May 2014 Newsletter

Lincoln High School wins We the People National Finals, Senate resolution supports civic education, Congressman asks colleagues to support civic education, and more in this month's issue.


Constitution in Spotlight for We the People National Finals

Over three days of intense testimony on the U.S. Constitution, Lincoln High School of Portland, Oregon, placed first at the 27th Annual We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution National Finals, held April 26-28 at George Mason University in Virginia and on Capitol Hill. Fifty-six classes from 42 states competed for the coveted national title. Learn more.


Senate Passes Cardin, Grassley Resolution Prioritizing Civic Education

The U.S. Senate expressed its support for effective civic education on April 29, one day after the We the People National Finals. Senate Resolution 427 recognized "the importance of effective civic education programs in schools," encouraged schools to "offer courses on history and theories of the constitutional government of the United States," and voiced support for teacher professional development in civic education. The bipartisan resolution was authored by U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) and U.S. Senator Charles E. Grassley (R-IA). Read the resolution (pdf) | Text


Videos Give In-Depth Look at We the People Enhanced Ebook

Four newly released videos by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt provide an in-depth look at how to use the Level 3 We the People: The Citizen & the Constitution enhanced ebook. Part 1 explains how to access a free, 28-day preview of the ebook. Part 2 covers navigation and page tools, Part 3 explores the ebook's interactive content, and Part 4 examines the classroom management tools. Watch videos | Preview ebook.

Teach Your Students How to Vote and Why They Should

Spring election season is here! The Center's Citizens, Not Spectators program offers a variety of easy-to-use, classroom-proven lesson plans to teach upper elementary, middle, and high school students how to cast an informed vote and why voting is important. The program demystifies the voting process by having students complete voter registration forms and by providing guidelines for conducting an in-class simulated election. Lesson plans.

Harrington Award for Excellence in Democracy Education

The National Conference of State Legislatures announces the 2014 competition for the Kevin B. Harrington Award for Excellence in Democracy Education. The award, sponsored by NCSL's Trust for Representative Democracy, is given annually to an individual or organization for advancing public understanding of state or local level representative democracy. The deadline for nominations is May 22, 2014. The winner will be announced at NCSL's Legislative Summit, August 19-22 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Learn more.

An Easy Way to Support We the People

Do you shop 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. AmazonSmile.

This newsletter is a brief bulletin designed to keep you informed about some of the Center for Civic Education's news and events. Information presented includes news from around the country, news from other countries in the Center's Civitas International network, grant and award opportunities, and program updates and clarifications. If you have pertinent material that you would like to include in future newsletters, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..