School Award and Recognition Program
Schools of Distinction Application Guidelines

A School of Distinction is committed to high-quality civic education. It strives to provide opportunities for all students to participate in learning experiences that support the six promising approaches to civic education as described in the Civic Mission of Schools report. It is currently implementing activities in multiple classrooms and during out-of-class time that support at least some of the promising approaches.

A School of Distinction is willing to serve as a model to demonstrate programs and activities that support the promising approaches. Efforts to raise the awareness of students, teachers, parents, and the community about the importance of civic education are made and can be documented.

To be considered for recognition as a School of Distinction, please complete the following:

1. Application Cover Sheet.
   
2. Use the questions below to write a narrative about your work in civic education or use the fill-in the blank style application form.
   
3. Attach any documentation, news articles, or other samples to demonstrate your schools commitment to and/or successes in providing high quality civic education programming.

Guiding Questions for Narrative

1. Describe how your school is providing opportunities for students to engage in high-quality civic education by answering the following questions:

a. Which of the six promising approaches are we implementing effectively, how are they being implemented, and in what settings? Remember, you need to be implementing activities that support at least one of the promising approaches in in-class settings and in out-of-class settings. (5th Grade History-Social Science, 12th Grade Govt., after school club, lunchtime forum, etc.)

b. How are we trying to ensure that all of our students have opportunities to engage in learning experiences that support the promising approaches?

2. What changes and/or impacts have you seen that you attribute to emphasizing civic education and implementing the promising approaches? Consider students’ civic knowledge, skills, or dispositions; school climate, teacher motivation, parental involvement, etc.

3. What kinds of assessment strategies have you used to capture civic outcomes (knowledge, skills, dispositions)?

4. How have you tried to raise the awareness of teachers, students, parents, or the community regarding your school’s civic mission? Please provide any documentation, examples, etc.

5. Have you developed programs, activities and/or strategies that can serve as models for other schools? If so, please describe, including assessment strategies and the program’s impacts on civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions.