Only a quarter of Americans can name all three branches of government, the poorest showing on that question in a half-dozen years, a new survey on civic knowledge has found. The GOP presidential candidate was known to only 84 percent of the public.
Civics education
From Ellis Island to Yosemite, Naturalization Ceremonies for Constitution Day
Ellis Island, formerly the entry point for millions seeking a new life in America, will host the swearing-in of more than 300 immigrants as new citizens on Friday, Sept. 16, in one of many events celebrating Constitution Day.
Annenberg Classroom Releases Video on First Amendment for Constitution Day
For Constitution Day, Annenberg Classroom has released a video on the First Amendment and a free press and re-released another about civil liberties and the detention of Japanese-Americans during World War II.
Judge Marjorie O. Rendell and Rendell Center Honored by City Council
The Philadelphia City Council has honored Judge Marjorie O. Rendell and the Rendell Center for Civics and Civic Engagement for their work in civic education, and credited its partnership with the APPC as well.
Justices Scalia and Breyer Talk About Interpreting the Constitution
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was an originalist in his approach to the Constitution. In a 2008 video for Annenberg Classroom, he and Justice Stephen G. Breyer discussed theories of interpreting the Constitution.
Visiting Scholar and Former WHYY News Executive Join Policy Center
Yale University law and psychology professor Dan Kahan, and the former top news executive at WHYY/NewsWorks, Chris Satullo, have joined the policy center for the spring semester.
Annenberg Classroom Documentaries Honored for Excellence
The Annenberg Classroom documentaries “Habeas Corpus: The Guantanamo Cases” and "Magna Carta," both released in September for Constitution Day, have been awarded prizes for excellence.
4th and 5th Graders Compete in Rendell Center’s Citizenship Challenge
Hundreds of fourth- and fifth-grade Philadelphia-area students showed off their impressive knowledge of the Fourth Amendment's prohibition on unreasonable search and seizure at the Rendell Center's Citizenship Challenge.
Partners in Civics Renewal Network to Take Part in NCSS Conference
Annenberg Classroom and other partners in the Civics Renewal Network will take part in the National Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference in New Orleans, the nation's largest social studies conference.
Constitution Day: New Citizens Take Oath, Students to Recite Preamble
Thousands of immigrants from across the globe will be sworn in as American citizens, while students nationwide will take part in the “Preamble Challenge” to celebrate Constitution Day (Sept. 17).