Your Constitution: The Power of Democracy Steering Committee

The Your Constitution: The Power of Democracy Steering Committee will continue implementation of the Commission for Impartial Courts' final report recommendations 37(a) and (b) and 43(a) – (c) and (g) and will oversee all follow-up to the Civic Learning California Summit: Making Democracy Work, an event held in Sacramento in Feb 2013.

The formation of this committee by Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye consolidates two committees—the Leadership Group on Civic Education and Public Outreach (an implementation committee for the Commission for Impartial Courts) and the Civic Learning Summit Steering Committee.

The committee will guide and support related initiatives spearheaded by the Chief Justice, including the Civic Learning Awards for California Public High Schools and the K–12 Civic Learning Task Force.

The committee will also develop and implement short- and long-term strategic plans that build on the momentum and partnerships created by the summit, including, but not limited to a communications plan and a clarification of partner roles and responsibilities.

The steering committee reports to the Chief Justice.

The Chief Justice appoints members of the steering committee for two-year terms.

The Administrative Office of the Courts, Judicial and Court Operations Services Division staffs this steering committee.

Funding for Power of Democracy Steering Committee meetings is generously provided by a gift from the State Bar of California.

The Chief Justice serves as the honorary chair and appoints a chair of the steering committee and members of the steering committee represented as follows:

Justice of the Court of Appeals involved in civics education and public information	Hon. Justice Judith D. McConnell, Chair Administrative Presiding Justice, Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District
Judicial officer of the superior court involved in civics education and public information	Hon. Curtis E. A. Karnow Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco
Federal court representative	Hon. Frank C. Damrell, Jr. (Ret.) Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP
State Supreme Court representative	Mr. Frank G. McGuire Court Administrator and Clerk of the Supreme Court
State Bar of California representative	Hon. Joseph Dunn President and Chief Executive Officer, State Bar of California
State Superintendent of Public Instruction representative	Mr. Craig Cheslog Principal Advisor to the Superintendent of Public Instruction California Department of Education
California Bar Foundation representative	Ms. Sonia Gonzales Executive Director California Bar Foundation
Law school representative	Hon. Deanell Reece Tacha Duane and Kelly Roberts Dean and Professor of Law Pepperdine University School of Law
County Superintendent of Schools/representative of the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association (CCSESA)	Mr. David W. Gordon Superintendent of Schools Sacramento County Office of Education
Civic education leader	Dr. Michelle M. Herczog Consultant, History-Social Science Los Angeles County Office of Education

The Civic Learning Award for California public high schools, co-sponsored by California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye and California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, spotlights successful efforts to engage students in civic learning and identify models that can be replicated in other schools.

The awards are presented to California schools based on the depth and breadth of their civic learning courses or programs.

In its first year, 2013, an expert panel of judges carefully selected 22 schools for the award's inaugural presentation at the Civics Learning Summit. Three schools earned the Award of Excellence, the highest honor, and received a visit from Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye:

• Alliance Judy Ivie Burton Tech Academy in Los Angeles
• Golden Valley High School in Bakersfield
• San Marino High School in San Marino
  
  

Five schools received Awards of Distinction, and fourteen schools received Awards of Merit. 

All recipients are presented the award at their school location by a member of the California bench. A list of all recipients is available here.

Funding for the Civic Learning Award program is generously provided by the California Bar Foundation. 

The California Task Force on K-12 Civic Learning was appointed by Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, and is overseen by the Power of Democracy Steering Committee. 

The purpose of the Task Force is to bring definition to the skills, knowledge, and dispositions our students need to be informed and engaged citizens and community members. The Task Force will make recommendations for how we can achieve these outcomes for all students in California and will focus their recommendations in the following areas:

• curriculum and instructional practice
• resources
• professional learning for teachers and staff
• student testing
• school accountability and
• partnerships with the community and business

The task force will make recommendations to:

• Chief Justice of California
• State Superintendent of Public Instruction
• State Board of Education
• Chair of the Assembly Education Committee
• Chair of the Senate Education Committee

Task Force Timeline: July 2012—Summer 2014

More details about work of this task force is available on the State of California Dept of Education website.  Funding for the California Task Force on K-12 Civic Learning is generously provided by the California Bar Foundation.

The Your Constitution: the Power of Democracy Steering Committee will implement specific education-related recommendations accepted by the Judicial Council in 2011 presented by the Commission for Impartial Courts.

Commission for Impartial Courts
This body was formed in Sept 2007 by Chief Justice Ron George and was charged with researching issues around impartiality and the courts. The commission was chaired by California Supreme Court Justice Ming W. Chin. From 2007 to 2009, the commission met in private meetings and held public forums, created task forces concentrated on issues around impartiality, and formalized 71 recommendations that were accepted by the Judicial Council in 2009.

Implementation of CIC Recommendations
The CIC sunsetted after its final report was presented. This update on implementation activities was presented in Dec 2012.

The Your Constitution: the Power of Democracy Steering Committee will focus on the implementation of the following recommendation:

37. To improve transparency and better inform the public of the role and operations of the state court system and to enhance public outreach, the judicial branch should identify and disseminate essential information that would increase both the public’s access to justice and its opportunities for input. To that end, the following are recommended:

(a) A leadership advisory group should be appointed to oversee, identify, and coordinatepublic outreach programs and opportunities for public input; to establish benchmarks of good practice; and to promote the assembly of local teams to assist courts with local outreach programs; and

(b) The Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) should collect, summarize, and evaluate public outreach resources and methods for public input that are currently available for judges and court administrators and should also collect, summarize, aevaluate educational materials for K–12 teachers and for judges and court administrators making classroom

43. Every child in the state should receive a quality civics education, and judges, courts, teachers, and school administrators should be supported in their efforts to educate students about the judiciary and its function in a democratic society. To that end, the following are specifically recommended:

(a) Strategies for meaningful changes to civics education in California should be supported, and a strategic plan for judicial branch support for civics education should be developed;
(b) Political support should be sought from leaders in the Legislature, the State Bar, the law enforcement community, and other interested entities to improve civics education;
(c) Teacher training programs, curriculum development, and education programs on civics should all be expanded to include the courts; and
(g) Recognition programs that bring attention to teachers, judges, and court administrators who advance civics education should be promoted.