News from the Center for Civic Education
U.S. Department of Education Grant Awarded to the Center to Support Civic Education for Underserved Students and Teachers, We the People Finals and Invitational Dates Announced, the Annenberg Public Policy Center Selects the Center as a 2022 Civic Mission of the Nation Award Winner, and More in This Month’s Newsletter
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New Grant to Empower Underserved Teachers and Students
The Center for Civic Education received a three-year Supporting Effective Educator Development grant from the U.S. Department of Education for We the People: Civics that Empowers All Students (CEAS). From 2022 to 2025, the project will transform civic education for underserved upper elementary and middle school students through professional development and support for teachers across the country. CEAS will innovate on and improve the Center’s acclaimed We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution professional development and curricular programs in grades 4–8 to meet the needs of today’s diverse educators and learners with numerous identities, abilities, and challenges. Click on the button below if you are an upper elementary or middle school teacher who has never taught We the People before and are interested in receiving free We the People professional development.
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We the People Finals and Invitational Dates Announced!
We are thrilled to announce that the We the People National Finals will return to its in-person format in 2023! The 36th Annual We the People National Finals will be held April 22– 24 at the National Conference Center in Leesburg, VA. The 2023 National Invitational, open to both High School and Middle School students, will be held virtually April 20– 21, 2023. We will share more detailed information soon on the National Finals web page. In the meantime, we wish all students and teachers competing and showcasing at the district and state levels the best of luck!
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New Paper Highlights Civic Engagement Impact of Project Citizen
"Teaching Civic Engagement Through Immersive Experience: Students’ Acquisition of Civic Knowledge, Skills, and Dispositions" by Dr. Diana Owen, Director of the Civic Education Research Lab at Georgetown University, and Alissa Irion-Groth, Director of National and International Programs at the Center for Civic Education, features new research on Project Citizen's impact on students. By participating in the Center's Project Citizen or Congressional Academy programs, students of all backgrounds increased their civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions essential for civic engagement. The authors presented the paper on September 16 in a panel at the American Political Science Association annual conference.
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New Paper Highlights Civic Engagement Impact of Project Citizen
The Center for Civic Education is thrilled to announce that we have been selected as one of the recipients of the inaugural 2022 Civic Mission of the Nation Awards from the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center. Designed to ensure that civic education reaches today’s adult population, the award provides critical funding that will help the Center achieve even greater success in realizing our mission to ensure a civic and constitutional education is available to all.
The award will fund the development of Civil Discourse: An American Legacy, an innovative course of instruction for community college and adult learners that will provide hands-on experience and deep knowledge of leading and participating in civil discourse on civics topics.
“We're so excited for the opportunity to innovate on our programs to create a much-needed civics resource for adult audiences in the community colleges,” said Dr. Donna Phillips, the Center’s Vice President and Chief Program Officer. “This new toolkit will help Americans learn how to engage in civil discourse to find common ground and gain the constitutional knowledge needed to find solutions for today's challenging constitutional issues.”
Stay tuned for more information on our website and social media channels linked at the bottom of our newsletter!
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Civic Education at Its Best! Submissions from Maryland and Connecticut
The Center's programs, including We the People and Project Citizen, are civic education at its best. We want to shout it from the rooftops! Last month, we asked you to share photos, stories, and quotations from you, your teachers, students, and others whose lives have been impacted by civic education. Thank you to everyone who shared with us! We want to shout out a couple of the submissions below from Reyna Charapp, a teacher from Northwest High School, and Katie Boland, a teacher at Trumbull High School.
Reyna Charapp, Northwest High School, Maryland: The We the People teacher and Project Citizen mentor shared how she used Constitution EXPLAINED videos in her daily planning to create a constitution guide. Embedding the video links (through Edpuzzle or any other means) with guiding questions allows students to work at their own pace, review the content, and rewatch videos as necessary. We are so glad these videos are useful in your classroom!
Katie Boland, Trumbull High School, Connecticut: Along with the photo of her class, Boland shared the following statement about her experience with We the People: “We the People is more than a class. It becomes a family with a purpose—to keep our republic alive for generations to come. Last year, my class overcame many obstacles as a team and became the nation's tenth-best team. On the last day of our amazing weekend in Washington, D.C., we met with Representative Himes and had a meaningful dialogue with him about problems in our state and country and solutions for the future. It was an amazing weekend and an amazing year. It’s all thanks to the We the People program and the skills and values it teaches our students.”
Keep your submissions coming, and let us know how the Center’s programs help you and your students experience civic education at its best!
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Learn More About National Hispanic Heritage Month!
Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15 by celebrating the histories, cultures, and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.
The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson. President Ronald Reagan expanded it in 1988 to cover a 30-day period beginning on September 15. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988, as Public Law 100-402. This month, Hernán Sanchez, Coordinator of Nation Programs at the Center for Civic Education, is featured on the 60-Second Civics podcast series explaining, among other topics, the importance of National Hispanic Heritage Month and his journey as a first-generation American.
He also interviews California Assemblymember Jose Medina (AD-61), his former high school Chicano studies teacher. These exciting 60-Second Civics podcast videos for Hispanic Heritage Month are available now on our YouTube channel.
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Want to Help Expand Civic Education for All? Join Our Team!
The Center for Civic Education is advancing our mission and increasing our impact. To support the growth of our programming and reach, we are looking for a Development Administrator to assist with the Center's annual fundraising plan. Additionally, we are seeking a Curriculum Associate familiar with the Center’s curriculum to support our efforts there.
Reporting to the Director of Development, the Development Administrator is responsible for administrating the Center for Civic Education’s annual development plan. They will assist in developing and growing diversified revenue through the Center’s annual fundraising strategy, including individual donations, corporate partnerships, foundation, government grants, and planned giving.
The Curriculum Associate, a contract position, is responsible for reviewing feedback, data, and input from stakeholders to inform curriculum revisions of the Center’s curricular programs as supporting lessons and resources. The ideal candidate will be collaborative but able to independently execute on multiple tasks with a reasonable degree of direction.
If your strengths are in lending support behind the scenes, we would love to hear from you.
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Join Us at the National Council for the Social Studies Conference!
We look forward to seeing you in person at the National Council for the Social Studies annual conference in Philadelphia on December 2-4! In addition to hosting a booth in Exhibit Hall, Center staff will present two sessions: "Deep Constitutional Knowledge is Revolutionary" on December 2 and "Challenge Accepted: Educating for American Democracy with We the People" on December 3. Our teachers and coordinators make the best ambassadors!
We would love for you to volunteer at the Center’s booth in Constitution Alley. All volunteers get a free t-shirt to wear at the conference proudly. Sign up here to become a Center program ambassador. Are you presenting at NCSS? Let us know, and we'll promote your session! We can't wait to cheer you on and learn from you as well. We will have many other opportunities to connect. More details to come, and we hope to see many of you there!
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Mark Your Calendar! It’s Almost Giving Season
October finds our staff gearing up for two essential campaigns to advance the Center for Civic Education's mission and work by reaching a broader audience with life- and community-changing programs: the Center for Civic Education's Annual Appeal, from November 17 to December 31, and the global day of generosity, Giving Tuesday, on November 29. We look forward to sharing the impact of the Center’s civic and constitutional education programs, focused on strengthening democracy and civic engagement. Will you help us by sharing our fundraising social media posts and emails? Stay tuned. More information to come!
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Now Open: The 2023 Bob and Marion Wilson Teacher Institute of Colonial Williamsburg Scholarship
The 2023 Bob and Marion Wilson Teacher Institute of Colonial Williamsburg scholarship opportunities for elementary and secondary school teachers are now available. Teacher Institute participants are engaged in an authentic, inclusive learning environment and have a chance to exchange ideas with historians, meet character interpreters portraying people of the past, analyze primary sources, participate in historical simulations, and learn museum techniques that actively engage students in history.
Each scholarship includes admission to all programs, a double occupancy room, most meals, and educational resource materials, including primary sources, lesson plans, and digital media. For more information on available scholarships and to apply, please visit the scholarship application webpage. The deadline to apply is December 9.
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Teaching Constitutional Government Fall Speaker Series Online November 1
On November 1, the Kansas 1st Amendment Foundation will offer a seminar in partnership with Kansas State University as part of a more extensive Teaching Constitutional Government series. The upcoming topic, “Regulating Federal Elections: How Far Can the States Go?” will feature speakers Henry L. Chambers, John Kincaid, Linda Monk, and Thomas Vontz. A Teacher Resource Page will be sent out a week before the session to registered participants to review before and after the presentations.
Those interested in joining should sign-up via the registration link below.
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High School and College Students: Apply to the Democracy Group Podcast Fellowship!
The Democracy Group recently announced that they are accepting applications for their podcast fellowship for high school and college students. The fellowship is a 12-week remote program for Gen Z leaders who want to start a podcast and build an audience to strengthen democracy by engaging diverse viewpoints and bridging political divides. They provide world-class training, an incredible community, and $1,000 to get started. Applications are due Friday, October 21. Interested applicants can submit their applications here.
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Quick Quiz!
Which Hispanic American volunteered to join his friend in an internment camp rather than watch him face the experience alone?
A) Pete Quesada
B) Henry G. Sanchez
C) Ralph Lazo
D) Chester J. Salazar
Watch the video and click the button below for the result.
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