Massachusetts Creates Civics Commission

By Jan Goehring

The Massachusetts legislature recently passed a bill, sponsored by Senator Richard Moore, to create a special commission on civic engagement. The goals of the commission are to study the status of civic engagement and learning including civic education from kindergarten through college, opportunities available to students for service learning, programs that promote civic engagement and best practices for civic education. The commission will also evaluate the need for a permanent entity to promote civic engagement and encourage the building of partnerships to enhance learning about representative democracy. The findings of the commission are due to the joint committee on education by January 1, 2009.

Three members of each legislative chamber will serve on the commission. Other members include state education associations, government officials including representatives of the judiciary and municipalities, and civics organizations.

Fourteen other states that have officially created a civics task force or commission. Those states are: Alaska, Arizona, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Nebraska, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia and Virginia.

Comments

[Sabrina]

You forgot to mention California's gubernatorial level cabinet position for service and volunteering. See http://forcedmigrants.blogspot.com/2008/02/more-on-civic-engagement.html