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Democracy Schools Network
Monthly Update
August 2023
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ON YOUR RADAR
DSN announcements, upcoming events, Professional Development opportunities, and information about activities in our Democracy Schools.
~Constitutional Democracy Project
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Exploring the Aftermath of Last Term's Blockbuster Supreme Court Cases: A two-hour Zoom session where their expert panel of legal scholars and constitutional experts will dissect the significant decisions that are shaping the legal landscape of our nation. Throughout the session, attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and engage in thought-provoking discussions. (Presenters: Daniel A. Cotter, Howard & Howard; Christopher Schmidt, Illinois Tech Chicago-Kent College of Law; Steven Schwinn, University of Illinois Chicago Law; Carolyn Shapiro, Illinois Tech Chicago-Kent College of Law) August 29, 5–7pm. Register here.
*Both events at Chicago-Kent College of Law, 565 W. Adams Street, Chicago, IL 60661.
~DSN Mini-Grants
The Democracy Schools Network offers a yearly grant program so active Democracy Schools have an opportunity to apply for funds. These funds will support work that enriches the civic learning experiences of students and improves the school’s organizational culture to provide a more democratic landscape. (This is a webinar on last year's projects.)
This popular and successful program has enabled many of our schools to innovate in ways that would not have been possible otherwise. It has also been a catalyst for collaboration among our Democracy Schools. Please consider applying for this grant (up to $1,000 per school). You can access more details and the application here.
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Thursday, September 28, 2023
8am – 2pm
Hilton Doubletree | Lisle, IL
Presentations by our civic partners, including:
Illinois Holocaust Museum, Retro Report, Constitutional Democracy Project, Chicago History Museum, American Bar Association, Learning Tech Center, Mikva Challenge, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Facing History, University of Illinois at Chicago, and more!
Sampling of Sessions:
- Using the Internet to Check the Internet
- Civics with Stories
- Enhancing Civics through Games
- Action and Advocacy through the Arts
- Creating Space for Student Voice (and Action)
- Investigating Social Justice Issues in the Mathematics Classroom
- How to Create a School-Community Partnership with a Speaker Series
- Water Quality: A STEM and Society Issue
- Youth Resistance in Nazi Germany
- Learning to Teach with AI, One Small Bite at a Time
- What's in Store for 2024?
We also welcome teachers, staff, and administrators from your K-8 district and feeder schools, as we launch our new model. (Please feel free to share the link below with those who might be interested.)
Get more information here or register here.
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The Illinois Civics Hub and the Illinois Democracy School Network are delighted to welcome Lisa Bergman to our research-practice partnership with the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University. Lisa is a fellow from the Stevenson Center at Illinois State University.
Lisa is a Research Partner with Illinois Civics Hub and CIRCLE, where they will be supporting the Democracy Schools project. They are a graduate student from the Stevenson Center at Illinois State University, pursuing their M.S. in Kinesiology and Recreation with an emphasis on Applied Community and Economic Development. Before joining CIRCLE, they served 2 years in Peace Corps Lesotho as a secondary mathematics teacher, 2 years in Peace Corps Response Malawi as a STEM teacher trainer and youth development specialist, and 1 year in AmeriCorps as a Volunteer Coordinator for a nonprofit furniture bank in St Louis. They have worked extensively in youth development, particularly in outdoor education settings through organizations like Wyman Center in St Louis, MO, Hidden Villa in Los Altos, CA, and Sierra Nevada Journeys in Portola, CA. They hold a B.S. in Mathematics and Computer Science with a minor in Psychology from Bowling Green State University in Ohio.
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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 with the opportunity to earn their 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 for an additional fee.
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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New Illinois Democracy Schools!
For the past year, these five schools have diligently and enthusiastically worked through the recognition process for becoming an Illinois Democracy School, which included school-wide discussions about the state of civics in their school, a self-assessment where the team reflected on all eleven elements in the Democracy School model, and the administration of surveys to both staff and students. All of this data was then analyzed by the team, with help from staff at Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University and the Illinois Civics Hub. Their teams, including staff and students, provided an impressive combination of energy, curiosity, expertise, and tenacity, which ultimately led them to this distinguished recognition. We salute this notable achievement and welcome them to the Illinois Democracy Schools Network! They will be officially recognized with a press announcement on Constitution Day (September 17) and presented to our membership at the Annual Convening on September 28.
Cobden Junior-Senior High School (led by Jamie Nash-Mayberry)
Deerfield High School (led by Lisa Allen)
Niles West High School (led by Martin Zacharia)
Olympia High School (led by Kate Berry)
Wheeling High School (led by Brad Hubbard, Cecile Flores-Herbas, and Angela Hawkins)
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Kudos to our renewing Illinois Democracy Schools!
Nine schools participated in the IDS renewal process during this past school year. Schools began with the data from the year when they became a Democracy School, and reflected on changes that have occurred since then, as well as their current strengths and challenges. Schools then gathered more data about the 4-5 elements they chose – through discussions, a self-assessment, and surveys.
(Schools are listed with the year that they originally became a Democracy School)
Elmwood Park High School, 2016 (led by Tony Sylvester)
Josephinum High School, 2013 (led by Jillian Kapczyk)
Lindblom Math and Science Academy, 2016 (led by Teddy Kent)
Mascoutah High School, 2016 (led by Bennett Dibadj)
Oswego High School, 2015 (led by Jennifer Keto)
Oswego East High School, 2015 (led by Jim Vera)
Prairie Ridge High School, 2015 (led by Joe Terhaar)
Westinghouse College Prep High School, 2015 (led by Linda Becker)
Wheaton Warrenville High School, 2016 (led by Dan Korntheuer)
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PRACTICING CIVIC LEARNING ACROSS DISCIPLINES
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~ATTENTION SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHERS
If you would like to be kept current on current 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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