Words Matter
A plain-language glossary for the words that shape public life.
Political Systems & Ideologies
Government structures and political philosophies that shape how power is distributed, who makes decisions, and how authority is justified. These terms are often used loosely. This section pins down their actual meanings and explains how they function in practice.
Charter School
A publicly funded school that operates under a performance contract granting it more flexibility in exchange for meeting academic, financial, and governance expectations.
Curriculum Standards
State-defined expectations for what students should learn at each grade level. They guide curriculum, instruction, and assessments and ensure consistency across schools while leaving teaching methods to local educators.
Civic Literacy
Civic literacy is the ability to understand how public systems work and how to navigate them. It includes knowledge of governmental structures, rights, responsibilities, and the practical skills needed to engage effectively in public life.
Community Policing
Community policing is a strategy that builds trust and cooperation between law enforcement and local communities. It focuses on prevention, shared problem-solving, and ongoing engagement rather than reactive enforcement alone. Officers work with residents, organizations, and institutions to understand concerns and address root causes of safety issues. The approach varies widely across jurisdictions and depends on long-term relationship-building, accountability, and public participation.
Community
Community refers to a group of people connected by shared identity, geography, experience, or purpose. The concept emphasizes interdependence and the idea that individuals are part of larger social networks that shape their opportunities, responsibilities, and sense of belonging. Community describes both the relationships people maintain and the collective frameworks that support them.
Conservatism
A political philosophy that emphasizes preserving established institutions, traditions, and social order. It generally favors cautious, incremental change over rapid transformation. While its specific policy positions vary by country and period, its core purpose is to maintain continuity and stability in public life.
Communism
A political and economic ideology envisioning a classless society with collective ownership of the means of production. In theory, wealth and power would be distributed based on need rather than market forces or private property. In practice, regimes identifying as communist have often centralized authority in a single party-state.