July 2022 Newsletter

Winners of the 2022 American Civic Education Teacher Awards Announced!

The Center for Civic Education, the Center on Representative Government, and the National Education Association recently announced the winners of the 2022 American Civic Education Teacher Awards (ACETA): Justin T. Hubbard of Salamanca High School in Salamanca, New York; Shelina Warren of Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Washington, D.C.; and Tony Pirotta of Jule F. Sumner High School in Riverview, Florida.

The ACETA awards recognize civics and government teachers who have demonstrated exceptional expertise, dynamism, and creativity in motivating students to learn about the Constitution; U.S. government at the federal, state, and local levels; and public policy.

The ACETA program also informs the public of the challenges of teaching and the different conditions under which teachers serve the public good. The awardees share a passion for civic education and its role in supporting democratic norms.

"I am very proud and honored to receive this award," said ACETA award winner Justin T. Hubbard. "Civic education is vital for the survival of democracy, and I will use this award to motivate me to continue my work in this extremely important field."

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Teachers Developing New Resources for High-Need Students

Teachers and state coordinators engaged in professional and curriculum development at the Summer Curriculum Workshop for the James Madison Legacy Project Expansion Program June 27-30 in Torrance, California. Expert We the People teachers worked with consultants and Center staff to develop new lesson plans that will support high-need students in engaging with the We the People curriculum. The lessons are still in development and will be piloted in select classrooms in the fall. After final review and revision, they will be made freely available to all teachers! Thanks to all our participants and our consultants: Ellen Zwarensteyn, Jonathon Gordon, and Leroy Smith!

The Center Announces Three New Board Members

This month, the Center for Civic Education welcomed three additions to the Board of Directors: Terry Mason Moore, Barbara J. Smith, and Garima Desai, who fills the new alumni seat of the Board. With decades of combined educational, business, and leadership experience, the Center's Board of Directors guide and support the mission of the organization to develop an enlightened and responsible citizenry.

Moore is a member of the Osage Nation of Oklahoma who works as an attorney and tribal judge. She currently serves as General Counsel to the Office of the Chief of the Osage Nation. She has extensive experience in tribal government matters and mediation.

Smith is currently the Vice President of Peace Programs at the Carter Center, which works to ensure democratic elections around the globe. She has served in leadership positions as the National Security Council Director for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Deputy Assistant Administrator and Deputy Coordinator at the United States Agency for International Development, and a spokesperson for the United Nations.

Desai is a former We the People student, judge, and advisor who is a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University. Her work and studies have focused on environmental issues and urban planning. She has served as a consultant for Resources for the Future, a fellow for Citizens' Climate Lobby, and a transportation planner for AECOM.

Valued Alumni: Please Lend Us Your Voices

Were you a student of one or both of the Center for Civic Education's core programs: We the People and Project Citizen? We need your feedback as an alum and a valued member of our civic education community! Your responses will help us better serve you, your fellow alumni, and current and future We the People and Project Citizen students. The survey is less than 10 minutes. Please share the link to the survey with other alumni. Thank you!

Take Survey

We the People Hearing Question Input Needed

Everyone who participates in We the People simulated congressional hearings knows that the questions the students prepare for drive inquiry and deepen constitutional learning. Each year there are a new set of state and national-level questions for students to grapple with aligned to the six units of the text. Are you interested in being a part of the question review process? We are looking for a group of We the People experts to join our scholars and staff on the question-review committee this summer. If interested, please complete this brief form to give feedback and/or indicate interest in the committee. A small honorarium will be available to selected reviewers. Please email Donna Phillips (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) with any questions.

We the People Teachers Named 2022 Law-Related Teacher of the Year by the American Lawyers Alliance

The American Lawyers Alliance recently named We the People educators Katie Boland, Amy Maddox, and Jonathan Ray as the 2022 Law-Related Teachers of the Year! The Teacher of the Year award highlights the work of civics and government teachers across the country to promote civic and law-related education. Boland has been a teacher for nearly 20 years, 12 of which have been spent at Trumbull High School in Trumbull, Connecticut, where she recently coached their We the People team to a top-ten finish in the national competition. Maddox is an educator from Vestavia Hills, Alabama, who has coached the We the People team to numerous state championships and national finals appearances. Her class this year received a division award. Ray is a former We the People teacher who serves as the director of the Law and Criminal Justice Academy at Creekview High School in Carrollton, Texas.

The award winners will be honored at a ceremony hosted at the American Bar Association meeting in August.

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NCSS Member Chat: Teaching the Impact of Overturning Roe v. Wade

Please join Center President Christopher R. Riano, Dr. Lauren M. Colley of the University of Cincinnati, and Dr. Leslie J. Reagan of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for the first-ever National Council for the Social Studies Member Chat on July 28 from 7 to 8 p.m. ET. "Teaching the Impact of Overturning Roe v. Wade" will focus on how educators can prepare for classroom discussions about the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. This series is designed to address current issues of immediate concern to educators. It will bring together area experts to discuss the historical context and perspective with the pedagogical implications and resources needed to teach that issue effectively at different grade levels.

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Gathering to Strengthen the Future of Democracy

In the last two months, hosts for friend-raising and fundraising gatherings in Washington, D.C. and Venice, California, brought their friends, colleagues, and business connections together to informally speak about the fragile state of democracy both here and abroad. In these discussions, they shared ideas about how we can strengthen our civic infrastructure and learned about the Center's programs and resources in a relaxed setting—and raised over $6,000! The Center cannot thank our generous hosts and their guests enough for supporting our mission and the vital hands-on civic education programs needed to provide students with the tools to understand our government and become responsible civic leaders.

If you are interested in hosting a similar event or learning about other opportunities to connect the Center with potential new fans, partners, and supporters, please contact the Development Team at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Sotomayor, Barrett to Speak at Fifth Annual Reagan Institute Summit on Education

On July 27-28, the Reagan Institute's Center for Civics, Education, and Opportunity (CCEO), will host the Reagan Institute Summit on Education (RISE), a two-day virtual and in-person summit to address the health of education in the United States.

RISE 2022 will feature diverse perspectives on education and will include leaders and key stakeholders in the education community, including a conversation on civic education and civility with Supreme Court Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Amy Coney Barrett.

Register

The Friends of Publius Release Resources for We the People Content

The Friends of Publius launched a new series of YouTube videos that give an overview of the major concepts in each unit of the We the People: The Citizen & the Constitution Level 3 text! These videos can be a valuable resource for new We the People educators, seasoned teachers, and state coordinators. The Friends of Publius continue to add new content to their "The Constitution in American Life" channel that will be useful for teachers preparing for the upcoming school year.

Watch Videos

Rhode Island to Strengthen Civic Education

Last month, both sides in the case of Cook v. McKee reached an agreement to strengthen Rhode Island's civic education program. The Rhode Island Department of Education will establish a civic education task force, including student plaintiffs, educators, community members, and other stakeholders, who will provide advice on implementing specific measures to improve student civic readiness, including adding media literacy and voter education curricula. This agreement is meant to ensure that, under the Constitution, public school students have the right to an education that prepares them to carry out their civic responsibilities and that these responsibilities are given the proper attention in schools.

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