  urlLink Developing Curriculum for Democracy through International Partnerships. ERIC Digest. This ERIC Digest is by Gregory Hamot.
It looms at ways that democracy can be taught to better international relations. From the ERIC Digest: Exemplary partnership programs between U.S. institutions and educators from newly emerging democracies include the Civitas International Exchange Program conducted by the Center for Civic Education and its associates across the globe, The University of Iowa citizenship education programs in Eastern and Central Europe, The Ohio State University program with Poland, and the civic education exchange programs organized by the American Councils for International Education. Each of these programs requires the development of curricular materials for use in the home country. The international civic education teacher programs included in these partnerships also have implications for U.S. curriculum development. For instance, the Civitas International Exchange Program produced a book of comparative lessons for democracy through a collaboration between teachers from five post-communist countries and the United States. Translations and adaptations of successful U.S. programs for civic education worldwide, such as "We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution and Project Citizen," also distinguish the Civitas International Exchange Program. Efforts by The University of Iowa, The Ohio State University, and the American Councils for International Education include unique curricular materials that originate within each program and are exclusive to their partner countries.
The Ohio State University program with Poland developed a curriculum for elementary students and The University of Iowa's programs with Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Armenia, Moldova, and Georgia resulted in civic education curricula for use at varying levels of compulsory education (Hamot 1999; Remy 1994). Similarly, the American Councils for International Education secured funding to help build teacher professional development programs for civic education throughout the post-communist world. 
