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Democracy Schools Network
Monthly Update
January 2024
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Wishing you all a satisfying New Year ... one that challenges you in all the right ways. We hope you continue to find delight, inspiration, and hope as you support your students in defining their civic selves. Happy New Year! | |
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IN THE DSN: Participatory Budgeting Project
The Illinois Democracy Schools have enjoyed a long-standing relationship with the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University. This professional collaboration has allowed us to build trust, understand the needs and contexts of each other’s work, and build a sustainable and impactful research-practice partnership.
To further both groups’ work with youth voice, the two groups applied for (and were awarded!) an NNERPP (National Network of Education Research-Practice Partnerships) grant that has made it possible for Illinois Democracy Schools to explore the idea of Participatory Budgeting. NNERPP promotes “research-practice partnerships—mutually beneficial, formalized collaborations between researchers and practitioners ... producing more relevant research, improving the use of research evidence in decision-making, and engaging both researchers and practitioners to tackle problems of practice.”
This particular project empowers young people in three Illinois Democracy Schools to lead a participatory budgeting process to plan and disburse the grant to improve civic opportunities that benefit all students in a school or a district. The student-led teams receive training to conduct focus groups and learn about building decision-making tools (such as rubrics and deliberation strategies) as they make their spending plan. In the second phase, the same young people will apply the skills to refine the Democracy Schools success metrics with the NNERPP by providing feedback and engaging more and younger students in their districts to gather and make recommendations.
Schools involved in this initiative are Alton High School (2016), Spoon River Valley High School (2022), and West Chicago Community High School (2006). We’ll provide more details in the Monthly Update as the schools finish up these projects in the spring. (In the meantime, read more about the practice of participatory budgeting.)
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Book Talk with Shawn McCusker
*Please Note: We've moved this event to Thursday, Feb. 15, 4-5 p.m.*
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Join us virtually on Feb. 15 for insights and ideas from Shawn's book, Becoming Active Citizens, winner of the Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Gold Award for Education.
(You are welcome to attend whether or not you have read the book.)
Shawn McCusker is the Senior Director of Professional Learning at EdTechTeacher. He has 25 years of experience as a teacher and leader in public, private, and alternative schools. As an expert in technology integration, his lessons and student products have been featured in Educational Leadership and the Huffington Post. In 2006, he was recognized as a finalist for the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching. In 2016, he was named a Top Trailblazing Educator on Twitter by eSchoolNews. He regularly appears as a keynote and featured speaker at conferences across the US. You can register here.
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MyImpact Challenge
MyImpact Challenge is a civic engagement contest from the Bill of Rights Institute that rewards student service projects with cash prizes of up to $10,000. The goal is simple: foster robust comprehension of citizenship and get students active in their communities now!
MyImpact Challenge gives students a strong understanding of the role of the citizen in civil society by exploring the pillars of citizenship: entrepreneurship, charity, and government. It is developed with multiple implementations in mind, including classrooms, afterschool programs, and social clubs. With original background essays, guided resources, and rubrics, students will write a research report on the impacts of these different efforts, then develop and implement a project that exemplifies everyday citizenship.
Submissions must be received on Sunday, May 19, 2024. More details here.
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A Simon Wiesenthal Center Museum
MOBILE MUSEUM OF TOLERANCE
Combat Hate has been operating for the past eight years in Los Angeles and New York City and has reached more than 20,000 students. This program is designed for grades 6-12 and is aligned with Illinois SEL and media literacy standards. During this 45-minute workshop, students are challenged to interpret real-life examples of online identity-based hate speech, analyze their real-world impact, and develop an action plan for speaking up against online hate in the future.
For any school interested in the program, please contact Jacqueline Carroll at the Mobile Museum of Tolerance or submit the form on the website.
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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 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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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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