CECH

A pioneer in civic education, Citizenship Education Clearing House has been teaching students the "political ropes" since the 1960s, when Teresa Fischer and a small group of associates launched CECH ("check") as an independent non-profit corporation. In 1993, CECH became a part of UM-St. Louis. From the beginning, CECH's programs have sought to give primary and secondary students a real-life experience in the political process, with the expectation that "learning the system" will encourage them to participate in politics when they become adults. In recent years, CECH has expanded beyond its St. Louis roots in order to serve students throughout Missouri.

CECH Staff

CECH's executive director is Wolfgang Althof (Ph.D University of Fribourg, Switzerland) the Teresa M. Fisher Endowed Professor of Citizenship Education.  Staff includes Sandra Diamond (M.Ed., University of Missouri-St. Louis), the St. Louis Area Kids Voting Coordinator and Karen Pippin (M.Ed., Fontbonne University), the Statewide Local Government CECH-UP Director. CECH is advised by a fourteen-member board of educators and community leaders.

CECH Activities

Kids Voting Missouri
Kids Voting USA began in Phoenix in 1988 and since spread to 40 states. Kids Voting students study a ten-week civics curriculum and go to the polls with their parents on election day and vote on the same candidates and issues on which adults are voting. Since 1998, CECH has served as the home for Kids Voting Missouri. In the fall of 2002, over 200,000 students in 23 school districts across Missouri will participate in Kids Voting. CECH's Sandra Diamond coordinates Kids Voting in the St. Louis area. Under an affiliation agreement with CECH, the YMCA of Greater Kansas City coordinates Kids Voting in the Kansas City area.

Local Government CECH-UP

The Local Government CECH-UP Program is a partnership between Citizenship Education Clearing House (CECH) at the University of Missouri - St. Louis, and the University of Missouri Extension .

Since its inception in 1996, the Local Government CECH-UP Program has served students throughout the state of Missouri . The Local Government CECH-UP Program is unique as it is the only statewide program that provides a comprehensive classroom-based citizenship education program free of charge to any middle school in the state of Missouri The goals of the CECH-UP Program includes helping students discover how local government affects their neighborhoods, to make students aware of career opportunities in public service, and to provide opportunities for students to become involved in issues facing their local communities.

The program is implemented by teams comprised of middle school teachers, University of Missouri Extension Community Development Specialists, and local government officials.  Teacher workshops and on-going support are provided by CECH staff and other resource people. To provide a comprehensive learning experience, the basic format utilizes classroom learning with curriculum designed by University of Missouri staff and aligned with the Missouri Show-Me Standards, classroom visits with government officials, site visits to the local city hall or county court house, development of a community project, and participation in a projects fair.

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