Democracy Schools Network

Monthly Update

November 2025

What's in the Mix for 2026?

Join Dr. Shawn Healy, Chief Policy and Advocacy Officer at iCivics, for a look at the 2026 Midterms.

January 21, 2026

4-5 pm CST

SAVE THE DATE

March 9-13, 2026

Sign up here for updates.

Call for Change Commentary Project

Civic (and civil) dialogue can be difficult, but it’s an important part of making our classrooms and communities function productively. The Call for Change commentary project puts civic media-making front and center to help students encounter multiple perspectives, strengthen civic discourse skills and express their views in a variety of media formats. KQED provides the materials you need to successfully implement civic media-making in your classroom–and it’s all modifiable. You do you!

• A teacher toolkit with student project checklists for each media type
• Rubrics and graphic organizers. (All student-facing material is available in English and Spanish)
• Letter to share with parents or school communities about the project

See how other teachers have implemented this project, from using our resources as-is in a classroom slide deck to integrating it into specific government and climate change curriculum.

Earn Your Microcredentials 

Become a Guardian of Democracy Educator

The Illinois Civics Hub has partnered with the Lou Frey Institute at the University of Central Florida to provide educators the opportunity to earn microcredentials in the proven practices of civic education embedded in the middle and high school civics course requirements in Illinois. Courses include:

• Current and Controversial Issue Discussions—Learn from academic experts Dr. Diana Hess & Dr. Paula McAvoy as you explore the purpose, role, and function of discussion strategies as pedagogical tools to equip young people to be engaged citizens. This course will enhance the practice of educators with strategies and resources to create a classroom climate in which there are equitable opportunities for ALL students to engage in dialogue about essential questions across the curriculum.

• Simulations of Democratic Processes—Learn from academic experts Dr. Walter Parker & Dr. Jane Lo as you explore how democratic processes and procedures occur as part of the regular functioning of government, in each of the three branches of government, and at each level of government. This course will guide you through the purpose, planning, and implementation of three simulations: town hall meetings, legislative hearings, and moot courts.

• Informed Action through Service Learning—Learn from academic experts Dr. Joseph Kahne and Jessica Marshall as you explore the purpose, role, and function of informed action through service learning as a pedagogical tool to equip young people with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to be active members of their community. In this course, you will interact with strategies and tools you can use in your classroom to support student-centered informed action through service learning.

• NEW: Constitutional Democracy as Content and Practice—Learn from academic experts Dr. Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg, Dr. Shawn P. Healy, and Dr. Bonnie Laughlin Schultz as you explore how the Educating for American Democracy Roadmap can help teach constitutional democracy as both content and practice across disciplines K-12.

New courses beginning in fall. More information here. Those who successfully complete the five-week online course will earn a Bronze Certified Guardian of Democracy Educator badge via Badgr and the University of Central Florida Center for Distributed Learning.

Participants can earn 15 PD hours through the DuPage Regional Office of Education. Please note that due to changes in our funding, the Democracy School Network is no longer able to offer a stipend to participants.

There are three strands of courses for each proven practice of civics education. Graduate credit is available through the University of St. Francis for completing all three courses. More information here.



Certificate Program Opportunity

Teach Different, in partnership with the Illinois Institute of Colleges and Universities, has secured funding through an Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) grant to certify a select group of Illinois social studies teachers in the Teach Different Conversation Method.

Teach Different provides a research-based, structured conversation framework using essential questions, claims, and counterclaims to spark meaningful dialogue, promote critical thinking, and strengthen emotional resilience.

What’s Involved?

• Complete Teach Different’s 8-week remote certificate program. This training includes two Zoom sessions, with the remainder of the work focused on applying the method in your own classroom and receiving feedback through an online platform. Click here for more detailed information on the program.

Why Participate?

• Receive professional training on how to start and manage classroom conversations.
• Receive 15 CPDUs of recertification credit.
• Earn one graduate credit from the University of St. Francis. (Teacher covers $100 cost.)
• Gain membership to an online professional learning community of educators around the country who are using the Teach Different Method.
• Earn a $250 stipend payable upon completion of the program and no later than June 30, 2026.

Spots are limited, Sign Up HERE for either the Winter or Spring Cohort.

Questions? Email Frank Houston, Program Coordinator at frankhouston@illinoisinstitute.us.

Check out our website for PD opportunities, resources and inspiration.

illinoiscivics.org