Choices for the 21st Century Educational Program

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Choices for the 21st Century Educational Program (or Choices as it is more commonly known) is a multifaceted educational program intended to help citizens – both students and adults – deliberate effectively on important foreign policy issues. It is a program created by the Watson Institute for International Studies at Brown University. The result of a research effort that began in the early 1980s, it was orignially intended to help the public understand and think about U.S.-Soviet relations. Choices continues as an initiative that encourages citizen participation in deliberation on public policy.

During research at the Watson Institute in the mid-1980s, a framework of “Alternative Futures” emerged. This methodology has now been adapted for use in high school classrooms and community-based civic dialogues; it presents as its information base for deliberation three or four divergent policy options.

Choices is perhaps best known for its social studies curriculum program for secondary-level students. The primary purpose of Choices is to promote deliberation and greater civic engagement through a curriculum that addresses international issues of both an historical and contemporary nature. The program is based on a core belief that if young people are not exposed to a civic curriculum, they will not learn or care about public issues. When they leave high school, they will not have the knowledge or skills needed for effective citizenship.

The Choices program offers curriculum resources and professional development for teachers. Over 30 curriculum units have been produced by the Watson Institute to be used in world history, U.S. history, civics, and current issues classrooms. These curriculum units address such diverse topics as the Russian Revolution and Colonialism in Africa for world history classes to the Constitutional Convention, the War of 1812, and the Cuban Missile Crisis in U.S. history. Contemporary issues address topics such as the United Nations, genocide, and the Middle East. It is estimated that since its inception the Choices program or some part of its curriculum materials has been used in at least a third of all high school social studies classrooms.

In addition to its curriculum materials, Choices also offers various special projects. The most well-known Choices project at the high school level is Capitol Forum, which was begun in 1997 as an experiential program in civic education. It provides high school students an opportunity to deliberate on current international issues such as nuclear proliferation, immigration, environment, terrorism, and trade. Choices seeks to increase understanding of international policy issues and develop in young people a foundation for long-term civic engagement. Capitol Forum is a year-long program administered on a statewide basis. After several months of deliberation in their high school classrooms, students travel to their state capitols for a one-day deliberative event, where they discuss critical international issues. Following this day of deliberation, students return to their schools to conduct a similar deliberation with their classmates, which culminates in a student ballot on selected issues. Results from across the nation are presented to elected officials and shared with the media.

In addition to its use in secondary education, Choices has public programs meant to engage general audiences in deliberation on issues of international scope. For example, the Choices Library Program, since its inception in 1992, has conducted hundreds of deliberation series in cities and towns across the United States. A detailed description of this and other Choices initiatives may be found on its website, www.choices.edu, which begins with this capsulated explanation:

    Explore the Past . . . Shape the Future
    History and Current Issues for the Classroom