Partners: Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago (CRFC), Constitutional Rights Foundation in Los Angeles (CRF). Street Law, Inc., Czech Republic, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkmenistan, Estonia and the metropolitan areas surrounding Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC.
     Sponsor: USA Department of Education.

     The major goal of the Deliberating in a Democracy project is to improve the quality of civic education and engagement in democracy through discussion of controversial issues in classrooms.
     Four Lithaunian school teams participate in the second phase of the project: Mazeikiu Ventos and Mazeikiu Sodu Secondary Schools, Elekrenu Versmes Gymnasium and Vilnius Pedagogical University. Activities of the project are as follows;


I. Four staff development seminars:
    • October, 28; 2005;
    • December, 16, 2005;
    • January, 28, 2006;
    • May, 28, 2006.

II. Three classroom deliberations:
    1. "Should voting be conpulsory?"
    2. "Should Government regulate violence on mass-media?"
    3. "Should the curfiew be introduced?"

III. Discussions on line between all project participants – www.deliberation.org

IV. Videoconference (foreseen for May, 2006) on topic "Should the curfiew be introduced?"

V. Teachers exchange visits:
    • LA teachers visiting Vilnius: October, 29 – November, 5, 2005.
    • Lithuanian teachers visit to LA foreseen for March, 27 – April, 2, 2006.

VI. Project evaluation, including testing of students and teachers, focus groups, interview with school administrators and site coordinators.

Full time table for DID activities in Lithuania, 2005 - 2006
     
I. Phase One - September through early November, 2005
    1. Preparation and participation in the meeting of DID coordinators in Washington, DC,
        September, 26 – October, 2, 2005;
    2. Recruiting 8 teachers from 4 schools for DID activities; September, 1 – 20, 2005;
    3. Development of teacher training materials for first staff development session and
        first classroom deliberation, October, 10 - 25, 2005;
    4. Translation of evaluation materials, October, 3 – 15, 2006;
    5. First staff development session – October, 28, 2005;
    6. Student Pre Surveys – October 31 – November 2, 2005;
    7. First deliberation – November 2 – 10, 2005;
    8. Hosting teachers from LA, October 29 – November, 5, 2005;
    9. Visiting schools and observing first classroom deliberations, November, 2 – 10, 2005.

II. Phase Two - November through December 2005
    1. Preparation work for involvement teachers and students on DID discussion board; November 1 – 29, 2005;
    2. Preparation and participation in First staff development session in Moscow, November, 14 – 16, 2005;
    3. Preparation and participation in the NCSS conference in Kanzas City, November 17 – 20, 2005;
    4. Development of teacher training materials for the second staff development session and
        second classroom deliberation, December 1 – 15, 2005;
    5. Second staff development session, December, 16, 2005;
    6. Second classroom deliberation - December, 16 - 22, 2005;
    7. Visiting schools and observing second classroom deliberations, December, 16 - 22, 2005;
    8. Coordination of Internet component, November 30 - December, 24, 2005.

III. Phase Three - January through May
    1. Developments of materials for third teacher training session and classroom deliberation, January, 10 – 25, 2006;
    2. First staff development session, January 28, 2006;
    3. Third classroom deliberation, February, 2 – 5, 2006;
    4. Visiting schools and observing third classroom deliberations - December, 16 - 22, 2005;
    5. Videoconference, May, 2006;
    6. Student Post Survey – April 2006;
    7. Teachers visit to LA – April, 2006;
    8. Fourth staff development session, May, 28, 2006;
    9. Small scale meetings with teachers from different schools, May, 10 – 29, 2006;

Reporting – August, 15 – September, 15, 2006.