One of the consortium's partners, Doug Robertson, former social studies consultant for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, will direct it. Teachers who participate in the institute will be expected to provide workshops and demonstrations of the strategies they've learned. The ELP institute is a model of the collaboration that the consortium is dedicated to fostering among partners. Begun as a consortium project, it has become a joint effort with two consortium partners, the Center for the Prevention of School Violence and the Constitutional Rights Foundation. These partners will contribute a Youth for Justice grant, as well as faculty and material support.
All new partners receive a directory describing the work and programs of fellow members.
We're convinced that this resource and the networking that is developing through the organization will unite ideas and energy to strengthen civic education in North Carolina. Community-Based Education Civic education is as likely to occur outside the classroom as within it. In fact, some critics of civic education contend that the components of competent citizenship are not taught in American schools. The consortium's Community- Based Education Work Group, chaired by Sally Migliore, director of the National Society for Experiential Education, is dedicated to developing and enhancing experiential learning opportunities and resources to extend civic education beyond the classroom. Beliefs, values, and actual skills in becoming active citizens are honed through learning with and from community members.