News media representatives are invited to attend the North Carolina Policy Summit on the Civic Mission of Schools Thursday (Dec. 4) from 10 a.m.-3:45 p.m. at the North Raleigh Hilton. The summit is an invitation-only work session for K-12 education policy-makers, public officials, community leaders and others concerned about the civic mission of schools, including preparing and inspiring young people to be active, informed and principled citizens.

Howard Lee, chairman of the State Board of Education, will address the summit during the luncheon, but other key officials including state legislators will help lead the event.

The summit is coordinated by the Civic Education Consortium, a program of the School of Government at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and is co-sponsored by several organizations and state agencies, including the Office of the Governor, the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, the N.C. School Boards Association, the Public School Forum, the N.C. Congress of Parents and Teachers, the N.C. Campus Compact, Communities in Schools, and the Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University

Summit goals include:

• Exploring the state of civic education in K-12 education and how it affects civic participation and the future leadership of the state and its communities. This consideration will include results of a 2003 survey of youth civic engagement in our state and results of research on civic education’s best practices.
• Identifying potential policy implications at the state and local education levels.
• Engaging participants in identifying potential next steps in advancing the civic mission of schools as the first step in developing a report for state and local education policy-makers.

The agenda for the summit is included.

For more information or to RSVP for this event, please contact Debra Henzey, consortium director, at 919-962-8273.

Background information: NC Civic Education Consortium, http://www.civics.unc.edu/, NC Civic Index takes first statewide pulse of civic vitality,
http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/may03/civicindex051903.html

CIVIC MISSION POLICY SUMMIT AGENDA

10 a.m. Welcome and Greetings.

Presiding: Tom Lambeth, Chair, Civic Education Consortium

10:15 a.m. General Session

Results of 2003 North Carolina Civic Index- Debra Henzey, Civic Education Consortium
Results of Civic Education Community Forums- Kelley O’Brien, Civic Education Consortium
Report from First Congressional Conference on Civic Education- Sen. Joe Sam Queen (D-Haywood) and Rep. Linda Johnson (R-Cabarrus)

11 a.m. Best Practices Concurrent Sessions

Effective Democratic Simulations
Developing Character and Citizenship
Service-Learning and the Civic Mission
Effective Current Events in the Classroom

12:15 p.m. Luncheon

Presiding: Linda McGee, Past Chair, Civic Education Consortium
Speaker: Howard Lee, Chair, State Board of Education
Student and Teacher Panel: Perspectives on Effective Civic Education in K-12

1:45-3 p.m. Small Group Work

Participants will select civic education strategies they are most interested in exploring and will identify next steps to pursue those strategies.

3-3:45 p.m. Closing Session

Presiding: Tom Lambeth
Speaker: Charles Coble, Vice President, Education Commission of the States
Legislative Responses:

• Sen. John Garwood (R-Wilkes)
• Sen. Joe Sam Queen (D-Haywood)
• Rep. Maggie Jeffus (D-Guilford)
• Rep. Linda Johnson (R-Cabarrus)