The Center for Civic Education, through a grant provided by the National Endowment
for the Humanities, is pleased to announce a three-week NEH Summer Institute ...
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$1,000 Summer Scholarship Competition
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The 2010 American Civic Education Teacher Awards application is now available to download. Three awards are given annually to elementary and secondary teachers of civics, government, and related fields who have demonstrated special expertise and enthusiasm in motivating students to learn about the U.S. Congress, the Constitution, and public policy. ACETA winners receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. to participate in an educational program that includes observing committee hearings in Congress, meeting members of Congress and other key officials, and visiting sites such as the National Archives and the U.S. Supreme Court. Teachers can submit their applications to one of the three sponsoring organizations: Center for Civic Education, Center on Congress at Indiana University, and National Education Association. Applications are due February 16, 2010. More>>
MIAMI – More than 440 civic educators from the United States and seven other countries will convene at the InterContinental Hotel for the eighth annual We the People: Project Citizen leadership conference, Oct. 9–12. Sponsored by the Center for Civic Education, the conference brings together public officials, government scholars, classroom teachers and international educators to examine effective and engaging methods in teaching civics.
On Saturday, Oct. 10, Florida State Representative Rene Garcia, District 110, gives the keynote address, “Project Citizen – A Model in Civic Discourse.”
On Sunday, Oct. 11, Florida Supreme Court Justice R. Fred Lewis speaks on “Judicial Decision-Making in the Public Policymaking Process.”
The Center for Civic Education, in collaboration with the American Association
of School Administrators, is proud to offer free lesson plans for Grades K-12 in observance of Constitution Day and Citizenship Day on September 17, the
anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution in 1787. These lessons
have been adapted from the Center's We the People: The Citizen & the Constitution
and Foundations of Democracy curricular materials. Two new lesson plans for high
school students have been added, which explore the executive branch and Abraham
Lincoln's constitutional legacy. Audio recordings of selected Constitution Day
lessons are also available. Go to http://constitutionday.civiced.org
to download these free resources today.
In Memoriam: Senator Edward M. Kennedy
The Center for Civic Education joins the nation and the world in mourning the passing of Senator Edward M. Kennedy. Senator Kennedy was not only a strong advocate for education in general but for civic education in particular. He was a firm believer that a strong democracy needs informed, engaged, and enlightened citizens and served as a member of the National Bicentennial Commission on the Constitution and Bill of Rights, which provided funding to initiate the We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution program. He supported the Education for Democracy Act, which funds the Center's We the People Programs, the School Violence Prevention Demonstration Program, and the Civitas International Programs, as well as programs of other organizations. His commitment to education for democracy was not a recent passion but spanned many decades of public service and greatly assisted our work. In 1988 the Center recruited him to participate in a film by the Disney Channel on the importance of teachers to our democracy, and in that same year we invited him to be the keynote speaker at the awards banquet for the first We the People academic competition. Most recently, he joined with Senator Lamar Alexander to support the Improving the Teaching and Learning of American History and Civics Act of 2009 (S. 659). The legislation reauthorizes the Education for Democracy Act programs and other civic education programs. It also amends the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) to conduct more frequent academic assessments of U.S. history and civics. We were honored some years ago when he accepted the Center's Civitas Award for his outstanding contributions to civic education. While appreciating his rich legacy, we will sorely miss his leadership in improving the conditions that allow constitutional democracy to flourish around the world.
The California Project Citizen State Showcase took place on June 5, bringing twenty portfolios and three groups of students to the state capitol. Granada Hills Charter High School presented their portfolio, which dealt with the surveillance of public areas. Herbert Hoover Middle School looked at the causes of litter in their community and remedies to the problem. Fourth-grade students from Foulks Ranch Elementary School addressed the environmental impacts of plastic bags and the possibility of advocating for a plastic bag ban within the City of Elk Grove. Thanks to the California Channel, which filmed the showcase and publicized these outstanding students' efforts to become active, engaged citizens.
Center for Civic Education 
Programs
We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution
School Violence Prevention Demonstration Program
Representative Democracy in America
Civitas International Programs
Campaign to Promote Civic Education
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The 2010 American Civic Education Teacher Awards application is now available to download. Three awards are given annually to elementary and secondary teachers of civics, government, and related fields who have demonstrated special expertise and enthusiasm in motivating students to learn about the U.S. Congress, the Constitution, and public policy. ACETA winners receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. to participate in an educational program that includes observing committee hearings in Congress, meeting members of Congress and other key officials, and visiting sites such as the National Archives and the U.S. Supreme Court. Teachers can submit their applications to one of the three sponsoring organizations: Center for Civic Education, Center on Congress at Indiana University, and National Education Association. Applications are due February 16, 2010. 
