SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today congratulated six California schools for recently winning the prestigious Educating for Democracy Awards from the California Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools.

"As a former high school history teacher, I have always been a strong supporter of teaching students about the importance of civic responsibility in maintaining a healthy democratic society," said O'Connell. "I want to congratulate Bell Gardens High School, Santiago Creek School, Foothill High School, Meadowbrook Middle School, Endeavour Elementary School, and De Anza Senior High School for developing exemplary programs about democracy that help students become active participants in their communities."

The following schools received the Educating for Democracy Award in the category of Schools of Distinction:

• Bell Gardens High School in the Montebello Unified School District in Bell Gardens, Los Angeles County;
• Santiago Creek School, an Alternative School in the Orange County Unified School District in Santa Ana, Orange County;
• Foothill High School in the Kern Union High School District in Bakersfield, Kern County; and
• Meadowbrook Middle School in the Poway Unified School District in Poway, San Diego County.

Endeavour Elementary School in the Fruitvale Elementary School District in Bakersfield, Kern County received the Educating for Democracy Award in the category of School of Merit.

De Anza Senior High School in the West Contra Costa Unified School District in Richmond, Contra Costa County received the Educating for Democracy Award in the category of Special Recognition.

For complete details of their award-winning programs, please visit Educating for Democracy - California Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools [http://www.cms-ca.org/school_awards.htm] (Outside Source).

The schools were selected based on six criteria involving promising approaches to civic education that call for schools to: (1) Provide instruction in government, history, law, and democracy; (2) Incorporate discussion of current, local, national, and international issues and events into the classroom; (3) Design and implement programs that provide students with the opportunity to apply what they learn through service to the community that is linked to classroom instruction; (4) Offer extracurricular activities that provide opportunities for young people to get involved; (5) Encourage student participation in school governance; and (6) Encourage students' participation in simulations of democratic processes and procedures.

The Educating for Democracy Award is sponsored by the California Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools. The California Campaign is convened by the Los Angeles-based Constitutional Rights Foundation, a nonprofit, non-partisan, educational organization. The goal of the California Campaign and Award is to strengthen civic education in California's public schools. For more information about the Award, please visit California Campaign, Civic Mission of Schools, Educating for Democracy, Improving Civic Education in California [http://www.cms-ca.org/] (Outside Source) or contact Lisa Cleri Reale at 323-350-3596.