Contact: Nancy Hoene or Todd A. Berry

608.241.9789 or wistax@wistax.org

MADISON—With national test results showing only a third of high school seniors proficient in civics, the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance (WISTAX) recently released its 17th edition of Wisconsin’s only textbook on state and local government.

The Framework of Your Wisconsin Government is a convenient resource for helping students and citizens hone their civics skills. For example, did you know that any part of Wisconsin not in a city or village is part of a town? Can you explain why Wisconsin cannot create its own currency or sign international treaties? Who were the "Sewer Socialists"? And what is the Wisconsin Idea?

If you’re not a civics buff, you’re not alone. According to the 2006 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), only 28% of eighth graders could explain the historical purpose of the Declaration of Independence, and just 45% of twelfth graders could explain the meaning of federalism.

In Wisconsin, where test scores are higher, if students are to become active citizens, they need instructional content that covers state and local governments. WISTAX helps ensure that with its latest edition of Framework. Since publishing the first edition in1955, WISTAX has updated The Framework of Your Wisconsin Government regularly to reflect new state laws, changes in leadership, and current trends.

From Wisconsin’s court system and due process to special purpose districts and open meeting laws, the new text helps students understand how governments operate, and what they can do to participate. New insert sections also encourage skill-building in research and economic analysis.

As a trusted part of the civics curriculum in hundreds of schools throughout the state, the new Framework offers teachers a useful tool for meeting Wisconsin Model Academic Standards for social studies.

Targeted for high school, the new text is used also in middle schools, technical colleges, and universities, and by immigrants studying for their citizenship exam. WISTAX is looking for sponsors to help distribute the book to public libraries throughout the state.

As part of its commitment to citizen education, the nonprofit, nonpartisan WISTAX also offers a lecture service for schools and community groups as part of its commitment to citizen education. WISTAX is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year.

Copies of The Framework of Your Wisconsin Government can be obtained by writing WISTAX, 401 North Lawn Ave., Madison, WI 53704-5033, or e-mailing wistax@wistax.org. The single-copy price is $3.00, plus tax. Schools can purchase classroom sets of 15 or more for $2.25 per copy. For more information, call WISTAX at 608.241.9789. o