We the People: Civics that Empowers All Students

Research demonstrates that effective instruction in the We the People curriculum increases students’ problem-solving, critical-thinking, decision-making, and communication skills, which are essential to academic success across disciplines and 21st-century work and civic life.

Find a CEAS Summer Institute in your state!

What Will I Get?

• Free professional development! A total of 52 hours of professional development in a learning community with mentors and other teachers from your state or neighboring states, including a 36-hour in-person summer institute and 16 hours of online academic-year follow up. Summer institutes begin in 2023! (Find a summer institute in your state)
• Engaging pedagogy and academic content, centered on the highly-effective We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution curriculum
• A network of support and resources for engaging diverse student populations in the history, principles, and current application of the U.S. Constitution
• Scholar guest speakers
• Access to a library of professional development videos with noted scholars and practitioners cued to the curriculum
• Free set of We the People: The Citizen & the Constitution textbooks and teacher’s guide
• A stipend for completing program requirements

Who’s Eligible?

• Teachers in grades 4–8 who work with classes of 30% or more high-need students (Title I schools, students of color, students with disabilities, English learners, or other underserved students) with no prior experience participating in professional development or teaching We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution

Program Requirements

• Participate in 52 hours of professional development (36 in summer institute and 16 during school-year)
• Implement 40 hours of classroom instruction using the curriculum
• Involve students in the simulated congressional hearing instructional activity
• Participate in a teacher pre- and post-test
• Administer student pre- and post-tests

Learn More: Fill out this CEAS PD interest form or find a CEAS summer Institute in your state:

State and State Partners

Don’t see your state for summer 2023? Complete this interest form or contact your state’s We the People program coordinator.

About We the People: Civics that Empowers All Students

• This project is funded by a Supporting Effective Educator Development grant from the U.S. Department of Education.
• Project Goals: (1) To increase underserved grades 4–8 students’ attainment of state civics standards, related literacy standards, and social and emotional learning competencies, (2) to create inclusive and identity-safe learning environments for underserved students in grades 4–8, (3) to support high-quality development for diverse teachers, and (4) to study the effectiveness of the updated and enhanced We the People blended-learning professional development program at improving teacher and student outcomes.

Become part of the We the People network—a nationwide K-12 civic education professional development and implementation network impacting more than 100,000 teachers and 30 million students since inception!