Microsite

Citizens Academies

Research on Citizens Academies

Research Methodology

In 2005, the Civic Education Project of the North Carolina City and County Management Association (NCCCMA) gathered information from 18 North Carolina citizens academy programs. The North Carolina Civic Education Consortium aided those initial efforts.

Beginning in 2009, School of Government faculty member Rick Morse and his research assistants began following up on these initial efforts. Seth Cutter surveyed the original 18 programs and about 20 additional North Carolina programs by phone and e-mail between September and December 2010 with a more extensive set of questions. Additionally, about 40 national programs were surveyed during the same time. This website was officially launched in October 2011.

Programs in the database are asked to update their information on an annual basis using the form on this website. Additionally, any program can fill out the form and be added to the database. Occassionally after reviewing entries, Rick Morse or his research assistants conduct follow-up interviews for more detailed information.

The NCCCMA Civic Education Project and the North Carolina Civic Education Consortium continue to support and sponsor the ongoing research and this website.

Research on Citizens Academies

Citizens Academies and Background Checks

Blog post by Rick Morse, October 2012

Citizens Academies: Local Governments Building Capacity for Citizen Engagement

Ricardo S. Morse, September 2012, Public Performance & Management Review 36(1): 79-101.

Citizens Academies and Developing Community Capital

Blog post by Rick Morse, April 2012

National Database of Programs

Seth Cutter, MPA '12 | UNC School of Government, December 2010 (first release; updates linked to website form)

Citizens Academies: A Tool for Increasing Civic Engagement

Julie Hochsztein, MPA '09 | UNC MPA Capstone, March 2011

External Resources

Citizens Academies | International City/County Managerment Association

Citizens Academy Guide | Florida League of Cities

Public Officials - Local and State Government Roles