Sign up for free sets of Presidential STAR Cards

The 2024 election will be in full swing when students return to your classroom, and they will have big questions about the news and conversations swirling around them.

As part of C70's Democracy for Kids program, we are excited to premier our deck of 36 Presidential STAR Cards, with discussion questions that invite students to learn about the presidency and engage with the upcoming election.

Each week, we'll be sending four virtual cards to your email to help spur discussion. The cards are organized in three categories: building civic knowledge, promoting engagement, and practicing deliberation. Starting the week after Labor Day, you can use cards for morning meetings, one-on-one discussions, or as written prompts. They are designed for elementary and middle school students, but as you can see, high schoolers and adults can answer them too!

Sign up here to receive the Presidential STAR Cards for your classroom this fall. If you know K-8 educators, share this opportunity with them!

Register for the PA Civics Educator Forum, 9/27

There are a handful of spaces still available for the inaugural PA Civics Educator Forum to be hosted at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia on September 27th. This PD opportunity is entirely free for educators; it is responding to the stated need we've heard many times for innovative teaching methods, experiential learning activities, and content-specific training that fosters informed, engaged citizens.

Teachers will leave with evidence-based resources and instruction strategies they can easily implement in their classroom. Further, all teachers will receive Act 48 credit. Register today to reserve your place.

Have students vote in the PA Youth Mock Election

The Committee of Seventy sponsors the PA Youth Mock Election, which gives students hands-on practice casting votes for real candidates who appear on their ballot. The Mock Election is available to all Pennsylvania high school and middle school teachers statewide, for free. C70 provides digital instructions for how classrooms can participate, plus access to C70's nonpartisan Interactive Voter Guide for students to research their choices. The Mock Election supplements C70's Elections & Voting curriculum (also free!), developed in partnership with our partners at PA Youth Vote. We invite middle and high school teachers to sign up by mid-October.

Teachers Advancing Civic Learning project

PA Civics is a proud partner of the CivXNow Teachers Advancing Civic Learning (TACL) project, an effort to help teachers learn how to make the case for stronger civic learning policies within their schools, districts, states, and nation. By joining the TACL effort, educators can become advocates in the civic education field. 

Join them on August 22 at 7 p.m. ET (REGISTER HERE) as we hear from Jessica Ellison, Executive Director at the National Council for History Education. Jessica also has experience in local educational policy: she is an elected member of the White Bear Lake School Board in Minnesota. Her session will focus on local advocacy and help you make a difference in your school district and with your school board.