Press Release

For Immediate Release: October 16, 2012

Contact:

Meredith MacMillan

202-350-8857

New NAEYC Book Argues that Promoting Civility Starts in the Early Years

Education for a Civil Society discusses how teachers can use guidance to
empower children to progress toward five democratic life skills

"In this volume, respected guidance expert Dan Gartrell takes on a societal challenge that is absolutely critical today: promoting civility. With his thoughtfulness and depth of experience, store of delightful anecdotes, and engaging and comfortable style, Dan puts civility in the context of best early childhood practices and shows us how to foster it in our classrooms.”
— Carol Copple, coeditor of Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth through Age 8

“Children learning that ‘I am angry’ trumps ‘You dumb butthead’ is more than humor and anecdote in Dan Gartrell’s book. This is a trip through history, neuroscience, guidance, and examination of what education should be—self-respect together with mutual respect. A must-read for educators, teacher educators, and future educators alike.”
— Karen Cairone, Devereux Center for Resilient Children, Villanova, Pennsylvania

WASHINGTON—The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is pleased to announce the publication of Education for a Civil Society: How Guidance Teaches Young Children Democratic Life Skills, by Dan Gartrell.

In this new collection of essays, Gartrell argues that it matters that children gain, through teacher guidance, the social-emotional skills they need to participate civilly in modern life. These skills include:

• finding acceptance as a member of the group and as a worthy individual;

• expressing strong emotions in non-hurting ways;

• solving problems creatively;

• accepting unique human qualities in others; and

• thinking intelligently and ethically.

Part One of the book establishes the educational and psychological foundations for an education to promote civility. Part Two presents the conditions necessary for teaching the democratic life skills. Part Three provides an analysis of each skill and addresses what early childhood educators can do to support children as they learn skills one and two first, based on the human need for security, and then skills three, four, and five.

Gartrell advocates the use of guidance, an approach in which educators teach children how to solve their problems rather than punishing them for having problems they haven’t yet learned to solve. By using guidance, Gartrell explains, teachers can empower young children to progress toward these five democratic life skills, giving them the tools they need to function intelligently and ethically amidst the complexity and diversity of modern human life—and to ensure and sustain civil society into the next century.

Dan Gartrell holds a doctorate in teacher education/early childhood and is Professor Emeritus of Early Childhood and Foundations Education at Bemidji State University in Minnesota. As former director of Bemidji’s Child Development Training Program, a CDA professor, and student teaching supervisor, he has helped hundreds of students start their journey on becoming excellent educators. Dan has spoken extensively on using guidance with young children and related topics. He is the author of A Guidance Approach for the Encouraging Classroom, The Power of Guidance: Teaching Social Emotional Skills to Young Children, and What the Kids Said Today.

Education for a Civil Society: How Guidance Teaches Young Children Democratic Life Skills ($35.00; 176 pages; ISBN 978-1-928896-87-6) is available for sale from NAEYC’s Online Store. Review copies are available upon request. For desk copy requests, contact Debra Sharpe.

Founded in 1926, the National Association for the Education of Young Children is the largest and most influential advocate for high-quality early care and education in the United States.

New NAEYC Book Argues that Promoting Civility Starts in the Early Years

Education for a Civil Society discusses how teachers can use guidance to empower children to progress toward five democratic life skills

Education for a Civil Society discusses how teachers can use guidance to
empower children to progress toward five democratic life skills