THE CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION CLEARING HOUSE (CECH)
A pioneer in civic education, the Citizenship Education Clearing House (CECH-pronounced “check”) has been conducting programs in citizenship education since the late 1960’s. From the beginning, CECH programs have sought to integrate participatory citizenship education into school curricula to facilitate the development and implementation of student-initiated action projects. CECH attempts to teach citizenship by encouraging participatory projects that engage students in the debate of real issues and the actual practice of democracy. Currently, CECH runs two programs: Missouri Youth Engaged in Local Government (MY LOGO) and Kids Voting Missouri.
CECH HISTORY
CECH began in the late 1960’s when Teresa M. Fischer and a small group of associates launched CECH as an independent non-profit corporation. In 1993, CECH’s ability to achieve Terry Fischer’s guiding vision expanded significantly when CECH joined the School (now College) of Education at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. One year later, the University, with a financial gift from Teresa and Aaron Fischer, created an endowed professorship in Citizenship Education. It was the expectation of the Fischers that the new endowed professor would direct CECH and promote citizenship education in the St. Louis region and beyond. In 1995, shortly after the death of Mrs. Fischer, the University named the professorship in her honor, fittingly recognizing her long and successful career as a community leader and incorporating her compelling vision into the mission of the professorship. The professorship was named the Teresa M. Fischer Endowed Professor of Citizenship Education.
The Endowed Professorship is part of the University of Missouri-St. Louis’ College of Education and is held by an expert in the field of citizenship education. The professor serves as Director of CECH and existing citizenship programs and promotes the activities of the program through teaching, research, program development, and fundraising.