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"It didn't take long for civic journalism to move from election experiments to deep enterprise work on major issues plaguing communities - race, drugs, education, the economy. Techniques involved listening to how the communities framed their problems and convening conversations about how they might be addressed. Yet major differences emerged between civic journalism and traditional investigative journalism. Unlike traditional investigative journalism, civic journalism's enterprise projects, "didn't have bad guys attached to them," Friedland said. Rather they mined the muddy swamps of tough issues enveloping communities. These projects focused less on measuring the nature of the engagement and instead focused on outcomes. The most systematic and deepest research into civic journalism was undertaken in 2002 by Friedland and PhD student Sandy Nichols. The Pew Center opened its files on 651 civic journalism projects that had applied for funding or for recognition in the Knight-Batten Awards for Excellence in Civic Journalism between 1994 and 2001. For months, Nichols read every project and coded them by engagement strategies, outcomes and story frames. You can read the final report or the executive summary. Among its highlights: At least one fifth of all U.S. daily newspapers - 322 of the nation's 1,500 dailies practiced civic journalism during that time. They hailed from 220 cities in all but three states. But, the authors said, the real number, if you included projects that didn't cross the Pew Center's transom, was much higher Newspaper editors asserted that their civic journalism increased public deliberation, civic problem solving, volunteerism and changed public policy.a  96 percent of the civic journalism projects used an "explanatory" story frame to cover public issues instead of a more traditional "conflict" frame, which often reports two opposing viewpoints. "The clear shift to explanatory frames is perhaps one of civ

"Young adults are losing faith in American democracy and have difficulty distinguishing between "fake news" and reliable news. That's according to a new research paper out from Tufts University. The solution? Support civic learning programs in K-12 education at the state and local level, the researchers argue. "We know that if you study civics in high school you are more likely to be an informed voter," says Peter Levine, co-author of the paper and an associate dean for research at Tufts. The paper is part of an effort to reinvigorate civics classes in schools across the country. It was presented at a summit in Washington, D.C., that was attended by foundations, nonprofits, researchers and universities. They hope to expand civics education to 10 million students by 2021 -- an effort that would require $100 million in funding. Organizers say they are in the process of raising that money. Civic learning has been an afterthought in school, the researchers argue. They offer six tips:"

"How can we engage teenagers in the civic process? How can government leaders connect with young people in the classroom? And what, exactly, is fake news? These were some of the questions a panel of civic leaders discussed at Kankakee Community College as part of the 2017 Illinois Civics Academy for Teachers, a regional conference for teachers looking for innovative ways to implement the Illinois civic education requirements. The Wednesday afternoon panel was moderated by Kristine Condon, professor and program coordinator in paralegal/legal assistant studies and KCC's business and technology division. "

"Close Up's High School Program curriculum is designed to inform, inspire, and empower students to become more active citizens. For over forty years, we have been dedicated to this mission. This mission and inspiration comes from a commitment and understanding of the importance that civic education plays in the health of our democracy and in the lives of each student. A National Task Force on Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement study in 2012, found that students who participate in civic learning opportunities are more likely to "persist in college and complete their degrees, obtain skills prized by employers and develop habits of social responsibility and civic participation." The study goes on to say, "Today's education for democracy needs to be informed by deep engagement with the values of liberty, equality…and the willingness to collaborate with people of differing views and backgrounds towards common solutions for the public good.""

"We talk a lot about civic education, usually about how little of it too many students get in school. In this charged election season, the subject has rarely, if ever, been more relevant. But here's a different kind of discussion: how kids are actually being engaged in it. Below are several examples that could be used in any school. All of the authors are working in Illinois, where a law was recently passed requiring high schools to provide a semester-long civics course that includes community action of some kind. It says, "Civics course content shall focus on government institutions, the discussion of current and controversial issues, service learning, and simulations of the democratic process." But what they say can apply across the country."

"A year ago I made an informal study of the mission statements of the 100 largest school systems in the United States. I was curious to see whether the public purpose of public education - preparing children for citizenship and self-government - is top of mind when those who run those systems ask themselves, "What exactly is our purpose here?" Unsurprisingly, it's not. About 60 percent of those big districts, collectively responsible for more than 11 million children, made no mention whatsoever of civics or citizenship. But it got a lot worse: The words "America" and "American" appeared zero times in the 100 school mission statements. Neither did "patriotic" or "patriotism." However, "global" appears in the statements of 28 districts - usually in phrases like "global society," "global economy" or "global citizens." What are we to make of that? The public mission of education in America's schools (as distinct from the private and personal ends of college and career readiness) seems suddenly relevant. Writing in The Atlantic, Rick Kahlenberg asks whether the election of Donald Trump represents a "Sputnik moment" for civic education, forcing us to confront how badly we have failed "at what the nation's founders saw as education's most basic purpose," namely preparing our children for reflective and capable self-government. "Just as Soviet technological advances triggered investment in science education in the 1950s," Kahlenberg writes, "the 2016 election should spur renewed emphasis on the need for schools to instill in children an appreciation for civic values and not just a skill set for private employment.""

"So what's to be done? Civic energy is going to have to come from the ground up to strengthen social cohesion, civic participation, and our ability to solve big challenges together. One big idea to strengthen our civic stocks and create pathways to better outcomes in education and employment is universal national service - an opportunity for every 18-28 year-old to perform at least a year of civilian national service through well-known groups like City Year, Teach for America and Habitat for Humanity or to join one of the branches of our Armed Services. Another bold idea would be to engage philanthropy in a $1 billion annual campaign to restore American history and civic education to its rightful place in American schools. We need "problems of American democracy" courses that teach students about the importance of bedrock American values, educate them through real-world experience about institutions that secure rights, check power, and enable public service, and provide practical skills to turn the wheels of a diverse democracy to address public problems. A final idea is for community leaders from different parties and sectors to experiment boldly with ways to fix public problems. "

"It's become alarmingly clear that we've neglected an education that underpins civic engagement. Civics is dropping out of the curriculum across the country in favor of training for jobs. Students don't know how our government works, let alone why we want it to work that way. And the heart of civics education is literacy. Today, in the 21st century, when so much of our information comes in visual form, and information systems are created on a base of algorithms using big data that is collected via media, literacy is synonymous with media literacy."

"Public schools are failing at what the nation's founders saw as education's most basic purpose: preparing young people to be reflective citizens who would value liberty and democracy and resist the appeals of demagogues. In that sense, the Trump phenomenon should be a Sputnik moment for civics education. Just as Soviet technological advances triggered investment in science education in the 1950s, the 2016 election should spur renewed emphasis on the need for schools to instill in children an appreciation for civic values and not just a skill set for private employment. As we outline in a new report for The Century Foundation, entitled "Putting Democracy Back into Public Education," the Founders were deeply concerned with finding ways to ensure that their new democracy, which through the franchise provided ultimate sovereignty to the collective views of average citizens, not fall prey to demagogues. The problem of the demagogue, the Founders believed, was endemic to democracy, and they saw education as the safeguard of America's system of self-governance."

"To holistically prepare this new generation for life in an open society, what's needed is a new model for high-school civics; one that integrates American history and government, critical thinking, media literacy, and digital literacy. The goal of such education should not be merely to instill understanding of our online civic landscape, but how to navigate and participate in it in constructive and meaningful ways: Not what to think, but how to think."

"How To Report First, and Best, What's Happening In Your Community, - a civic journalism workbook. A Pew Center for Civic Journalism Workbook"

"Students learn civics by playing a videogame from a group founded by retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor"

"Teachers are using the tumultuous election to reawaken Americans across the political spectrum to how vital civic knowledge is for making government truly by the people, for the people."

" These are signs of unusual times. With Mr. Trump in the White House, the obsession with politics that has many adult Americans fiercely focused on the Senate's latest confirmation hearing and the president's last Twitter message has filtered down to those not yet of voting age. High school and even middle school students are showing a level of civic engagement not seen in years, their teachers and principals say. Continue reading the main story RELATED COVERAGE Donald Trump Loves New York. But It Doesn't Love Him Back. DEC. 9, 2016 Betsy DeVos Confirmed as Education Secretary; Pence Breaks Tie FEB. 7, 2017 "

"New Hampshire Public Radio's Civics 101 and The Washington Post's Can He Do That? are helping to contextualize Trump's presidency for those who don't have much background knowledge."

"Teachers in Oakland are working to help young people find ways to take what they are learning and become active agents for change in their community using a program called Educating for Democracy in the Digital Age. The Teaching Channel documented how teachers empower and engage students through a curriculum devoted to not only teaching students about the problems, but giving them tools to begin trying to change them. "The civic engagement work has given students a sense of agency, a sense of voice, and like a structure to think about 'how can I actually do something with the things that I'm learning,'" said Matt Colley, a ninth grade English and History teacher at Oakland Technical High School.* "And to really see school as a springboard to community engagement, as opposed to a report card grade.""

" iCivics, a set of free online educational games developed by a nonprofit organization founded by former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Last November, as the contentious presidential election came and went, the game was played roughly 3 million times, nearly twice as many as the year prior. Much of that uptick was fueled by teachers hoping to engage their students without further inflaming often-raw emotions. "One of the things I like about iCivics is that it's a place for students to go where they're not going to get angry, because you know it's not going to be slanted," said Jo Phillips, a veteran civics teacher at West Virginia's Ripley High."

"At the Democracy Fund, we believe that creating a stronger future for local news requires us to focus on transforming the relationship between news consumers and news producers. As we develop a new program to support and expand "Engaged Journalism," we have sought to ensure that our new efforts are informed by the successes and struggles of the past - especially the civic journalism movement of the 1990s."

"At least one fifth of all U.S. daily newspapers practiced some form of civic journalism between 1994 and 2001 -- and their editors say it made a positive difference."

"Fake news sites are only the latest trend prompting teachers to join a statewide effort aimed at educating students about how to engage with government."