[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 78 (Friday, May 11, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1024]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           THE 11TH ANNUAL WORLD CONGRESS ON CIVIC EDUCATION

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. HENRY A. WAXMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 10, 2007

  Mr. WAXMAN. Madam Speaker, I am proud to recognize the 11th World 
Congress on Civic Education, which will take place in Buenos Aires, 
Argentina, May 17-21. The conference, hosted by Conciencia Argentina 
and the U.S.-based Center for Civic Education, will welcome delegates 
from over 60 countries, including leaders of civic education 
organizations throughout the world. Participants will discuss best 
practices for imparting the knowledge, skills, and values necessary for 
democratic citizenship to students living in established and emerging 
democracies.
  Through a national and international network of individuals, 
organizations, educational institutions, and governmental agencies, 
Civitas International Programs have responded for more than a decade to 
the wave of democratization sweeping through Eastern Europe, the former 
Soviet Union, Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Civitas International 
Programs are directed by the Center for Civic Education and funded by 
the U.S. Department of Education under the Education for Democracy Act. 
They are implemented by the U.S. State Department and USAID, in 
cooperation with nongovernmental and governmental institutions in the 
United States and abroad.
  The goals of the Civitas International Programs are to:
  Acquaint international educators with exemplary curricular and 
teacher training programs in civic education developed in the United 
States and other participating nations.
  Assist international educators in creating, adapting, implementing, 
and institutionalizing effective civic education programs in their own 
countries.
  Create and implement civic education programs for students in the 
United States that will help them better understand the history and 
experiences of both established and emerging democracies.
  Facilitate the exchange of ideas and experiences in civic education 
among educational, governmental, and private sector leaders in the 
United States and other countries.
  Encourage independent research and evaluation that will determine the 
effectiveness of civic education in providing students with the 
knowledge and character traits essential to the preservation and future 
progress of democracy.
  I applaud the outstanding achievements of the Civitas International 
Programs, and wish the delegates to the 11th World Congress on Civic 
Education much success in their continued efforts throughout the world 
in developing a political culture supportive of democratic values, 
principles, and institutions.

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