Dick Kean: Civic education key to democracy

This comes from a University of Wyoming press release:

The Wyoming Partnership for Civic Education (WYPCE) provides a clearinghouse for civic education programs, says Dick Kean, the program's manager. The WYPCE provides learning opportunities through programs such as the "Wyoming/ Bolivia Partnership" sponsored by Civitas Latin America, "We the People," "Project Citizen," "Mock Election," and "Mock Trial."

Kean, a retired social studies teacher from Cheyenne, writes for Representative Democracy in America, a publication produced by the Center for Civic Education.

Two years ago, WYPCE received a Civitas Latin America grant to sponsor a partnership between educators in Wyoming and Bolivia. WYPCE is partnered with
Educadores para la Democracia (Educators for Democracy), a non-governmental
organization in Bolivia.

"These Bolivian teachers and government officials are working hard to provide civic education curriculum and training to the schools in their country," Kean says. "This is especially important for an emerging democracy."

In return, the Bolivian partners are giving Wyoming students and teachers an international perspective, the opportunity to exchange ideas with people in Latin America, and a platform for political understanding based on a common curriculum. "In the last two years, the program's success has been demonstrated by increased use of its curriculum in both Bolivia and Wyoming," Kean says.

The WYPCE also sponsors or supports a variety of other activities and programs in Wyoming. Participants used AHC materials to explore a research topic during a recent summer workshop at UW.

Kean says each WYPCE program offers diverse subjects for students and educators.
"We the People" curriculum is being taught at the upper Wyoming elementary, and middle and high school levels and across the nation. The program has reached more than 28 million students and 90,000 teachers nationwide during its 20-year history, Kean says.

Students from Casper Kelly Walsh High School recently traveled to Washington, D.C., representing Wyoming in the finals of a civics competition. More than 1,200 high school students from all 50 states and the District of Columbia participated in the academic competition that tested students' knowledge of the U.S. Constitution. The competition encouraged participants to understand the basis of America's democracy, Kean says.

"In 'Project Citizen' students learn to create public policies to solve a specific problem they identified and researched. "Mock Election" gives students an opportunity to vote for political candidates running for statewide offices. "Mock Trial," sponsored by the American Bar Association, allows students to learn about the judicial process through a competition in which they role play as witnesses and attorneys in a simulated case.

For more information about WYPCE programs, contact Kean, at 307-766-4986 or rkean@uwyo.edu.