist, John James Audubon (1785-1851). The Audubon Society's network now includes 500 chapters and 27 state offices, all of which emphasize environmental education to one degree or another. Audubon Centers in Maine, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Vermont also support annual Youth Camps while the Minnesota Center of the North Woods engages science teachers in a camp experience. The availability of Audubon programs for teachers, students, and families is somewhat related to the local or regional presence of Audubon nature centers and chapters, though environmental education materials are also available on the Web site. The Audubon Society is most active in areas sustaining important bird populations as birds and their habitats are the focus of the organization.

Resources and Tools: The Audubon Web site is the best tool because it includes links and detailed information on the numerous chapters, centers, and sanctuaries. Online materials are available for Audubon Adventures, a Grade 4-6 program that brings birds to life through units like Owl Prowl. Upcoming dates and contact information for youth camps are also available online, along with activity projects, such as the Great Backyard Bird Count, and popular Audubon publications.

Teacher Training Opportunities: The Audubon Center of the North Woods in Minnesota is working closely with Hamline University to develop programs for teachers, including the Environmental Education Master's Certificate or the Environmental Education Master's Degree through Hamline University's Center for Global Environmental Education. Teachers may wish to earn a certificate or degree, or simply engage in a summer camp experience with other teachers. (See contact info below.)

Reach: Millions of adults, teens, and school children have participated in Audubon programs. Over 600,000 people are members of the Audubon Society.

Results: According to the Audubon Web site, 'Millions of individuals participate in Audubon's conservation, education and advocacy programs, supporting the organization at the local, state and national levels.' For example, since 1984, over 7 million schoolchildren have participated in Audubon Adventures and since 2000, over 500 teachers have engaged in some level of training at the Audubon Center of the North Woods in Sandstone, Minnesota. Among the benefits of environmental education, the following findings are cited on the Audubon Web site:

  • All students, including at-risk, gifted, and special education students, benefit from environmental study (National Environmental Education and Training Foundation, 2000).
  • Research shows that academic achievement, teacher satisfaction, discipline, and student engagement improve significantly when schools use the environment as a context as an integrating context for learning (Lieberman and Hoody, l998).
  • Positive community environmental behavior improves (Ramsey, l987). Environmental literacy is best achieved when schools include community investigation, citizenship participation, and environmental study (Volk and McBeth, l998).

Contacts:
John Flicker, President & CEO
National Audubon Society
700 Broadway New York, NY 10003
p. 212-979-3000
f. 212-979-3188
e. education@audubon.org
w. http://www.audubon.org

Audubon Camps: 1-866-428-3826
Audubon Center of the North Woods
P.O. Box 530
Sandstone, MN 55072
1-888-404-7743
w. http://www.audubon-center.org/teacher.htm

Program: Oxfam Great Britain's Resources for Global Citizenship

Content: A wide range of materials, activities, and curricula that integrates diversity education, multicultural education, global economics, and environmental education

Summary: Oxfam International is a confederation of 12 NGOs in over 80 countries organized for the purpose of eradicating poverty and fostering social justice. Among those participating , Oxfam Great Britain has been particularly forward-thinking about promoting the practice of global citizenship in schools as part of its 20-year old Development Education Program. Through its Cool Planet Web site, teachers can now access a catalog of resources created by a variety of individuals and organizations, including Oxfam educational advisors; through a unique initiative entitled On the Line, students can learn about life in the eight countries along the zero Meridian Line (Togo, Ghana, Burkino Faso, Mali, Algeria, Spain, France, and the United Kingdom); and through Oxfam GB's Curriculum for Global Citizenship, the essential principles of global citizenship education can be applied to all grade levels and all subjects.

Resources and Tools: The primary tool for this interconnected array of resources is www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet. It is on that 'site within a site' that teachers will find the downloadable Oxfam education resources for schools 2001/2002, a catalog which describes an extensive range of over 400 resources related to global citizenship education, including games about fair trade, maps, poems and stories, posters, and handbooks for teachers. The catalog is available online.

The Curriculum for Global Citizenship proposes many ways in which the ideals of global citizenship can be applied across all grade levels and all subjects. It is written for teachers in the U.K., but outlines developmental goals for knowledge, skills, and values that will be helpful to a wider audience. This document can be ordered online or downloaded in a complete or summary form.

The On the Line Web site expands the numerous aspects of global citizenship within the unique framework of a project supported by a partnership of Channel 4 TV, Oxfam GB, and the World Wide Fund for Nature-UK. In addition to primary and secondary online 'Resource Paks' developed by WWF-UK, the online material includes interactive activities for students, such as Chokky Bikkies, which looks at cocoa and wheat production, or the segment on the symbols of Ghanaian Adrinkracloth, which includes a printing activity.

Teacher Training Opportunities: Teacher training is mainly available through books, such as Global Citizenship: The Handbook for Primary Teaching. Also, in the summer of year 2000, Oxfam GB coordinated its first global citizenship education conference entitled 'Change, Challenge, and the Curriculum: Bringing Global Citizenship into the Classroom.' Over 250 delegates attended, including teachers, NGO workers, and students. A Conference Report of this event is available on the Oxfam GB Web site, as is the Annual Report of the Oxfam Development Education Program.

Reach: Because the materials, resources, and projects developed and supported by Oxfam GB are so varied, it is difficult to report on specific numbers reached. However, it is known that over 5,000 students participated in the On the Line project, which included the linking (through emails and videos) of 500 schools along the zero Meridian Line. It is also known that a related Artists in Schools project reached over 3,000 children, while 1,000 West African children participated in a poetry competition. But even more impressively, the Channel 4 On the Line programs reached an overall audience of 11.5 million viewers.

The Curriculum for Global Citizenship has been sent to 100,000 people, mostly teachers, at their request. In some cases, schools in Great Britain have devoted an entire school year to global citizenship. The curriculum has been well-received by a number of British agencies and organizations, including Teacher Training Agency (TTA) and Scottish Executive Education Department (SEED), as well as by global organizations such as the United Nations Environment and Development office (UNED). Unfortunately, specific numbers measuring impact and influence are not available.

Results: No quantitative or qualitative research has yet been done to measure the impact of Oxfam's materials and curriculum resources on students.

Contact:
Team Administrator
Oxfam Development Education Team
Ground Floor
232-242 Vauxhall Bridge Road
Victoria
London, SW1V 1AU
p. 0207 931 7660
f. 0207 828 8955
e. vicdeved@Oxfam.org.uk
w. http://www.oxfam.org.uk

Program: Peace Games

Content: A community-oriented conflict resolution curriculum for grades K-8

Summary: Peace Games strives to make 'peacemakers' out of everyone from an early age, inside and outside of school. This classroom curriculum focuses on the development of all-important skills–such as communication, cooperation, and conflict resolution–through games, projects, activities, and group discussion centered on developmentally appropriate themes. For example, K-2 students focus on the elements and meaning of Friendship, while Peace and Justice are emphasized with middle school students in grades 6-8. Teams of facilitators bring games, activities, community service projects, role plays, and skits designed to initiate dialogue to classrooms once a week throughout the school year. Peace Games is currently celebrating its 10th anniversary.

Resources and Tools: The Peace Games Curriculum is a carefully constructed document that guides teachers through specific exercises and activities with the help of a full-time, trained Site Director who coordinates the curriculum. The work of Peace Games facilitators and volunteers ensures effective implementation of the curriculum. Special Events connect the classroom and the community, while a Peace Games family newsletter reinforce what is happening in the classroom by offering tips for parents and other useful information.

Teacher Training Opportunities: Site directors are trained at the Peace Games Institute and oversee the work of AmeriCorps members and carefully selected volunteers who carry out the curriculum in the classroom. AmeriCorps members and volunteers receive ongoing training throughout the year. Thus, teachers are not solely responsible for implementing the curriculum and require no special training. Rather, they play a supportive and reinforcing role in the process of fostering peace education through their own example and 'lesson extenders' that provide continuity between the weekly Peace Games lessons.

Reach: Since it began as an 8-week conflict resolution program for 5th and 6th graders in 1992, Peace Games has been taught in 64 schools in Boston and Los Angeles where it has supported over 1,000 teachers and reached over 20,000 students. The 2,100 college and community volunteers engaged with Peace Games since its inception have delivered over 90,000 hours of public service. The program has also reached 9,000 family members in an effort to encourage peacemaking at home and has trained and supported over 100 AmeriCorps members who have worked with Peace Games during their year of service.

Results: Results: Peace Games conducts year-end surveys of students, teachers, principals, and school liaisons. An analysis of this data over several years has resulted in a number of positive measures. A sampling of those measures are grouped below under the four Peace Games goals:

  1. Empower children with the skills, knowledge, relationships, and opportunities to be peacemakers.
  • 85% of teachers agreed that Peace Games had improved communication among their students
  • 100% of principals and school liaisons reported that the presence of Peace Games had increased the level of positive, pro-social behavior s within the school Engage community members to support children as peacemakers.
  • 78% of respondents to the principal survey said that Peace Games had a positive or very positive impact on fostering greater parental involvement in the school
  • 94% of college volunteers and 100% of AmeriCorps members said that their ability to support youth and adults as peacemakers improved during their service with Peace Games
  1. Inspire a new generation of educators and activists.
  • 90% of college volunteers indicated that volunteering with Peace Games had increased their desire to work in the areas of peacemaking and social justice
  1. Change how society thinks about violence and young people.
  • 89% of principals and school liaison respondents agreed (or strongly agreed) that Peace Games increased the belief among school staff that young people can serve as positive leaders

Contact:
Eric Dawson, Executive Director
Peace Games
285 Dorchester Avenue
Boston, MA 02127
p. 617-464-2600
f. 617-464-1174
e. eric@peacegames.org
w. http://www.peacegames.org

Program: Primary Source

Content: Teacher training and curriculum materials for U.S. and World History

Summary: Primary Source is focused on interdisciplinary content learning for teachers of U.S. and World History in grades K-12. The underlying goal of this non-profit organization is to change the way students learn history by promoting social studies education that is historically accurate, culturally inclusive, and explicitly concerned with racism and other forms of discrimination. With this in mind, Primary Source has developed standards-based materials and teacher training centered on Asia, African-American history, ancient civilizations, and Colonial and nineteenth century American history. Teachers, scholars, and humanists work together to develop programs for Primary Source.

Resources and Tools: The Library section of the website includes a variety of downloadable curriculum units. For example, the second grade unit entitled “Chinese Bestiary,” which is aimed at U.S.-China understanding, relies on the “natural curiosity” that children everywhere have about animals. From classification to stereotyping to bookmaking, the unit fosters a range of skills and talents. For older students, the study of China is presented through units such as “Confucianism, Then and Now.” Units have been developed by teachers.

For those who live near Watertown, Massachusetts, the Primary Source lending library offers a wide range of books, videos, and curriculum guides. There are many resources on the Middle East, such as Muslim Women through the Centuries: A Unit of Study for Grades 7-12 or Muhammed: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources.

The Primary Source newsletter is an excellent resource and networking tool for teachers interested in incorporating international studies into their practice. For those who wish to be active agents of change in the realm of curriculum policy reform, Primary Source has taken the lead in developing the Massachusetts Initiative for International Studies.

Teacher Training Opportunities: In addition to conferences, seminars, and travel opportunities for teachers, Primary Source also provides customized professional development programs to schools and school districts. The best way to find out about upcoming opportunities is through the website.

Reach: Primary Source is most active in New England but, through the website, able to reach teachers worldwide.

Results: Since it was established 15 years ago, Primary Source has developed partnerships with 22 school districts, primarily in New England. Over 250 summer institutes, courses, seminars, workshops and conferences have attracted over 3,000 teachers who have, in turn, reached over 100,000 students. Primary source has run 15 study tours to China for 400 teachers and administrators.

Contact:
Kathleen Ennis, Executive Director
Primary Source
125 Walnut Street
Watertown, MA 02472
p. 617-923-9933
e. kathy@primarysource.org
w. http://www.primarysource.org

Program: Resolving Conflict Creatively Program (RCCP)

Content: Conflict Resolution, Social and Emotional Learning

Summary: RCCP is a research-based program founded by Linda Lantieri and Tom Roderick in the mid-1980s as a project of Educators for Social Responsibility (ESR) in collaboration with the New York City Public Schools. Since 1985, RCCP has been active in K-12 schools with the goal of ensuring that young people develop social and emotional skills needed to reduce violence in schools, overcome prejudice, form caring relationships, and build healthy lives. RCCP promotes a comprehensive strategy that enables communities of learning to develop as students, teachers, administrators, and parents improve their social and emotional skills over time. In 1993, the RCCP National Center was established to foster multi-year partnerships with school districts throughout the country.

Resources and Tools: In addition to curricula for classroom instruction, RCCP offers training for administrators, teachers, parents, and support staff. It also offers peer mediation training and training for trainers in an effort to build school wide capacity to help schools achieve their goals.

It should also be noted that RCCP founders, Lantieri and Roderick, have also contributed to an ESR curriculum by Carol Lieber Miller that focuses strictly on high school students. Conflict Resolution in the High School includes 36, age-appropriate lessons and can be ordered through the ESR Web site.

Teacher Training Opportunities: RCCP's Professional Development program includes a 24 hour introductory course supported by on-site visits. RCCP also offers a 'first-of-its-kind' Master of Education with a concentration in Conflict Resolution through Lesley University. See www.lesley.edu for further information.

Reach: As one of the nation's longest-running school programs focused on conflict resolution and intergroup relations, RCCP currently serves 6,000 teachers and 175,000 students in 375 schools.

Results: In 1993, RCCP conducted a study of the program within its New York City schools under the supervision of Dr. J. Lawrence Aber, director of the National Center for Children in Poverty at the Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University. The study involved 5,000 children and 300 teachers from 15 public elementary schools. Findings supported the thesis that children receiving 'substantial RCCP instruction' (defined as 25 lessons or more per year) exhibit signs of more positive social and emotional development, including less violence and an increased willingness to cooperate with others. Results also suggested that RCCP is beneficial to all children, regardless of gender, grade level, or risk status.

Contact:
Linda Lantieri
Resolving Conflict Creatively Program, Founding Director's Office
40 Exchange Place, Suite 1111
New York, NY 10005
p. 212-509-0022
f. 212-509-1095
e. llantieri@rccp.org
w. http://www.esrnational.org/about-rccp.html

Program: The Responsive Classroom

Content: Professional development for social and emotional learning

Summary: The Responsive Classroom has been available to K-8 educators since 1981 through the Northeast Foundation for Children. This unique combination of resources, training, strategies, and philosophy is based on the idea that children must possess a particular set of social skills in order to succeed academically and socially: cooperation, assertion, responsibility, empathy, and self-control. By building communities inside and outside the classroom that foster these skills and encourage inquiry, The Responsive Classroom approach alters dynamics and outcomes.

Resources and Tools: The Web site offers a range of books, videos, and audio resources. Some of the publications, such as Yardsticks: Children in the Classroom Ages 4-14 by co-founder Chip Wood, are general resources while others, like The Morning Meeting Book by executive director Roxann Kriete, relate to specific techniques of The Responsive Classroom. The Web site also provides current and archived articles on a range of topics of interest to educators and a quarterly newsletter with a circulation of over 55,000.

The Responsive Leadership Forum was established in 1994. This program is available to schools who have made a three-year commitment to The Responsive Classroom that includes staff development, on-site consultations, and a week-long institute for administrators.

Teacher Training Opportunities: Two types of teacher training opportunities are offered:

  • One-Day Workshops (fall and spring) include an overview of The Responsive Classroom approach and a focus on two, key aspects: the Morning Meeting and Rules and Logical Consequences.
  • A weeklong summer institute for teachers is offered at three levels to provide understanding and ongoing training.

Reach: Through work with individual teachers and schools, as well as through collaborations such as the Character Education Partnership and the Coalition of Essential Schools, The Responsive Classroom has reached thousands of young people in its 20-year history.

Results: Several research studies have been conducted to determine the effectiveness of The Responsive Classroom approach. A one-year study funded by the Xerox Corporation entitled Caring to Learn: A Report on the Positive Impact of a Social Curriculum

found that over the course of a school year, students 'generally were perceived to exhibit higher levels of social skills and fewer problem behaviors than those with limited or no exposure.' Another, multi-year evaluation by Dr. Stephen N. Elliott of the University of Wisconsin, concluded that 'a classroom that promotes the development of social skills will have higher scores on tests such as ITBS than classrooms that do not promote the development of social skills, all other confounding factors held constant.'

Contact:
Roxann Kriete, Executive Director
The Responsive Classroom
Northeast Foundation for Children
85 Avenue A, Suite 204
PO Box 718
Turners Falls, MA 01376-0718
p. 413-863-8288 or 1-800-360-6332
f. 877-206-3952
e. info@responsiveclassroom

Program: Rethinking Globalization

Content: A developer and publisher of progressive curricula and other resources with an emphasis on equity, multiculturalism, and social justice across the curriculum

Summary: Rethinking Schools is a publisher of educational materials founded in 1986 by classroom teachers. In addition to a quarterly journal for teachers, this non-profit organization publishes a wide array of resources for all grade levels. For example, the first edition of Rethinking Columbus: The Next 500 Years (1998) sold 225,000 copies, clearly influencing how 'the discovery of America' is taught and enriching American history with multicultural voices. Rethinking Globalization: Teaching for Justice in an Unjust World (2002) offers a comprehensive view of the interconnected negative effects of corporate-driven globalization to junior high and high school students. The Web site provides a list of other publication titles and order information.

Resources and Tools: The 400+ pages of the Rethinking Globalization were edited, coordinated, and written by Bill Bigelow and Bob Peterson, both seasoned teachers of social studies in multicultural environments. (Peterson is a founding editor of Rethinking Schools.) Admittedly 'partisan,' if not biased, the writers explain the injustice of corporate-driven globalization through a wide variety of readings, poetry, photography, cartoons, hand-outs, games, study questions, and role plays, including a trial to be acted out in the classroom: People v. Sweat Shops. In this trial, groups of students take different positions while the teacher acts as prosecutor.

In addition to the history and legacy of colonialism, this softcover workbook addresses the harsh reality of sweat shops and child labor worldwide. It encompasses environmental education in sections entitled Just Food and Culture, Consumption, and the Environment And, ultimately, it challenges assumptions by introducing students to courageous social activists who are committed to positive change throughout the 'global village.'

Teacher Training Opportunities: While teacher training workshops on the themes of Rethinking Globalization are available, one of the advantages of the material is that it lends itself to the creativity of teachers as they shape the content of their own courses. The book could serve as a complete curriculum on globalization or aspects of it could be used selectively and integrated into existing curriculum. Related resources for teachers include a Listserv and a number of publications focused on professional development.

Reach: Since launched in the spring of 2002, Rethinking Globalization has averaged 1,000 copies a month in sales to classroom teachers, school districts, and college bookstores. For example, the British Columbia Teacher Federation in Vancouver used it in a 2002 summer workshop on global education.

Results: It is too soon to tell how incorporating this view of history and social justice may influence the thoughts, choices, and lives of those who are exposed to it. But it certainly seems to be a 'watershed' publication that offers new ways of thinking about old problems.

Contact:
Bill Bigelow, Classroom Editor
Leon Lynn, Publications Program Manager
Rethinking Schools
1001 East Keefe Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53212
p. 414-964-9646
f. 414-964-7220
w. http://www.rethinkingschools.org

Program: Search Institute

Content: Character education for schools, communities, and organizations

Summary:Summary: Search Institute was founded in 1958 by Dr. Merton P. Strommen in order to conduct applied social science research with the healthy development of young people in mind. The focus was adolescence has since expanded to encompass children of all ages. The focus of the Search Institute's work is not limited to the school context, but strives to understand what makes children and young people thrive is all aspects of their lives. To this end, the institute generates, synthesizes, and communicates new knowledge, convenes organizational and community leaders, and works with state and national organizations.

Resources and Tools: Resources and Tools: The essential tool of the Search Institute is a research-based framework developed in 1990 of 40 developmental assets that contribute to happy, healthy young lives. Among these, for example, are a caring neighborhood, parent involvement, safety, and creative activities. According to Search Institute surveys of over 1 million 6th- 2th-grade youth in communities across the United States, it has been consistently shown that young people who experience more of these assets are more likely to make healthy choices and avoid a wide range of high-risk behaviors. The 40 assets are available online in English and in Spanish.

With this framework in mind, the Search Institute offers a range of resources to schools, communities, and organizations:

  • Publications include over 75 books, videos, posters, and other resources for people concerned about youth. A downloadable catalog is available online. Among the publications is a quarterly magazine, Assets: The Magazine of Ideas for Healthy Communities & Healthy Youth. Research on positive child and adolescent development conducted through the Search Institute includes a Survey Services Unit, which offers school districts and communities comprehensive profiles of their youth based on the framework of developmental assets.
  • Networks for asset-building are made available toleaders and practitioners, including an annual conference on-line bulletin boards. Currently the Search Institute is also facilitating the formation of statewide asset-building networks in Arkansas, Nevada, and Oklahoma and has been an active partner in the formation of statewide networks in Colorado, Kansas, and Indiana.

Teacher Training Opportunities:Teacher Training Opportunities: The Search Institute is not focused on training educators only due to its underlying vision, which is based on family and community involvement in the process of asset-building. However, it offers extensive training opportunities for groups and communities through its partnership with Vision Training Associates. A 24-page, downloadable training brochure is available online.

Reach: Search Institute is most active in the Western United States, yet through its informative Web site offers useful information to much broader audience and has engaged in activities nationwide.

Results: According to the Web site, 'hundreds of schools and dozens of community-wide initiatives across the United States have used data from Search Institute's surveys to develop asset-building strategies and to create positive new visions for their youth.' The Institute also continues to review its research and conduct its own studies, the results of which are available through the Web site. To date, over 350,000 6th-12th graders in more than 600 communities between 1990 and 1995 have been surveyed to learn about the developmental assets they experienced, the risks they took, the deficits they had to overcome, and the ways they thrived. 

Contact:
Peter Benson, Executive Director
Search Institute
The Banks Building
615 First Avenue NE, Suite 125
Minneapolis, MN 55413
p. 612-376-8955 or 800-888-7828
f. 612-376-8956
e. si@search-institute.org
w. http://www.search-institute.org

Program: Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity (S.E.E.D.)

Content: Teacher training for equity/diversity awareness

Summary: Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity is a staff-development equity project for educators developed by the Wellesley Centers for Women. S.E.E.D. Summer Leaders' Workshops prepare teachers to take leadership roles in their schools by initiating seminars that include nine monthly discussion forums with colleagues on a range of issues. The over-arching goals of the process include heightening awareness, increasing sensitivity, and making curricula more gender fair and multiculturally equitable in all subject areas.

Resources and Tools: The National S.E.E.D. Project on Inclusive Curriculum is designed to offer K-12 teachers an opportunity to revitalize their teaching and reconsider gender and diversity issues within their existing curricula.

Teacher Training Opportunities: Annual S.E.E.D. Leadership Training workshops bring 40 teachers together in different locations around the United States for intensive, 7-day seminars. These leaders then return to their schools where they conduct three-hour discussions with colleagues on a monthly basis. Thus, while there is an initial teacher-training workshop, there are also numerous teacher-training sessions led by experienced teachers going on all the time.

Reach: Since it was created in 1987, S.E.E.D. has led workshops in over 32 states and 7 Asia countries.

Results: The impact of the S.E.E.D. Leadership Training workshops has not been measured with a formal study. However, with over 5,000 teachers who have gone through the Leadership training and taken a new perspective back into their schools, it is safe to suggest that over 100,000 teachers have been influenced in the 15 years of S.E.E.D. training. They, in turn, have touched the lives and, very likely, improved the educational experience of many thousands of students.

Contacts:
Peggy McIntosh and Emily Style, Co-directors
National S.E.E.D. Project on Inclusive Curriculum
c/o Wellesley College Centers for Research On Women
Wellesley, MA 02481-8203
w. http://www.wcwonline.org/seed/development.html

Peggy McIntosh:
p. 781-283-2520
f. 781-283-2504

Emily Style:
p. 973-763-6378
f. 973-763-5670
e. SEEDSTYLE@aol.com

Program: Seeds of Peace

Content: Experiential conflict resolution and peacemaking programs for teenagers from regions of conflict.

Summary: Summary: Seeds of Peace (SOP) is a non-profit, non-political organization that encompasses several programs. The summer camp, located in the Maine woods, offers young people ages 14-16 from both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict an opportunity to be part of a supportive environment where they can feel safe, get to know 'the enemy,' and learn to express their feelings and concerns. They live together in cabins, share meals, and participate in camp activities, which include canoeing, the arts, and computer classes. American students also participate in the summer camp as host delegates.

The Regional Center for Coexistence was opened in Jerusalem in 1999 in response to the needs of Maine Summer Camp participants to keep in touch once they returned home. Seeds of Peace youth use the Center as a meeting space to maintain the friendships developed at camp by participating in workshops, presentations, seminars, sports, music and art activities, and festivals. Other programs that have been inaugurated at the Center include Israeli-Palestinian Advanced Coexistence Projects, Cypriot Bi-Communal Workshops, and Regional Coexistence Seminars.

Participants in the range of programs offered by SOP have represented many nations and cultures, including Israel, Palestinians, Egypt, India, Macedonia, and Kosovo. International campers are selected by their respective governments for participation in the summer camp. American campers serve as host delegates and are selected by SOP to engage in the role of observers, facilitators, or connecting links between international delegates. This helps American delegates develop skills as peer mediators, which can be applied to many areas of their lives.

Resources and Tools: Apart from the experiential nature of the Seeds of Peace project, there are tools of interest to classroom teachers. For example, the CD-ROM takes an in depth look at the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the eyes of ten Israeli and Arab teenagers. The CD, which was first used in an Israeli school and a Palestinian school in 2001, includes in-depth dimensional tours of Palestinian and Israel homes, perspectives on the conflict, the first joint Palestinian and Israel historical timeline, tours of refugee camps, and more. The goal of the CD is to help young people gain insight into the lives and struggles of others, which helps them to reexamine their own feelings about conflict.

Teacher Training Opportunities: SOP has provided an online forum where teachers using the Seeds of Peace CD-ROM can share their thoughts and experiences with other teachers and SOP staff. The forum consists of a number of message boards with topics related to the CD, as well as other general topics related to teaching. Educators involved in the summer camp are appointed by both Israeli and Palestinian Ministers of Education and receive orientation training.

Reach: Each camp session hosts 165 campers, 10 of which make up the American Delegation. SOP has grown significantly over the past ten years, increasing the annual number of participants from 50 to 450 and expanding the regional representation from three to eight Middle Eastern nations. In addition, the program now hosts Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot delegations each summer and has invited first-generation U.S. immigrants from Portland, Maine, as well as participants from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, the former Yugoslavia, and Romania. Since 1993, over 2,000 teens from 22 nations have graduated from Seeds of Peace.

Results: SOP has earned international recognition as an effective model for resolving conflict worldwide. Since the establishment of Center of Coexistence in Jerusalem, SOP has coordinated over 50 presentations at Israeli, Palestinian, and Jordanian schools, involving more than 200 Israeli and Arab youth. More than 150 Israeli, Palestinian, and Jordanian students have exchanged visits to each other's homes. These activities continue as part of the more formal program now coordinated through the Center for Coexistence.

On November 17, 2001, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) honored Seeds of Peace with a special mention of the Madjaneet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence. Seeds of Peace is the only American organization selected to receive this coveted award and is the first U.S. organization to be cited since former President Jimmy Carter received the prize in 1991.

Looking ahead to the future, the Youth Peace Initiative, the first Seeds of Peace summer conflict resolution program abroad, is the first stage of the Olympic Truce Initiative in which Seeds of Peace will coordinate conflict resolution programs at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens.

Contact:
Janet Wallach, Interim President
Seeds of Peace
370 Lexington Avenue, Suite 401
New York, NY 10017
p. 212-573-8040
f. 212-573-8047
e. info@seedsofpeace.org
w. http://www.seedsofpeace.org

Timothy Wilson, Vice President and Camp Director
Seeds of Peace International Camp (summer months only)
183 Pohatan Road
Otisfield, ME 04270
p. 207-627-7500
f. 207-627-3121
e. camp@seedsofpeace.org

Program: Dr. Marty Levine's Resources for Social Studies Teachers

ContentContent: A wide variety of lesson plans, strategies, and curricula for social studies teachers

Summary: Summary: Dr. Marty Levine is Professor Emeritus of Secondary Education at California State University, Northridge (CSUN). With great resourcefulness, he has gathered lesson plans and resources from the Internet which social studies teachers will find useful and made them available through the CSUN Web site along with suggestions for Teaching Current Events, links to Newsgroups, Online Activities, and other information of particular interest to social studies teachers.

Resources and Tools: This is primarily and online information resource, although many of the links lead to material that can be implemented in the classroom immediately. For example, the 'Afghanistan: Land in Crisis' link takes you to the National Geographic Web site where lessons emphasizing geography, map reading, refugee movements, and topography are connected through a deeper understanding of Afghanistan. Another link leads to 'American Slave Narratives: Been Here So Long,' a collection of 17 interviews with former slaves presented by the New Deal Network. From Chinese-American Culture to Holocaust studies–from the United Nations to Freedom of Speech, the links are rich, relevant, and useful.

Teacher Training Opportunities: This resource does not include a teacher training component. However, several of the links include ways for teachers to exchange lesson plans and, thereby, train and mentor one another.

Reach: The reach is vast as this gathering of resources is Internet based.

Results: Dr. Levine's site has received over 1.5 million hits since 1995. The site has been designated a 'Top Site' by the Education Planet organization.

Contact:
Dr. Marty Levine, Professor Emeritus
c/o California State University, Northridge
College of Education
18111 Nordhoff Street
Northridge, California 91330
p. 818-677-1200
e. martin.levine@csun.edu
w. http://www.csun.edu/~hcedu013/plans.html

Program: SPICE

Content: Curriculum materials for cross-cultural learning

Summary: Since 1976 the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE) has brought the resources of Stanford University to the task of internationalizing elementary and secondary school curricula. Housed in the Institute for International Studies at Stanford University, SPICE has now produced over 100 supplementary curriculum units on Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Latin America, the global environment, and international political economy. These resources are particularly strong in Asian culture and more can be anticipated as a result of SPICE's recent collaboration with the National Consortium for Teaching About Asia (NCTA). SPCIE's broad perspective and interdisciplinary approach–which encompasses literature, history, science, geography, conflict management, and more–is made possible by the diverse faculty and programmatic interests of Stanford University. By linking knowledge, inquiry, and practice in the form of exemplary curriculum materials, SPICE hopes to present multiple perspectives and motivate critical thinking.

Resources and Tools: The primary tools are the curriculum units for middle and secondary school students. The various units are catalogued online and include titles such as Along the Silk Road, Agenda for Peace: The Role of the United Nations, Mapping Latin America, Japanese Immigration to the United States, and South Africa in World Perspective. Most units include 3-6 lessons are priced under $50.00, although lesson plans for a few, selected units are offered at no charge. New units in development are described on the Web site.

Teacher Training Opportunities: The recent association with the NCTA has led to Special seminars in an effort to infuse Asian studies in the social studies and literature curricula. Apart from this initiative, no special teacher training opportunities are offered.

Reach: The global content of SPICE's curriculum resources is relevant to a broad audience.

Results: No specific measures of success have been published. [Ed Note: Will try to get an estimate of sales early in 2003.]

Contact:
SPICE
Stanford University
Encina Hall East, Ground Floor
Stanford, CA 94305-6055
p. 650-723-1114 or 800-578-1114
f. 650-723-6784
e. spice@forsythe.stanford.edu
w. http://spice.stanford.edu/

Program: Thoreau Institute Teacher Education Programs

Content: Interdisciplinary environmental education that incorporates history, literature, science, spirituality, and social action

Summary: Since the summer of 1997, nearly 200 people have participated in the Thoreau Institute's programs for teachers. These programs approach the study of nature as an interdisciplinary endeavor, combining scientific, literary, and spiritual knowledge. The programs are created and administered by The Thoreau Institute at Walden Woods, an education and research center located in Concord, Massachusetts, focused on the life, writings, and legacy of Henry David Thoreau and his circle. Web site: www.walden.org.

Resources and Tools: The primary offering of the Thoreau Institute is its teacher-training institutes and envisioned teacher/student workshops.

Teacher Training Opportunities: This organization offers an annual, week-long institute for high school teachers, entitled 'Approaching Walden,' as well as a summer institute for middle school teachers entitled 'Finding Walden.' Beginning in the spring of 2003, seminars for teachers from all over the world will be offered on 'Communities of Emerson and Thoreau.' In 2002, a summer pilot program served as the first step toward envisioned retreats and workshops for teachers and students from urban environments.

Reach: To date, over 250 teachers have participated in the summer institutes. No studies have been done to determine how many students have benefited from the inclusion of Thoreauvian ideas in the curriculum.

Results: Results: Curriculum units developed by teachers who have experienced the summer institutes are posted on the Thoreau Institute Web site and are readily available for all to use. As it looks to the future, The Thoreau Institute has been accepted as one of the sites for the International Coalition of Historic Museum Sites of Conscience, meeting the criteria of engaging 'in programs that stimulate dialogue on pressing social issues and promote humanitarian and democratic values as a primary function.' The Coalition will work with The Thoreau Institute in 2003 to 'develop and disseminate specific, powerful examples of programs that achieve these goals' and connect them with historic sites in Bangladesh, Senegal, Poland, Denmark, South Africa, the Czech Republic, Russia, Argentina, the United Kingdom, and, in the U.S., New York, California, Georgia, Tennessee, and New Mexico in this effort.

Contact:
Jayne K. Gordon, Director
The Thoreau Institute
44 Baker Farm
Lincoln, MA 01773
p. 781-259-4712
f. Same as phone
e. jayne.gordon@walden.org
w. http://www.walden.org

Program: Veterans of Hope Project

Content: Oral history on participatory democracy presented through engaging videos and study guides

Summary: The Veterans of Hope Project documents the life stories of women and men from a variety of ethnic, cultural, and religious backgrounds who have been active over a long period of time in the quest for compassionate social change. The founders and co-chairpersons of the initiative are activist Rosemarie Freeney-Harding and civil rights historian and theology professor Vincent Harding. Since 1997, over 50 interviews have been conducted with people who struggled with an 'inner war' and yet sustained hope in the process of effecting social change in movements for democracy, justice, and reconciliation in the United States. The spiritual strength of each 'veteran' is explored, as is the historical context of each life story. The Veterans of Hope Project is based at the Iliff School of Theology, the University of Colorado.

Resources and Tools: To date, five of the50 interviews–all with Civil Rights activists–have been edited into 45-minute VHS video tapes and are now available with Study Guides to be used as curriculum resources in secondary schools and higher education classes. The videos currently available are as follows:

  • The Seamless Cloth of Faith and Struggle: The Reverend James Lawson, a veteran of the Southern Freedom Movement
  • The Singing Warrior: Dr. Bernice Johnson, a founding member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee's Freedom Singers
  • Standing Against the Wind: Ms. Ruby Sales, an activist in the Souther Freedom Movement
  • Following the Call: Ms. Gwendolyn Zoharah Simmons, a leader in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in Mississippi and Georgia
  • Minister of the Beloved Community: Ambassador Andrew Young, close companion of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., former Mayor of Atlanta, and former U.S. Ambassador to the UN

Teacher Training Opportunities: Curriculum development workshops are available. Contact the VOH office for details.

Reach: Because the project is relatively new and very much a 'work-in-progress,' figures measuring impact and reach are not yet available.

Results: At this early stage of the project, no evaluations or surveys have been conducted to measure the impact of the interviews and study materials on students.

Contact:
Rachel E. Harding, Associate Director
Veterans of Hope Project
Iliff School of Theology
2201 South University Boulevard
Denver, CO 80210
p. 303-765-3194
f. 303-744-2903
e. VOHproject@iliff.edu
w. http://www.iliff.edu/about_iliff/special_veterans.htm

Progam: Voices from the Field: Reading and Writing about the World, Ourselves, and Others

Content: Literature-based Learning for Grades 7-12 with Reading and Writing Components

Summary: Since 1961, over 185,000 men and women have served as Peace Corps volunteers in over 130 countries at the hands-on, grassroots level. Voices from the Field is a 7-12 literature curriculum based on a selected offering of stories written out of that experience. Letters, Folk Tales, and Day-in-the-Life writings of peace corps volunteers are also available, most with structured lesson plans and other resources (e.g. Mapping Techniques or Videos). Thus, the curriculum promotes global understanding, reading and writing skills, and the concept of service to others. Coverdell World Wise Schools, an organization founded by the late Senator and Peace Corps Director Paul D. Coverdell in 1989 to bring global awareness to American classrooms, makes all materials needed to implement this curriculum available online.

Resources and Tools: The user-friendly Coverdell World Wise Web site is the 'hub' of this program. On it, teachers will find a complete array of self-explanatory, standards-based materials, including a selection of stories and lesson plans, beginning with an introductory story by former deputy director of the Peace Corps, Bill Moyers. Each story is linked to two units, one emphasizing 'Reading and Responding to Literature' and another focused on writing, 'A Reading and Writing Workshop.' Both approaches are based on 'essential questions' designed to connect the text to a broader understanding of people and the world. An Appendix section offers additional ideas for teachers and information on how to make them work in the classroom. Literature circles, journals, and reading comprehension strategies, for example, are part of the Appendix section.

Although it is presented as a separate curriculum on the Web site, the downloadable, 50-page guide entitled Building Bridges: A Peace Corps Classroom Guide to Cross-Cultural Understanding could easily go hand-in-hand with the Voice from the Field curriculum. Building Bridges was created in collaboration with the National Geographic Education Foundation and offers short, adaptable lesson plans and activities that build cross-cultural awareness, within the U.S. and internationally. Lessons are flexible, easy to use, and standards-based.

Teacher Training Opportunities: The 'Educators' section of the Web site is easy to use and speaks clearly and directly to teachers with step-by-step instructions on every aspect of the curriculum. As a result, this curriculum comes with its own online training. While the World Wise Schools office is able to respond to special requests for group training, no formal teacher training activities or events are available.

Reach: Currently, 5,000 teachers are enrolled in the Coverdell World Wise Schools 'match program,' which matches a former or current peace corps volunteer with a particular classroom. Of this number, approximately 1,200 language arts teachers have used the Voices from the Field curriculum since it was published in 2001.

Results: Results: Voices from the Field was field-tested at a school district in Maryland. While tracking is ongoing and plans to survey teachers on the program and its use are in place, no quantified measures are available at this time.

Contact:
Cerylle A. Moffett, Curriculum Design Specialist
World Wise Schools of the United States Peace Corps
1111 20th Street NW
Washington, DC 20526
p. 202-692-1450
f. 202-692-1421
e. wwsinfo@peacecorps.gov
w. http://www.peacecorps.gov/wws

Program: Voice of Love and Freedom

Content: Literature-based character education curriculum

Summary: Voices of Love and Freedom (VOL) connects the study of literature to social skills, violence prevention, and identity awareness by encouraging students to read with a strong sense of social values and, also, to tell their own stories. As part of a larger initiative entitled Voices School Design, Voice of Love and Freedom builds school, family, and community partnerships related to reading and discussing books. Eight values guide the program: share stories, build trust, inspire hope, develop empathy, practice problem solving, model conflict resolution, write about personal meaning, and help others. All of these values are brought into the reading and writing program based on particular texts for which VLF materials have been developed.