• Center for State Homeland Security - This nonprofit organization aims to help state and local governments address issues of security in the post-9/11 era.
  http://www.cshs-us.org/

• City Mayors - This British site provides news and analysis of problems facing the world’s cities.
  http://www.citymayors.com/

• Civics Institute - Twenty-seven lessons on state and local government are provided at this site; while focused on Michigan, the lessons could be adapted for use in other states.
  http://www.civicsinstitute.org/curricula/high/index.html

• Community and Economic Development - This site from the University of Illinois provides tools for communities engaged in planning for development.
  http://communitydevelopment.uiuc.edu/webworks/files/index.php

• Council of State Governments - Information about issues of concern to all three branches of state government.
  http://www.csg.org/default.aspx

• Education Commission of the States - Detailed background information about educational issues faced by state governments across the country.
  http://www.ecs.org/

• Environmental Council of the States - Nonprofit organization dedicated to helping states protect the natural environment.
  http://www.ecos.org/

• FindLaw: State Resources - Extensive directory of links for researching states' laws, constitutions, and court systems.
  http://www.findlaw.com/11stategov/index.html

• Governing.com - An online magazine for state and local officials; provides analysis of issues and links to news from around the country.
  http://www.governing.com/

• Government Technology - The site’s subtitle explains its purpose and content: “Solutions for State and Local Government in the Information Age.”
  http://www.govtech.net/

• GovSpot.com - A portal for information from and about governments at the local, state, national, and international levels. A service of StartSport Mediaworks.
  http://govspot.com/

• How Does Government Affect Me? - This interactive PBS site helps younger students understand how government at all levels affects daily life.
  http://pbskids.org/democracy/govandme/

• Improvement and Development Gateway - Covers efforts to improve local government in the UK. Many ideas are applicable to U.S. communities as well.
  http://www.idea.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageId=1

• Initiative and Referendum Institute - This center at the University of Southern California looks at the impact of direct democracy on states and cities.
  http://www.iandrinstitute.org/

• Institute on Money in State Politics - This organization documents campaign contributions at the state level.
  http://www.followthemoney.org/

• International Association of Chiefs of Police - Learn about issues related to policing around the world.
  http://www.theiacp.org/

• International City/County Management Association - This professional association for city/county managers provides background on management issues. An interesting section on ethics in city management is included.
  http://www2.icma.org/main/sc.asp?t=0

• Local Government Commission - This California nonprofit provides detailed information about development of “livable, prosperous, and resource-efficient” communities.
  http://www.lgc.org/

• Local Stuff—Learn About Local Government - Although written from an Australian perspective, this site’s teaching ideas could easily be adapted by U.S. teachers.
  http://www.lga.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=614

• Maine Municipal Association Lesson Plans Index - Local government lesson plans for all grade levels, produced in cooperation with the state social studies council.
  http://www.memun.org/SchoolsProject/LessonIndex.htm

• National Association of Attorneys General - Information on issues faced by Attorneys General around the nation, along with links to state offices.
  http://www.naag.org/

• National Association of Counties - Issues of interest to county governments are discussed on this association’s web site.
  http://www.naco.org/

• National Association of Secretaries of State - Links to the Secretaries of State around the nation, plus information about what these important officials do.
  http://www.nass.org/

• National Association of Towns and Townships - Users can learn about the issues facing small communities at this web site.
  http://www.natat.org/index.html

• National Center for State Courts - This resource center for state courts provides such resources as an annual report on trends in state courts.
  http://www.ncsconline.org/

• National Civic League - An organization dedicated to strengthening “citizen democracy” in communities by developing communities’ ability to implement innovative political reforms and programs to meet community challenges.
  http://www.ncl.org/

• National Conference of State Legislatures - Updates on issues before state legislatures, information about state-federal relations, and links to the sites of state legislatures and state governments. Also provides lesson plans for America's Legislators Back to School Program.
  http://www.ncsl.org/

• National Congress of American Indians - Covers policy issues of concern to tribal governments. Also offers extensive links, including links to tribal government sites.
  http://www.ncai.org/

• National District Attorneys Association - Background and news on issues of interest to local prosecutors.
  http://www.ndaa.org/

• National Governors' Association - Information on issues of concern to governors.
  http://www.nga.org/

• National School Boards Association - This organization provides information on issues of interest to a special unit of local government—school boards.
  http://www.nsba.org/default.aspx

• Pew Center on the States - This site features reports on state issues, such as investing in innovation, Medicaid policies, and articulation across educational systems.
  http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/

• Reviving Rural America Radio Series - The W.W. Kellogg Foundation sponsored development of this series of nine 30-minute programs on the challenges facing rural communities.
  http://www.wkkf.org/Default.aspx?tabid=90&CID=274&ItemID=2740106&NIK=2750106&Language ID=0

• Sister Cities International - Resources for communities interested in the person-to-person diplomacy promoted by sister city relationships.
  http://www.sister-cities.org/

• Smart City - A weekly public radio program focused on "the people, places, ideas and trends shaping cities."
  http://smartcityradio.com/smartcityradio/

• State Facts for Kids - The Census Bureau provides facts for every state, along with teaching suggestions.
  http://www.census.gov/schools/facts/

• Stateline.org - Funded by Pew, this site presents daily news about politics and government in the states.
  http://www.stateline.org/live/

• State and Local Government on the Net - Links to state and local government online resources in the United States. By Piper Resources.
  http://www.statelocalgov.net/index.cfm

• StateMaster - This site allows users to compare states along various dimensions and to create visuals such as graphs, maps, and charts showing those comparisons.
  http://www.statemaster.com/index.php

• StateScape: Resources - This consulting firm provides links to state legislatures, information on which party is in power in each state, links to newspapers in state capitals, and more.
  http://www.statescape.com/Resources/Resources.asp

• Student Voices Local Government Curriculum - An eight-unit curriculum on local government.
  http://student-voices.org/teachers/curriculum/index.php?SiteID=1000

• SustainLane Government - A database of environmentally sustainable governmental practices.
  http://www.sustainlane.us/

• Urban Age Institute - A think tank focused on solving the problems of the world’s cities.
  http://www.urbanage.org/

• Urban Institute: Five Questions for… - A useful archive of interviews with researchers investigating the issues facing urban areas.
  http://www.urban.org/toolkit/fivequestions/archives.cfm

• U.S. Conference of Mayors - Information about issues being dealt with by mayors, plus a searchable data base of information about mayors and election results from cities of 30,000 or more population.
  http://www.usmayors.org/