The Concord Review , an ASI-supported journal, sets up a system to read and rate high school history papers so that students can use them in college applications. Survey of Global Democracy Freedom House's annual survey of political freedom finds continued progress. As we begin the 21st century, democracy is threatened in new ways. Terrorism and extremism have gained a foothold in nations around the globe. Societies are fracturing along the lines of ethnicity, race, and religion.
Civic participation is in decline.
The Albert Shanker Institute promotes discussions and sponsors research on the new challenges facing the world's democracies, with an emphasis on the role of freedom of association, unions and other civic institutions, and universal education in a democratic society. The most successful means of enforcing the rule of law is through the consent of the governed. Average citizens must come to have faith in the justice of the legal system and the fair enforcement of the law. Where such shared expectations, values, and consequent daily behaviors do not exist, democratic government can't function effectively and a culture of crime and corruption can easily take hold. One of the key ingredients in the success of these programs was a curriculum designed to promote the civic and legal education of young people.