Civics Lessons
For those that hadn't heard about this, Dryfuss appeared on Bill Maher's show this past Friday and he discussed a meeting that is to be held with the Martha's Vineyard school system concerning the need to bring the teaching of Civics back into the classroom. To that end, I wrote to the Martha's Vineyard newspaper to see if I could get anymore information about this meeting. Here is the response I received from them this morning.
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Folks
In case you are getting questions about the Richard Dryfuss Civics
conference, it is being held at the Katherine Cornell Theater in Tisbury
on December 6th from 7:00 to 9:00 PM. We are still working out all the
details; however, it appears that Richard discussed the conference on
national TV and we are getting calls. The idea is for Richard and a group
of knowledgeable civics education folks to discuss the importance of
teaching civics and come up with a list of follow-up ideas to get the
topic back into the curriculum in a bigger way.
We hope to have the conference available on MVTV and on the web, but
details are still being worked out at this time. I will have a list of the
"important people" who will be in attendance, but I have been told that
Richard asked people like George Will and Bob Bennett to attend.
I'll keep you posted.
Jim
James H. Weiss, EdD
Superintendent of Schools
Martha's Vineyard Public Schools
----------------------
The Martha's Vineyard Civics Conference
What is Civics?
Is it necessary?
If it is necessary can we revive it?
If we revive it then how do we do it and when?
The Martha's Vineyard Public Schools and Richard Dreyfuss invite you to
join a Conversation about Civics.
In America, the public schools were founded to educate young people and
produce capable citizens for the country. Today, testing is driving the
curriculum making it inevitable that schools have reduced or dropped
civics instruction. This reduction in focus has all but eliminated the
tools necessary to run a democracy: dissent, debate, logic, reason,
civility and critical thinking. While many national leaders and educators
have discussed the importance of teaching such tools, few are able to do
anything to fix what is potentially a crisis of epic proportion. Richard
Dreyfuss and the Martha's Vineyard Public Schools would like to bring this
conversation into focus and discuss the necessity of teaching such tools.
To start this important process, we are inviting a select group of
educators, administrators, students, scholars and members of the community
to participate in the discussion with hopes to develop and pilot a project
on Martha's Vineyard using technology and storytelling to engage, inform
and inspire a new generation of Americans in what it takes to be a citizen
of a true democracy.
Please join us on Wednesday, December 6, 2006 from 7 - 9 PM at the
Katharine Cornell Theater, (Tisbury Town Hall) 51 Spring Street, Vineyard
Haven, MA.
We will be filming the event: A signed release will be required.
Refreshments will be served.
Please call the Office of the Superintendent of Schools at 508.693.2007 to
confirm your attendance.HH
-------
Folks
In case you are getting questions about the Richard Dryfuss Civics
conference, it is being held at the Katherine Cornell Theater in Tisbury
on December 6th from 7:00 to 9:00 PM. We are still working out all the
details; however, it appears that Richard discussed the conference on
national TV and we are getting calls. The idea is for Richard and a group
of knowledgeable civics education folks to discuss the importance of
teaching civics and come up with a list of follow-up ideas to get the
topic back into the curriculum in a bigger way.
We hope to have the conference available on MVTV and on the web, but
details are still being worked out at this time. I will have a list of the
"important people" who will be in attendance, but I have been told that
Richard asked people like George Will and Bob Bennett to attend.
I'll keep you posted.
Jim
James H. Weiss, EdD
Superintendent of Schools
Martha's Vineyard Public Schools
----------------------
The Martha's Vineyard Civics Conference
What is Civics?
Is it necessary?
If it is necessary can we revive it?
If we revive it then how do we do it and when?
The Martha's Vineyard Public Schools and Richard Dreyfuss invite you to
join a Conversation about Civics.
In America, the public schools were founded to educate young people and
produce capable citizens for the country. Today, testing is driving the
curriculum making it inevitable that schools have reduced or dropped
civics instruction. This reduction in focus has all but eliminated the
tools necessary to run a democracy: dissent, debate, logic, reason,
civility and critical thinking. While many national leaders and educators
have discussed the importance of teaching such tools, few are able to do
anything to fix what is potentially a crisis of epic proportion. Richard
Dreyfuss and the Martha's Vineyard Public Schools would like to bring this
conversation into focus and discuss the necessity of teaching such tools.
To start this important process, we are inviting a select group of
educators, administrators, students, scholars and members of the community
to participate in the discussion with hopes to develop and pilot a project
on Martha's Vineyard using technology and storytelling to engage, inform
and inspire a new generation of Americans in what it takes to be a citizen
of a true democracy.
Please join us on Wednesday, December 6, 2006 from 7 - 9 PM at the
Katharine Cornell Theater, (Tisbury Town Hall) 51 Spring Street, Vineyard
Haven, MA.
We will be filming the event: A signed release will be required.
Refreshments will be served.
Please call the Office of the Superintendent of Schools at 508.693.2007 to
confirm your attendance.HH
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