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Democracy Schools Network
Monthly Update
January 2025
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Illinois Democracy Schools Steering Committee
The Illinois Democracy Schools Steering Committee is meeting monthly to continue their discussion about the future governance of the organization. The team's task is to consider the structure, function, leadership, program, and funding of the Illinois Democracy Schools. Our team members are: Logan Ridenour, Jeanne Donaldson, Donald Davis, Jen Burdette, Jamie Nash-Mayberry, Stacey Posey, and Pat Riley.
Please reach out to any member of the team (or Mary Ellen or Sue) with your own thoughts regarding this new direction.
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Illinois Democracy Schools New Civic Learning Model
The NEW K-12 civic learning model is on our website--check it out. It incorporates new thinking in the field of civic education, as well as ideas that members have shared with us regarding some gaps and overlaps in the previous model. You’ll note that we now have four elements rather than eleven, but our crosswalk ensures that all the essential information from the former model is indeed there.
We hope that you will consider contributing to the website by sharing your own “example of element in practice” (an assignment, project, activity, program, etc.) that demonstrates one (or more) of the stakeholder actions. (Please use this Google Doc to describe, and share it with Sue (skhalaieff@illinoiscivics.org). Or you might want to suggest a resource (submit this Google Form.) We envision a constantly growing trove of resources for all to access. Thank you for being a part of this community effort.
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Democracy Schools Network Annual Convening
Save the date for next year's Convening on September 22, 2025. Registration will begin in Spring of 2025.
We'd love to hear your ideas for the Convening.
Submit this form by March 1, 2025.
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Join the Illinois Civics Hub in 2025 for professional development to enhance you classroom practice. Presented in partnership with the North Cook Intermediate Center, each offering is aligned with the Illinois course mandates and standards. These workshops will be in person at the North Cook ISC in Des Plaines.
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Friday, January 17, 2025, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM CST: Let's Talk! Creating Conditions for Civil Dialogue in Our Schools- Join colleagues from across all academic disciplines in an engaging and outcomes-based professional learning experience. Learn and practice strategies to foster productive civil dialogue in our classrooms and school communities, both face-to-face and online. This learning model will allow you to share and teach these strategies to your colleagues
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Tuesday, February 4, 2025, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM CST: Engaging Student Voice for Inquiry (K-5)- Is responsiveness to student voice related to academic success? Research from the University of Chicago declares YES! In this interactive session, experience strategies to engage student voice to support inquiry as the primary mode of learning. Get connected to FREE resources to harness student voice in formative and summative assessment to enhance your practice.
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Thursday, April 10, 2025, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM CST: Engaging Student Voice for Inquiry (6-12) - Is responsiveness to student voice related to academic success? Research from the University of Chicago declares YES! In this interactive session, experience strategies to engage student voice to support inquiry as the primary mode of learning. Get connected to FREE resources to harness student voice in formative and summative assessment to enhance your practice.
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Monday, May 5, 2025, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM CST: Let's Talk! Creating Conditions for Civil Dialogue in Our Schools (6-12)- Join colleagues from across all academic disciplines in an engaging and outcomes-based professional learning experience. Learn and practice strategies to foster productive civil dialogue in our classrooms and school communities, both face-to-face and online. This learning model will allow you to share and teach these strategies to your colleagues.
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March 10-14, 2025
Make civic learning a national priority for a stronger democracy
More information here.
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Now Open!
How can you build engagement around civics and foster a proper understanding of American citizenship? Introduce your students to the MyImpact Challenge!
MyImpact Challenge is a civic engagement contest and curriculum provided by the Bill of Rights Institute (BRI) to create a robust understanding of citizenship and incentivize students to become active in their communities now! To participate, students must have an active civic engagement or service-based project. Students will learn how their projects align with constitutional principles through the contest. To submit a project, students must:
- Write an essay detailing how their project furthers a BRI Civic Virtue or Founding Principle
- Complete a report describing how their project works
- Provide photographic or visual documentation of their project
Each MyImpact Challenge submission has the potential to win up to $500 in teacher prizes. Students can win up to $10,000 in student prizes.
The deadline to enter MyImpact Challenge is May 18, 2025, 11:59 PM.
MyImpact Challenge
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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:
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Registration information is available on the Guardians of Democracy homepage. Those who successfully complete the 5-week online course will earn a Bronze Certified Guardian of Democracy Educator badge via Badgr and the University of Central Florida Center for Distributive 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. For more information, please visit the Guardians of Democracy homepage.
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Attention Social Studies Teachers:
If you want to be kept current on Social Studies standards, course mandates, and resources to support both, we invite you to sign up for the Illinois Civics Hub newsletter here.
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