"Learn About the United States" is intended to help permanent residents gain a deeper understanding of U.S. history and government as they prepare to become citizens. The product presents 96 short lessons, based on the sample questions from which the civics portion of the naturalization test is drawn. An audio CD that allows students to listen to the questions, answers, and civics lessons read aloud is also included. For immigrants preparing to naturalize, the chance to learn more about the history and government of the United States will make their journey toward citizenship a more meaningful one.

The story of West Indian immigrants to the United States is generally considered to be a great success. Mary Waters, however, tells a very different story. She finds that the values that gain first-generation immigrants initial success--a willingness to work hard, a lack of attention to racism, a desire for education, an incentive to save--are undermined by the realities of life and race relations in the United States. Contrary to long-held beliefs, Waters finds, those who resist Americanization are most likely to succeed economically, especially in the second generation.

Mass migration and globalization are creating new and deep challenges to education systems the world over. In this volume, some of the world’s leading researchers in multicultural education and immigration discuss critical issues related to cultural sustainability, structural inclusion, and social cohesion. The authors consider how global migration is forcing nation-states to reexamine and reinvent the ways in which they socialize and educate diverse groups for citizenship and civic engagement. These chapters also address how schools can help migrant and immigrant groups attain the knowledge, values, and skills required to become fully participating citizens, while retaining important aspects of their home, community, languages, and culture. Case studies from the United States and Israel are used to illustrate how these concepts are manifested in two immigrant nations. Contributors: Tali Aderet-German, Ayman K. Agbaria, James A. Banks, Zvi Bekerman, Miriam Ben-Peretz, Amy K. Marks, Minas Michikyan, John P. Myers, Sonia Nieto, Carola Suárez-Orozco, Marcelo M. Suárez-Orozco, Guadalupe Valdés, and Gregory White “An invaluable guide to understanding the multiple complexities and challenges involved in designing a transformative multicultural civic education.” —Robert F. Arnove, Indiana University, Bloomington “This impressive volume offers valuable insights to teachers, teacher educators, and researchers concerned with preparing youth to be participating democratic citizens.” —Carole L. Hahn, Emory University “This important book outlines a set of urgent issues for both scholars and practitioners committed to the fuller expression worldwide of education for democracy.” —Margaret Crocco,Michigan State University “A stellar group of scholars integrates the migration question into issues related to teaching and learning, as well as teacher preparation.” —Gloria Ladson-Billings, University of Wisconsin–Madison “This visionary book highlights research, theory, and practices that can be used to help all students become effective and engaged citizens.” —Linda Darling-Hammond, Stanford University and President of the Learning Policy Institute

This important book offers an inclusive approach to preparing students to be responsible participants in a democratic society. Civic education generally operates through the lens of citizenship, where students learn what good citizenship is and what good citizens do. Yet the citizenship lens fails to identify the wide range of schoolchildren and their families who participate in economic, political, and social life. Civic Education in the Age of Mass Migration examines the exclusionary aspects of citizenship and offers democratic societies an alternative approach that includes all long-term residents regardless of citizenship and immigration status. Banks reimagines a civic education curriculum that gives secondary students the knowledge and skills needed to move the United States toward a more perfect union. Book Features: A brief overview of the history of civic education and why citizenship status and immigration status should be explicitly addressed. An examination of the economic, political, and social forces shaping immigration law. A new way to conceptualize membership based on three principles: popular sovereignty, participation, and the jus nexi principle. Classroom activities and discussion questions to help civic educators incorporate the idea of citizenship boundaries into their curriculum.