[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 176 (Tuesday, December 9, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S16101-S16102]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            Civic Education Plan for the State of Tennessee

       ``Civic education should be a central purpose of education 
     essential to the well-being of representative democracy.''
       ``Civic education should be seen as a core subject. Well-
     defined state standards and curricular requirements are 
     necessary to ensure civic education is taught effectively at 
     each grade level.''
       ``Policies that support `Quality teacher education and 
     professional development' are important to insure effective 
     classroom instruction and raise student achievement.''
       ``Classroom programs that foster an understanding of 
     fundamental constitutional principles through . . . service 
     learning, discussion of current events, or simulations . . . 
     are essential to civic education.''

  Mr. FRIST. With these four principles in mind, the Tennessee 
delegation has made the following Tennessee State Action Plan:

       Reconvene in Tennessee to discuss further plans, an early 
     December meeting is planned to include the entire delegation.
       A follow-up meeting will include each delegate bringing 
     ``to the table'' persons of influence that will help deliver 
     our mission reviving ``Civics in the Classroom.''
       Janis Kyser and Rep. Joe Towns will attend a Youth For 
     Justice meeting to help with organizing a 501c3 organization 
     to serve as a statewide clearing house for LRE services; 
     Conduct an intensive state-wide LRE survey to determine what 
     is happening, what needs to happen and where are the gaps in 
     service; Plan and conduct a Statewide LRE conference.
       Tennessee Delegation: Ms. Janis Kyser, State Facilitator; 
     Senator Randy McNally, Tennessee State Senate; Representative 
     Beth Harwell, Tennessee House of Representatives; 
     Representative Joe Towns, Jr., Tennessee House of 
     Representatives; Mr. Richard Ray, Chairman State School 
     Board; Mr. Bruce Opie, Legislative Liaison, Tennessee 
     Department of Education; Dr. Ashley Smith Jr., President 
     Tennessee Middle School Association.

  Mr. DASCHLE. I share the Majority Leader's belief that schools are 
critical in this effort. We must do a better job of educating our 
children to be the productive and involved citizens that our democracy, 
our country, needs.
  Mr. FRIST. The Senator from South Dakota is correct. There are other 
important partners as well.
  Democracy isn't something that just happens to us. It's something 
each of us must actively create. Citizenship gives us rights, but it 
also gives us responsibilities. Each of us has a responsibility to 
understand the great principles on which our great country was

[[Page S16102]]

founded. Each of us has a responsibility to participate in the process 
of self-government.
  It is an essential balance: rights and responsibilities. When we 
neglect either side of that equation, our democracy is in trouble.
  Mr. DASCHLE. I agree with the Senator from Tennessee. It's not enough 
for the principles of our democracy to be known by only a few. That's 
not American democracy. In order to have a strong, vibrant democracy, 
everyone has to participate. Everyone has to know the history and the 
rules. We all need to learn not just names and dates, but the process 
of democracy. We also need to develop new and better ways to keep 
adults informed and involved in the civic life of their communities and 
of our nation.
  Our nation faces grave, new challenges today. The very real threat of 
terrorism is forcing us to examine the balance between liberty and 
security. How do ``we the people'' respond to terrorism? How do ``we 
the people'' operate in an increasingly global world? In a world in 
which we are inundated with information of all kinds, how do we assure 
that people get the information they need to make informed decisions 
about our democracy and our future? These are the kinds of questions 
that future Congressional Conferences on Civic Education can explore.
  Mr. FRIST. My friend is correct. The challenges and questions our 
nation faces today are different than those faced by our founders. But 
they are, in many ways, just as profound.
  The great principles of democracy are what unify us as a people and 
bind us together as a nation. They are what gives us the strength to 
face the challenges of a complex world as one people. And, as my friend 
noted, they are what has made it possible for us to preserve the 
miracle of Philadelphia and keep our republic for more than two 
centuries.
  I look forward to working with the distinguished democratic leader 
and with our colleagues in the House leadership to prepare for next 
year's conference. I also look forward to working with my fellow 
Tennesseans to see that our State produces an outstanding State action 
plan before that conference.
  Mr. DASCHLE. I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record 
the Conference Statement and join the majority leader in encouraging 
all of our colleagues to lend their support to this Congressionally-
sponsored effort to dramatically improve civic education and civic 
participation in America.

  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

 Conference Statement--First Annual Congressional Conference on Civic 
                               Education

       The participants at the First Annual Congressional 
     Conference on Civic Education acknowledge that there is an 
     urgent need to address the low level of civic engagement in 
     America. We recognize that:
       Civic knowledge and engagement are essential to maintaining 
     our representative democracy. While many institutions help to 
     develop Americans' civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions, 
     schools must have the capacity to prepare students for 
     engaged citizenship. Civic education should be a central 
     purpose of education essential to the well-being of 
     representative democracy.
       Civic education should be seen as a core subject. Well-
     defined state standards and curricular requirements are 
     necessary to ensure that civic education is taught 
     effectively at each grade level from kindergarten through 
     12th grade. Strengthening the civic mission of schools must 
     be a shared responsibility of the public and private sectors 
     at the community, local, state, and national levels.
       Policies that support quality teacher education and 
     professional development are important to ensure effective 
     classroom instruction and raise student achievement.
       Well-designed classroom programs that foster an 
     understanding of fundamental constitutional principles 
     through methods such as service learning, discussion of 
     current events, or simulations of democratic processes and 
     procedures are essential to civic education.
       In recognition of these findings, we resolve to take action 
     to reaffirm the historic civic mission of our schools.
       Adopted by the Delegates to the First Congressional 
     Conference on Civic Education, September 22, 2003, in 
     Washington, D.C.

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