September 2018 Newsletter

News from the Center for Civic Education

New Resources for the New School Year and More in This Month's Newsletter.

New We the People Resource Center and Scholar Videos Available

The redesigned We the People Resource Center is now available and includes the newly released James Madison Legacy Project videos. The We the People Resource Center is the companion website to the fourth edition of the We the People: The Citizen & the Constitution Level 3 (high school) textbook. The JMLP videos, found in the Media section for each lesson, feature constitutional scholars discussing each unit of the textbook. Downloadable student questions and closed captioning are available.

Visit the site.

2018 Project Citizen National Showcase Results Are In!

Seventeen projects in both the traditional and digital formats were submitted for the 2018 Project Citizen National Showcase. Students dealt with a variety of topics from affordable housing to school schedules to HIV prevention, offering public policy solutions after doing extensive research in their communities.

We the People: The Citizen & The Constitution Available in Hardcover

We the People: The Citizen & The Constitution is now available in durable, high-quality hardcover editions for middle and high school teachers and students! Both the student text (Level 2 and Level 3) and their accompanying teacher's guides (Level 2 and Level 3) are available on the Center for Civic Education's online store.

Quick Quiz! Which part of the government has the authority to confirm the president's nominees to the Supreme Court?

A. The Department of Justice
B. The House of Representatives
C. The Senate
D. State Attorneys General

Read on to learn the answer!

Celebrate Constitution Day

September 17 is Constitution Day, when we commemorate the creation and signing of the supreme law of the land and to honor and celebrate the privileges and responsibilities of U.S. citizenship for both native-born and naturalized citizens. This year, teach Constitution Day with the Center's resources!

We the People Teacher Chris Cavanaugh Wins Law-Related Education Teacher of the Year Award

Christopher Cavanaugh, a We the People teacher who taught at Plainfield High School in Indiana in 2018, is one of this year's Law-Related Education Teachers of the Year! Awarded annually by the American Lawyers Alliance, this award recognizes teachers who have made significant contributions in the area of law-related education.

We the People Students Win Civic Education Contest

Three years ago, third-grade students in Long Beach, Mississippi, worked together to study school security as part of Project Citizen. "It was this project that influenced Long Beach School District leaders to bring in the FBI and Homeland Security for a formal security survey."

#NationalNonprofitDay

Thanks to the generosity of our national network and community, civic education resources reach teachers and students from all over the country. On August 17, we celebrated #NationalNonprofitDay with continued thankfulness for your continued support!

Learning Policy Institute

The Learning Policy Institute has completed research that looks at how states are using different indicators in their state ESSA Plans, including college-and career-readiness. One recommendation is to support programs like We the People that "facilitate access to high-quality materials, align curricula across grade levels, and provide professional development for teachers so they can support college- and career-ready courses of study."

The Democracy Project Completes Research on the Need for Civic Education

The Democracy Project has completed a bipartisan report titled "Reversing a Crisis of Confidence," conducted by the George W. Bush Institute, Freedom House, and the Penn Biden Center, that addresses public attitudes toward democratic principles and institutions. One of the recommendations of the report is the need for greater civic education and specifically to "champion a stronger public understanding of democratic principles."

Quiz Answer!

C. The Senate

For more quizzes and learning opportunities, check out the 60-Second Civics podcast and daily civics quiz!

Shop to Support the Center for Civic Education

Shopping on Amazon? Use this link to benefit We the People and the Center's other civic education programs. Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to the Center for Civic Education. You pay the same price for your purchases, but you have the satisfaction of knowing you've helped students receive the high-quality civic education they deserve. Bookmark the link and keep giving all year with every purchase.