What is Civic Learning Week?

Civic Learning Week brings together students, educators, policymakers, and leaders in the public and private sectors to highlight and further energize the movement for civic education in states and communities across the nation.

Why?

Civic education is essential to ensuring each and every person across this country is equipped with the necessary tools to engage as members of our self-governing society. We know the best civic learning happens both inside and outside the classroom, and it is a lifelong endeavor touching every facet of society. 

In order to underscore the need to prioritize civic learning across the country, Civic Learning Week highlights the civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions that provide the foundation for an informed and engaged populace, sustaining and strengthening constitutional democracy in the United States. 

Who Can Participate in Civic Learning Week?

Everybody!

• Educators can gain and provide insight and inspiration, sharing the latest effective teaching practices and innovations, and joining in shared civic learning opportunities throughout the week.
• Students have the opportunity to engage in shared civic learning opportunities throughout the week with other students across the nation.
• Community members can participate in several events highlighting the importance of civic learning and the key role different groups play in ensuring high-quality civic education is accessible for every student across the nation.

Thousands of schools and organizations will participate in Civic Learning Week. Learn more about how you and your classroom can participate at CivicLearningWeek.org/events.

With its historic passage in April of 2021, the Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History (T.E.A.A.C.H.) Act amended the Illinois School Code, ensuring every public elementary and high school student in Illinois learns about the contributions of Asian Americans to the economic, cultural, social, and political development of the United States.

The Illinois Civics Hub is partnering with Asian Americans Advancing Justice to offer FREE PD hours to K–12 educators looking to deepen their own understanding of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) history, and to gain classroom resources to support cross-cultural education for all students in Illinois, aligned with the revised social science standards.

Educators can choose from the following webinar opportunities:

For Elementary Level

• March 14, 2024, 4:30–6:30 p.m.

For Secondary Level

• April 24, 2024, 4:30–6:30 p.m. 

Be sure to visit the Asian Americans Advancing Justice site for more resources to implement the T.E.A.A.C.H. Act.



IllinoisCivics.org has curated resources to help educators meet the recommendations made by the Inclusive American History Commission Report to meet the mandates for teaching Inclusive History. The Teaching inclusive History Toolkit includes free, high-quality resources aligned to:

• Disability History
• Ethnic Groups and Labor Unions
• The removal and illegal deportation of Mexican-American U.S. citizens during the Great Depression
• Contributions made to society by Americans of different faith practices
• Women's History
• Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History
• Black History
• Women's History
• Holocaust and Genocide
• Inclusive Curriculum (LGBTQ history)

Check back often as we work to add more resources!

Women's History Month is an annual celebration dedicated to highlighting and honoring the contributions and achievements of women throughout history. This month serves as an opportunity to recognize and commemorate the accomplishments of women in various fields, including science, literature, politics, arts, and social activism. Below are some resources to learn more to celebrate the contributions of women throughout the year.

• Women's History Month - For Teachers
• National Women's History Museum
• iCivics- Women's History Month
• Women's History Month- History Channel
• Bill of Rights Institute- Women's History Month
• Retro Report: From Women's Suffrage to ERA



In this highly divisive time when our democracy may be at risk, it is crucial for students to have opportunities to think beyond the current state of the world, chart new paths forward, and envision a better world. 

Join Facing History and Ourselves and the Civic Imagination Project to learn about civic imagination and how it can help deepen young people’s civic understanding, skills, and dispositions. Participants will hear about ways to help young people map and analyze stories that inspire and connect people across differences, and develop creative solutions to civic issues they care about. The presenters will share examples and resources so that participants can activate their students’ civic imagination in different school and classroom contexts.

This FREE webinar will take place on March 14, 2024

from 6–7 pm CDT.

You will be eligible to receive one hour of professional development credit for participation if you watch the webinar. You will be able to download a certificate of completion from your inbox within the week of the webinar. Check with your school or district in advance of the webinar to ensure the professional development credit will be accepted.

REGISTER HERE



The Stanford History Education Group is now the Digital Inquiry Group (DIG)

• DIG staff are the very same people who have led SHEG since its founding in 2003, including Sam Wineburg, the Margaret Jacks Professor of Education and History, emeritus, and founder of SHEG, and DIG’s co-founder and executive director Joel Breakstone, who has led SHEG for the last ten years.

All of SHEG’s lessons, assessments, and classroom posters are available on the DIG website and will continue to be freely available on the DIG site. 

DIG will be releasing details about exciting new professional development opportunities in the coming months. Stay tuned.



You can reach the DIG team at info@inquirygroup.org.



Like it or not, artificial intelligence is transforming our world. From using generative AI tools for schoolwork to dealing with misinformation online to interacting with AI chatbots, students have a lot to consider.

New AI Literacy lessons from Common Sense Education—along with their Digital Citizenship Curriculum—are a great way to get your students thinking critically about all of these issues. These quick lesson plans (20 minutes or less!) cover a basic intro to AI (what it is, how it works), but also go further to help students consider AI's social and ethical impacts, including how AI may impact our mental health and well-being.



The Illinois Geographic Alliance, LLC (IGA) is pleased to announce a new program that provides a travel stipend for a K–12 teacher to attend a geography-related professional conference. A stipend of up to $1,500 may be requested for travel to a geography conference outside of Illinois, while a stipend of up to $500 may be requested for travel to a geography-related conference within Illinois. Stipends are intended to offset travel costs associated with attending a conference, such as conference registration, airfare, mileage, and lodging. Teachers who are awarded a travel stipend will attend the conference on behalf of IGA. Following the conference, stipend awardees are required to share their conference experiences with other IGA teachers during the “Geography Education in the 21^st Century” annual conference held each fall, or through another suitable IGA event.

Applicant Eligibility: Any in-service K-12 educator in a public or private school located in Illinois is eligible to apply for the program. Applicants must also be an IGA member. First-time applicants will be given priority over applicants who have received a stipend previously.  

Conference Eligibility: An applicant may propose a travel stipend to attend any geography-related professional conference or workshop. Example conferences include the National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE), American Association of Geographers (AAG), ESRI’s User Conference (ESRI UC), Illinois Geographical Society (IGS), or the Illinois GIS Association (ILGISA).

Eligible Expenses: Eligible expenses include conference registration, airfare, mileage, and lodging. Please note that the program does not allow for reimbursement of meals or per diem.

Travel Stipend: The stipend will be dispersed as a reimbursement after travel is completed. Applicants may apply for up to $1,500 to cover travel-related expenses for a conference outside of Illinois (e.g., NCGE, ESRI UC), or up to $500 for a conference held within Illinois (e.g., IGS, ILGISA). Please save all receipts for travel-related expenses for reimbursement.

Deadline: The program will remain open throughout the year and applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until all allocated funds for the program are awarded. Applications should be submitted at least two months before the anticipated travel.

Applications: Applications should include the following:

• Applicant name, mailing address, school, and grade level
• Name of the conference
• Paragraph describing the benefits of attending the conference to the applicant’s teaching or professional development
• Estimated travel budget with itemized costs (e.g., conference registration, airfare, lodging) for eligible expenses

Applications should be submitted by e-mail attachment to iga@ilstu.edu. Applicants will typically be notified of a decision about their application within two weeks of submission. 

In the latest edition of the Journal of Social Education, Street Law’s Cathy Ruffing writes about gerrymandering, its effect on polarizing America, the importance of teaching about the controversial topic in classrooms, and how to do so. Journal members can read the article on the NCSS website. Non-members can access a PDF version of the article here.



The National Center for State Courts (NCSC) annual Civics Education Essay contest is now open. All elementary, middle, and high school students in grades 3-12 are encouraged to enter the contest.

Students can enter the contest through the essay contest portal on the NCSC civics education page. The web page also includes collateral materials you can use to promote the contest.

Prize money will be awarded to the top three elementary, middle, and high school winners. Essays will be accepted online through midnight ET, Friday, March 22, 2024. Winners will be announced on May 1.

Please contact Molly Justice for additional information.



Partner with the Illinois Holocaust museum and Education Center to bring Holocaust history to your classroom via classroom sets of the award-winning graphic novel, Hour of Need, which explores the history of the Holocaust in Denmark and the remarkable story of a family’s survival through the help of ordinary people who became upstanders during World War II.

"By saving almost the entire Jewish community under Nazi-occupation, Denmark serves as an example how to protect our humanity. This book shows that ‘Never again’ is more than a deep-felt wish, it is a matter of choice." - Ronald Leopold, Executive Director, The Anne Frank House

Themes

• Empathetic connection to an individual family’s story told in a new, artistic medium.
• Local family history and connections.
• Human implications of choice and resistance and becoming an Upstander.



Materials

• Classroom sets of Hour of Need, the award-winning graphic novel.
• Ready-made educator’s guide, lesson plans and activities created in collaboration with Humanus Network.
• Materials about Theresienstadt and experiences of Danish Jews who did not evacuate/escape.



Reserve today for free!



Join the Constitutional Democracy Project and the ABA Division for Public Education for an exciting professional development opportunity to empower educators in Illinois, particularly those serving in underserved communities as well as prospective teachers, with dynamic and inclusive resources on American government, history, and civic engagement. We provide the tools and knowledge to not only meet but exceed Illinois' inclusive history and civics instruction requirements. Become a part of our program to make a real impact in the classroom and shape the next generation of informed, active citizens!

SAVE THE DATES FOR AN INSPIRING SUMMER OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT!

CHICAGO: JUNE 10-14, 2024

SPRINGFIELD: JULY 22-26, 2024

BENEFITS:

• Professional Development integrated into current standards
• Ready-to-use classroom resources
• Innovative Curriculum
• Expert Instructors
• Numerous Networking Opportunities
• $2,500 stipend for teachers
• $1,000 stipend for pre-service teachers
• 30+ CPDU credits
• Complimentary hotel accommodations

TEACHER COMMITMENT:

• Attend scheduled professional development in Chicago OR Springfield
• Participate in all surveys, reflections, and evaluations
• Participate in 3-4 workshops post PD (either on ZOOM or in-person)
• Bring 10 student delegates to Student Constitutional Convention
• Participate in the culminating Student Constitutional Convention in Spring 2025

Click here for more information and to apply.

Join Facing History & Ourselves for a series of three two-hour workshops to learn more about how the principles behind Facing History’s programs and our approach to SEL, equity, and civic education can help you meet your goals and transform your school. We will explore flexible resources designed to help you get to know your staff and students as individuals, and to foster the process of creating an open, supportive, and reflective classroom community. This learning experience will offer resources and strategies designed to support educational leaders working to improve school culture, deepen academic engagement, and build schools where every student and every teacher feel that they belong.

Session dates:

1. March 5, 2024, from 4–6 p.m. CT
2. March 6, 2024, from 4–6 p.m. CT
3. March 7, 2024, from 4–6 p.m. CT

During this workshop school leaders will:

1. Create an agenda for leading conversations with their faculty or another group at their individual schools that focus on the importance of building relationships and creating safe and inclusive classrooms and schools.
2. Experience and learn how to apply strategies for staff meetings that can be applied by teachers in their classrooms as well. These will include contracting, identity charts, whole group discussions, and exploring choice-making in history to connect to today.
3. Understand how a focus on identity, choice-making, and student voice and engagement contributes to safe and inclusive school communities.
4. Design an adult learning session that roots critical, challenging conversations in safe, brave, reflective learning spaces, and which also leads to more equitable practices and greater student outcomes as a result.

Find out more and register using this link!



With generous funding from the NEH, Full Spectrum Features will host a hybrid fifteen-day institute for thirty K–12 educators that will run online and in person in Chicago between July 8 and August 6, 2024.

Focusing on the history of Japanese Americans’ resettlement in Chicago after WWII incarceration, the Institute will invite teachers to consider how repeated displacement and forced assimilation into white American culture impacted the Japanese American community. 

Application deadline is March 5, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Accepted participants will be given a stipend to help cover travel and accommodations.

Click here for more information.

​

The Western Illinois Museum is pleased to announce it has been awarded a grant from the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Midwest Region Program. The grant funds a project developed in partnership with Cuba High School Educator, Joe Brewer, titled, Building Bridges to the Past: Teaching with Primary Sources and Public History Collaborations. The $18,500 grant will be used to offer workshops to educators in the region to explore how primary source documents can enhance their lessons while introducing local history to area youth.

To accommodate the busy schedules of teachers, the one-day workshop will be offered twice, first on Friday, April 19, and again on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. Teachers will receive a $150 stipend, reimbursement for transportation costs, as well as $80 to cover the cost of a substitute teacher. Participating in the lab sessions will also be compensated. To sign up for the workshop, teachers are asked to complete a short registration form online, by mail, or by phone.

For more information, contact the Museum at 309.837.2750 or info@wimuseum.org.



Join the ABA Division for Public Education and the Federal Judicial Center in Washington, DC for a unique teachers’ professional development using great federal trials as a lens to explore the judiciary, rule of law, and US Constitution throughout American history.

During the Summer of 2024, participants will explore Amistad, U.S. v. Gaiteau, and the Rosenberg trials.

When:  June 24–28, 2024

Where:  Washington, DC (travel and lodging costs included)

Questions?  Email catherine.hawke@americanbar.org for any questions.

Click here to find out more and apply!



Emerging Narratives and Technologies in Social Studies

2024 Illinois Council for the Social Studies Spring Conference 

University of Illinois-Springfield 

April 12, 2024

llinois Council for the Social Studies Spring Conference is Now Open!

Click here to register as an attendee or a vendor.

Registration closes on Friday, March 29 at 11:59 p.m.

The 2024 MyImpact Challenge is now open for submissions! The Bill of Rights Institute launched their National Civic Engagement contest on September 11, the National Day of Service, to continue the legacy of 9/11/2001.

The My Impact Challenge website contains the contest guidelines and a six-lesson curriculum that helps students design a locally targeted service project. 

Students ages 13–19 can submit Community Service Projects for a Change for a chance to win up to $10,000. A complete submission contains a project report, a principles essay, and photo or video documentation.  

The contest submission deadline is May 20, 2024. 



The Illinois Civics Hub has partnered with the Lou Frey Institute at the University of Central Florida to provide educators the opportunity to earn their microcredentials in facilitating simulations of democratic processes.

In this asynchronous six-week course offered on Canvas, participants will learn from academic experts Dr. Shawn P. Healy, Dr. Bonnie Laughlin Schultz, as well as Dr. Kei Kawashima Ginsberg, executive committee for the Educating for American Democracy Roadmap, as you explore the design challenges and teacher "moves" to teach constitutional democracy as content and practice. 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 across the curriculum to create "a more perfect union."

The course begins March 6, 2024. Participants will complete one module per week and can expect to spend 2–3 hours per week on coursework.

Registration information is available on the Guardians of Democracy homepage. Those who successfully earn a Bronze Certified Guardian of Democracy Educator badge via Badgr earn 15 PD hours. Members of the Illinois Democracy Schools Network can also earn a $300 stipend.

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.