[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 64 (Wednesday, May 5, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E872-E873]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




THE CENTER FOR CIVIC EDUCATION AND THE ``WE THE PEOPLE: THE CITIZEN AND 
                       THE CONSTITUTION'' PROGRAM

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                          HON. DALE E. KILDEE

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 5, 1999

  Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I want to bring an editorial in today's 
Washington Post about the

[[Page E873]]

recent Center for Civic Education National Competition to the attention 
of Members. For 12 years, the Center for Civic Education has developed 
and promoted its ``We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution'' 
program to increase student understanding and knowledge of the 
Constitution and this document's impact on today's society. Over this 
period, the program has provided instruction to 26.5 million students, 
distributed more than 89,000 sets of free textbooks, and trained more 
than 82,000 teachers in 24,000 elementary and secondary schools across 
the country. In light of the tragic recent events surrounding our 
Nation's schools, this editorial shows the positive impact that this 
program is having on our Nation's students and their sense and 
understanding of citizenship and its responsibilities.

                       [From The Washington Post]

                             A Class Action

                          (By David S. Broder)

       The topic was the constitutional guarantee of freedom of 
     association, and the questions from the Kentucky college 
     teacher, the Virginia judge and the Charleston, S.C., lawyer 
     came thick and fast.
       ``Given the volatile nature of the atmosphere in Colorado 
     following the Columbine High School tragedy, do you think the 
     Denver City Council would have been justified in saying, `We 
     do not want the NRA [National Rifle Association] meeting here 
     this weekend?' '' ``Could it have restricted the number of 
     people at the meeting?'' ``Could it have asked for the names 
     of those attending?''
       The five Hempfield High School students from Landisville, 
     Pa., facing them were not rattled. One by one, they made 
     their points in quick, incisive fashion, referring twice to 
     the controlling Supreme Court cases: Barring the convention 
     would have been justified only if there were a real threat of 
     retaliatory violence. Limiting its size was not sensible--
     ``It should be all or nothing.'' Asking for names could not 
     be justified by any compelling state interest.
       The discussion moved to the issue of youths wearing symbols 
     or clothing that others in school might find intimidating--
     and once again, the students spoke calmly and clearly about 
     the issues that have agitated the country since the Littleton 
     massacre.
       On Sunday, the second day of the annual national 
     competition sponsored by the Center for Civic Education, a 
     downtown Washington hotel was the place to have your faith in 
     the younger generation restored.
       For 12 years, the center, funded by a $5.5 million annual 
     grant from the Department of Education and six times that 
     much in state, local and private support, has promoted 
     semester-long curriculum called ``We the People. The Citizen 
     and the Constitution,'' and trained thousands of teachers to 
     use it in classrooms across the country.
       Each class is invited to compete at the congressional 
     district and state level, and last weekend about 1,250 
     students from all 50 states and the District of Columbia 
     gathered for the national finals. The format is a simulated 
     congressional hearing on an issue requiring application of 
     constitutional principles. Each team has four minutes to 
     present its prepared position and then must answer unscripted 
     questions from a trio of contest judges for another six.
       ``The whole class comes to Washington,'' Chuck Quigley, the 
     program director, explained. ``This is not like a debate 
     meet, where the best and brightest represent the school. Each 
     class divides into six teams--one for each unit of the 
     course--and each team `testifies' once in each round. You 
     can't have cliques or factions. Everyone has to cooperate for 
     the school to do well.''
       In a 1994 evaluation of the program, Stanford political 
     scientist Richard Brody found it particularly successful in 
     promoting tolerance of dissenting views and active 
     participation in the political system. Carly Celmer, a member 
     of the team representing Florida, said, ``It teaches you that 
     people can make mistakes, but our structure of government is 
     really sound.''
       Elaine Savukas, who teaches the Pennsylvania students I 
     watched, said her husband, the principal of Hempfield High--
     ``a school of exactly the same size as Columbine in the same 
     kind of suburban community''--values the course because ``it 
     shows kids there are ways to work through disagreements other 
     than violence.''
       Mary Catherine Bradshaw, the teacher of the Hillsboro High 
     School entry from Nashville, Tenn., said ``Taunting is 
     pervasive in every high school.'' But her class, on its own 
     initiative, came up with a checklist of actions federal, 
     state and local authorities might take to prevent another 
     Littleton. And then one student said, ``There is something we 
     can do as individuals.'' And the class began circulating a 
     pledge that ``as part of the community . . . I will eliminate 
     taunting from my own behavior. I will encourage others to do 
     the same . . . and if others won't become part of the 
     solution, I will.''
       They put the pledge on their Web site and now are hearing 
     that it's been adopted at high schools all over the United 
     States.
       The competition--and the underlying course--have attracted 
     celebrity backers. Henry Hyde has coached classes in his 
     district; Hillary Clinton, Kenneth Starr and several Supreme 
     Court justices met with schools in this year's competition.
       Anthony Corrado, a distinguished political scientist at 
     Colby College in Maine, has judged the contest for eight 
     years and has helped train teachers at summer institutes on 
     using the curriculum. He takes the time, he told me, because 
     ``the best antidote to cynicism is understanding the basic 
     principles of our system of government and being challenged 
     to apply them to today's problems.''
       This is a course most of us adults could use.
       (The phone numbers of the Center for Civic Education are 
     818-591-9321 or 202-861-8800.)

     

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