A pioneer in civics
education, the
Citizenship Education Clearing House (CECH)
has been
teaching students the "political ropes" since the 1960s. (Originally an
independent non-profit corporation, CECH became part of UM-St. Louis in
1993).
CECH's programs
target elementary, middle and high school students, seeking to provide
them 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.
Dr. Wolfgang Althof
is the Executive
Director of CECH. Also serving as a member of the CECH staff are
Sandra I. Diamond, who directs
Kids Voting Missouri
and
Karen
Pippin, Director CECH's
statewide local government program.