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iCivics Named Common Sense Education 2022 Selection for Learning, Receives Four-Star Rating

Posted on by Luke O'Connor

We’re proud to share that iCivics has earned an official seal from Common Sense Education 2022 Selections for Learning!

The Common Sense seal program recognizes outstanding media with an official seal for quality and impact. Common Sense Selections for Learning are best-in-class media resources and tools that facilitate great learning experiences for students and educators. Common Sense expert reviewers make hand-picked, official selections annually based on independent rating criteria and pedagogical rubric. Learn more about the criteria used to rate and review.

Our four-star rating, conducted by Common Sense’s Editorial team, consisted of four stars or above in the following categories:

  • Engagement: “Games vary in their appeal, but most are amusing, absorbing opportunities to think deeply about civic engagement.”
  • Pedagogy: “Each game offers a unique spin on content. Some, like Race to Ratify, mix facts and concepts in fascinating ways. Lessons help make learning stick and offer useful extensions.”
  • Support: “Each game has a detailed tutorial, and help screens in each support struggling players. There’s a lot of reading, so it’s handy that some games have a Spanish mode.”
Read Full Review

“Wonderful! I have promoted [iCivics] to teachers that want to start in a game-based approach. The material is sound and teachers have data on each of their students’ learning. The website is complete with lessons and suggestions for using the games. If you are interested in engaging your students in civics…this is a must use approach.” – Sandy W. Classroom teacher at Catalyst Charter Middle School

Encourage Your Students to Apply to Join the 2022–23 Equity in Civics Youth Fellowship Cohort!

Posted on by Luke O'Connor

Do you have students entering 9th–12th grade interested in civics, education, equity, government, history, justice, or politics? They may be perfect candidates for the Equity in Civics Youth Fellowship.

This paid, 10-month fellowship brings together a talented group of high school students from around the country to think globally, act locally, listen to others, and build coalitions. Fellows will utilize their lived experiences to shed light on how civic education can include student voices and become more equitable.

During this virtual program, fellows will research issues of equity in civic education in their school communities and address the practices and policies related to their civic learning experiences. They will engage in group projects and guided discussion; build and lead student voice campaigns; and benefit from a variety of other experiences.

We welcome all high school students* who meet the following criteria to apply by June 13, 2022.

  1. U.S. student in high school* during the 2022–23 school year.
  2. Interested in civics, education, equity, government, history, justice, or politics.
  3. Ability to attend an in-person gathering in Washington D.C. in October 2022 (paid for by the fellowship program).

Interested students must complete the student application and also have an educator/mentor complete a nomination form to be considered for the program.

We hope you’ll share this incredible learning and civic engagement opportunity with your students. We appreciate all you do to help develop our nation’s future leaders.

 *This program is for rising 9th–12th grade students living in the United States, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

Our mom, Sandra Day O’Connor, knew something about politics that America forgot

Posted on by icivics

by Jay O’Connor and Scott O’Connor

Some of the most important work our mom, Sandra Day O’Connor, ever did occurred away from the Supreme Court spotlight, in homes and classrooms.

It’s been more than 40 years since our mother made history.

Sandra Day O’Connor became the first female associate justice in the nearly 200-year history of the Supreme Court. The 1981 Senate vote to confirm was 99-0, which seems unfathomable in today’s politically polarized times.

Twelve years later, in 1993, Mom welcomed the second female associate justice in the history of the high court when the Senate confirmed Ruth Bader Ginsburg, also by an impressive margin, 96-3.

This was Bipartisanship with a capital “B.”

And now, President Biden has signed legislation to erect statues of these two women legal pioneers somewhere on the U.S. Capitol grounds after unanimous consent in the Senate and an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote in the House.

The overwhelming support for the statues of these two women with very different backgrounds speaks to something missing from much of today’s politics: respect for the other. Disagreeing without being disagreeable. Understanding that the other point of view is not intended to ruin the country.

Read the full article on USA Today.

Jay O’Connor is a software industry executive. Scott O’Connor is a commercial real estate developer.

Philanthropy Leader Larry Kramer Named iCivics Board Chair

Posted on by icivics

CAMBRIDGE, MA [May 17, 2022] – iCivics, the nation’s leader in civic education, today announced Larry Kramer, President of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, as its new Board Chair. Kramer succeeds Wendy May-Dreyer, who took over from founder Sandra Day O’Connor and led the board for two three-year terms.

In recent years, iCivics has expanded its scope and embarked on an ambitious strategic plan to realize its vision of a thriving American democracy supported by informed and civically engaged young people. The leading provider of K-12 civic education content, iCivics creates free, nonpartisan online games and digital resources that are now used by more than half of middle and high school students across the country.

Kramer will lead iCivics as it continues its work to make civic education a national priority in order to sustain and strengthen our constitutional democracy. As part of these efforts, iCivics continues to lead efforts to implement a roadmap developed by more than 300 experts from across the viewpoint spectrum that states and school districts can use to achieve excellence in civics and history education. iCivics also leads a coalition of more than 200 organizations working to advance the civic mission of schools.

“It’s an honor to lead the board of iCivics and to work with its talented team and broad coalition of partners to strengthen civic education, which is essential for a robust and healthy democracy,” Kramer said. “iCivics is doing critical work to ensure that every young person has the knowledge and skills necessary to be an informed, engaged participant in civic life.”

As President of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation since 2012, Kramer has guided the foundation in maintaining its commitment to enduring issues such as education while responding to pressing and timely problems, such as political polarization and cybersecurity. Kramer previously served as the Richard E. Lang Professor of Law and Dean of Stanford Law School. Earlier in his career, he served as law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan Jr..

Kramer succeeds May-Dreyer, under whose leadership iCivics grew from reaching 48,000 to 145,000 educators, and serving up to 9 million students. During May-Dreyer’s tenure as Board Chair, Educating for American Democracy and the CivXNow Coalition were both initiated, and contributions to iCivics more than quadrupled. May-Dreyer also founded and chairs the Texas Civic Education Coalition, a cross-ideological coalition of more than 40 organizations with a mission to improve civic education in Texas.

“We’re incredibly excited that Larry Kramer has agreed to become iCivics’ next Board Chair and believe that he is the perfect fit for the organization as it reaches a new growth point,” iCivics Executive Director Louise Dubè said. “Larry’s experience in the nonprofit sector, and his knowledge of the education and political fields – along with his legal expertise – will help steward iCivics into its next phase.”

AAPI Heritage Month: Lesson Plans and Resources for the Classroom

Posted on by Luke O'Connor

Updated for May 2023

 The month of May honors the generations of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) who have enriched the history of the United States and continue to ensure its success. In celebration of this month that presents an opportunity to introduce classroom discussions and reflections about the contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to our collective history, we are sharing resources from iCivics to support learning and conversations in the classroom.

Four iCivics Resources to Use This Month

VIDEO: Patsy Mink: Changing the Rules

In this video, students meet Patsy Takemoto Mink, a third-generation Japanese American born and raised in Hawaii, who was the first woman of color elected to Congress.

LESSON: United States v. Wong Kim Ark

This mini-lesson introduces students to Wong Kim Ark, who was born in San Francisco, California, to Chinese immigrant parent. He sued the United States to be recognized as a citizen, and his case led the Supreme Court to establish that the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted citizenship to almost everyone born in the United States.

LESSON: Korematsu v. United States

Students will meet Fred Korematsu, a U.S. citizen born in the United States to Japanese parents who refused to relocate to an internment camp during World War II. This mini-lesson covers the basics of the Supreme Court’s decision that the government acted constitutionally in interning Japanese Americans, and explores the effects of this decision.

LESSON: Lau v. Nichols

In this mini-lesson, students learn about Kenney Kimmon Lau who, when the schools in San Francisco were integrated, was one of the 1,800 students of Chinese ancestry who did not speak English but were placed into classes taught only in English. His case resulted in the Supreme Court decision that required public schools to provide language supports to English and multilingual learners.

iCivics Educator Network Grows to More Than 350 Civics and History Teachers

Posted on by icivics

iCivics, the country’s largest provider of civic education curriculum today announced that it has added 134 new members to its Educator Network. The iCivics Educator Network is made up of more than 350 civics, history, government, and social studies teachers from almost every state in the nation who serve as champions and ambassadors for high-quality equitable civic education.

The Educator Network enables teachers to share best practices in civics and social studies, playing a key role in helping to empower students to engage as citizens in this country’s constitutional democracy, now and in the future. It provides opportunities for teachers to network with their peers, take part in focus groups, beta test new games and products, engage in special professional development opportunities, and build their voices as advocates for high-quality history and civic education.

“The iCivics Educator Network is more than a professional development and affinity group. An integral part of iCivics’ work, it’s a community that has developed over the past 11 years through which our best social studies and civics teachers are building a movement to reinstate the civic mission of schools in every corner of this country,” said Natacha Scott, iCivics Director of Educator Engagement. “Together these educators have worked through some of the most challenging times teachers have ever faced.”

Since it was founded in 2011, many iCivics Educator Network members have become some of the most prominent voices from the field advocating for civic education through the opportunities that the network provides. They are permanent fixtures as speakers at prestigious education conferences, routinely appear in both national and local media, and are recognized as excelling in the classroom.

The iCivics Educator Network includes educators with a variety of talents, interests, and teaching histories representing a diversity of grade levels K–12, geographic areas, and personal demographics. And the teachers who join the network stay a part of the network, as more than 240 members of this year’s cohort are returning, bringing our total to more than 350 educators.

“The iCivics Educator Network has provided me and my students with a platform like the youth civics fellowship to share our passion and elevate the need for equitable civic education throughout the country,” said Michael Martirone, a high school social studies teacher in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, and an ed net member since 2016. “I have been invited to serve as a panelist and explain why this is the time to fund civic education and give my perspective from the classroom on other topics, as well. The iCivics Educator Network has given me the opportunity not only to teach civics, but to become a part of it.”

For more information about the iCivics Educator Network, and to find out how you can apply to be a part of the next cohort, visit icivics.org/our-network.

The Need for Multiple Perspectives in Civics

Posted on by icivics

In mid-November, when I was in first grade, my mother visited my classroom to share knowledge on Indigenous people, and specifically, our Narragansett tribe. As one of the few Native students in school, my mom’s presentation was essential for adding Indigenous voices to the curriculum. Aside from this experience, Native voices were never incorporated into my learning, especially not in history or civics classes. 

Instead, a limited narrative of my own family was presented, and I knew nothing other than to accept this. The omission of Native voices from my K-12 education silenced my own voice. Without seeing myself, or my family, I learned to compartmentalize my identity while in the classroom instead of letting it fuel my curiosity and insight. 

Since completing my K-12 education, I have discovered spaces that genuinely welcome and celebrate voices that expand the narrative of our nation’s history. I joined iCivics last summer as a part of the initiative, Educating for American Democracy (EAD). The EAD initiative provides a Roadmap for high-quality history and civics education that prioritizes inquiry and multiple perspectives. The current debates about what content can and cannot be included in history classrooms distract us from what students deserve: the opportunity to grapple with hard questions, to sort through evidence to determine whose voices and stories are amplified and whose are silenced, and determine what is signal and what is simply noise. The EAD Roadmap leans into these complexities through its emphasis on inquiry and on viewpoint pluralism. The Design Challenges highlight these complexities and acknowledge that our history is not cut and dry, leading to inevitable tensions in the classroom. Nonetheless, these complexities are what drive learning and create engaged community members. 

As an EAD intern, I curated resources for the Educator Resource library, including perspectives from Indigenous nations to broaden the scope of history and civic education to include the myriad voices, perspectives, and peoples of these United States. This aligned with the EAD Roadmap, particularly around “Theme 2: Our Changing Landscapes,” where students are asked to “analyze Indigenous understandings of land stewardship, economic activity, property, and prosperity” and “how have different experiences of belonging shaped the range of conceptions of ‘the people’ we find in the contemporary U.S.?” There is an underappreciated and complex relationship between sovereign nations and federal and state governments that all students must understand. Students must learn both the hard history of our country, but also, they must learn to celebrate and appreciate the ever-present cultural and linguistic resiliency of Indigenous peoples and the continual push for Indigenous rights, for Indigenous futures, and for our rightful place in “America’s Plural Yet Shared Story.” 

Being able to contribute to the EAD initiative has been very rewarding. This internship has built my understanding of broader dynamics in education and curriculum building while also incorporating my perspective and lived experiences to strengthen the project’s goals of equity and accessibility. History is a powerful tool and teaching students to grapple with complex histories expands their ability to engage as thoughtful citizens. Uplifting voices in the curriculum simultaneously uplifts voices in the classroom and empowers all students in their potential. 

Written by Emma Rial

Emma is a senior at Amherst College, studying sociology. She works on the curation team for EAD and enjoys hiking, cooking, and being home with family in Rhode Island.

¡Vamos a jugar! Let’s play!

Posted on by Luke O'Connor

In 2016, the U.S. House of Representatives recognized April as National Bilingual/Multilingual Learner Advocacy Month. English and multilingual learners are one of the fastest-growing populations in U.S. schools. 

According to the U.S. Department of Education, there are currently more than 5 million English (ELs) and multilingual learners (MLs) in the public school system and 75% of them (about 3.8 million) are Spanish speakers.

In 2017, iCivics began creating resources designed specifically to support ELs/MLs as they learn content and develop their language skills simultaneously. We convened a council of EL/ML experts at the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., and they helped us brainstorm ways to make the game Do I Have A Right? more accessible for our students. The new game featured supports—both inside and outside of the game—including the option to play in Spanish.

We added these supports to ensure that our resources are adaptable and appropriate. These materials:

  • build on students’ strengths
  • challenge and support multilingual learners
  • offer engaging opportunities to learn including practice with reading, writing, listening, and speaking
  • have supports/scaffolds as needed
  • help build a classroom culture that is a welcoming place where students can speak respectfully to one another, diverse perspectives/viewpoints

As part of our mission, iCivics wants to encourage multilingual learners to become engaged members of their communities, within and beyond the classroom.

 ¿Quė? ¡¡10 JUEGOS!! What? 10 Games!! 

We now have 10 games with supports for ELs/MLs and the option to play in Spanish, including English-language voiceover, glossary, decision support tools, and a content guide, as well as pre- and post-game activities found in the game-specific extension packs. (See all 10 games listed on our ELL landing page.) Our newest game is Convene the Council, or Convocar al consejo in Spanish, with an Extension Pack that includes pre- and post-game activities and instruction. 

 ¡Y hay más! And there’s more!

Lau v. Nichols Lesson Plan

This mini-lesson covers the basics of the Supreme Court’s decision that required public schools to provide language supports to English and multilingual learners. 

Make iCivics Lessons accessible and EL student-friendly with Kami

Whether your classroom is online, hybrid, or in-person, EL-student-friendly and accessible learning are more important than ever. This blog post highlights a few tools from Kami that help students engage with iCivics lessons in an inclusive way.

Written by Kristen Chapron

Kristen Chapron is Senior Editor of Digital Learning and ELL at iCivics. She has worked on all 10 bilingual games and looks forward to creating even more materials for English and multilingual learners. ¡Adelante! Let’s go!

A Touch of SCOTUS: 9 New Cases Added to Landmark Library

Posted on by Luke O'Connor

I’ve always loved teaching cases from the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) in my U.S. History or Government classes. They’re engaging, they can foster informed discussions, and they can demonstrate what a branch of the government actually does. And for students, they can really hit home, which is what can make SCOTUS cases the secret sauce for your curriculum.

I remember teaching Loving v. Virginia (1967) to my sophomores one year. That’s the case that outlawed bans on interracial marriage. While the class was reading the case summary, one of my biracial students looked up and said, “Hey, this is me,” as he pointed to his paper. “This case is about me and my family.” I confirmed that it was indeed. As we started to review the case details and Virginia’s argument in particular, the room filled with guffaws, tsks, and sounds of tooth sucking. Students were not happy. 

I didn’t reveal the Court’s decision just yet. Instead, with some carefully planned questions, I led the class in a discussion. It got a little heated, but not in a bad way. Rather, the class as a whole was “ticked off” that the government could say who you were allowed to marry. When I finally revealed the Court’s decision, the room exploded in applause, high fives, and pumped fists. The biracial student who had spoken earlier crossed his arms across his chest and nodded with a confident pride. “I like this case,” he said.

As educators, we all know if a student sees themselves in a lesson, they are far more likely to engage and learn. That was one of the goals behind iCivics adding nine new SCOTUS mini-lessons to our Landmark Library. We wanted to include voices that often don’t get heard, give students the opportunity to see how the government affects lives, and provide stories of people students can relate to. 

With the range of topics these cases cover, it’s not hard to find a place to weave them into your curriculum, even if they’re not listed in your state standards. If you’re teaching U.S. History, U.S. Government, or civics, these cases can bring depth and context to a given time period. Whether you’re studying post-Civil War westward expansion [Elk v. Wilkins (1884)], the Chinese Exclusion Act [U.S. v. Wong Kim Ark (1898)], or civil rights [Loving v. Virginia (1967)], these cases open the door for discussions about discrimination and inequality and demonstrate how laws and government decisions directly affect people’s lives and choices. 

These cases also help you bring some of our most important federal laws to life by showing students how they protect them in everyday situations. Illustrate how amazing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is by exploring how it helped make English language learner supports a requirement in public schools [Lau v. Nichols (1974)], and protected a teenager’s right to get a job when a company refused to hire her because she wore a hijab [EEOC v. Abercrombie & Fitch (2015)]. Or show how powerful the Americans with Disabilities Act is that even the Professional Golf Association must comply [PGA Tour, Inc. v. Martin (2001)].

And, of course, what’s old is new again, and these cases allow you to make great connections to contemporary issues. When I taught current events, I spent a lot of time searching for student resources that would provide them with informed arguments about a topic. These SCOTUS cases do just that. Having taught in a diverse classroom, I would have loved to see my students become impassioned while exploring issues of women’s equality [U.S. v. Virginia (1996)], religious freedom [Lyng v. Northwest Indian Cemetery Protective Association (1988)], and gay marriage [Obergefell v. Hodges (2015)]. 

I hope you will dig into our Landmark Library and explore these new cases. They help students learn about their rights, hear different perspectives, and realize that there are always (at least) two sides to an issue. More importantly, these cases let students see themselves in the story and, in most, observe an example of the government working for them. I can’t think of anything more empowering or rewarding than that.

Written by Lora De Salvo

Lora De Salvo is a Curriculum Associate at iCivics. She has 16 years of experience teaching U.S. history and U.S. government courses at the two-year college and high school levels. She has also worked as a training specialist with the Anti-Defamation League facilitating anti-bias and anti-bullying programs with middle and high school students.

An extraordinary investment in civic education at a pivotal moment

Posted on by icivics

At a moment when the need for better civic education has never been more clear, philanthropists MacKenzie Scott and Dan Jewett stepped up and gave iCivics the largest single donation the organization has ever received. Like all of their philanthropy, this was an unsolicited gift to fund the organization’s important work as it deems best.

Scott has repeatedly said that she does not want their donations to be her, but rather about empowering others to make changes this world needs. And that is truly what we believe this investment will make possible.

It’s an extraordinary investment made in an extraordinary way, at a pivotal moment.

At a time of great division, Scott and Jewett have committed to civic education, a proven-effective, long-term way to strengthen our nation’s civic health—one that the majority of Americans, Republicans and Democrats alike, agree can help heal this country.

This gift is a significant stake in iCivics’ ambitious strategic plan to further its work as the leading provider of and advocate for more and better civic learning, and its commitment to elevating civic education as a national priority and making quality and equitable civic education a centerpiece of modern education.

Founded in 2009 by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, iCivics is now the nation’s leading provider of high-quality, nonpartisan, effective, and engaging civic education resources. Our award-winning, free resources are used by 145,000 teachers nationwide to teach the majority of middle and high school students in the United States—9 million and counting each year.

But just as importantly, we have become a leading voice in a growing national movement around civic learning. We founded and lead the CivXNow Coalition of more than 200 organizations working to raise up civic education through bipartisan policy on the state and federal levels; and we are working to implement the seminal Educating for American Democracy initiative with a national network of teachers, scholars, students, and leaders from private and public sectors representing viewpoint, professional, and demographic diversity.

MacKenzie Scott’s and Dan Jewett’s investment will foster our work to ensure that each and every student in the United States has access to a high-quality civic education that prepares and inspires them to be informed and engaged members of society.

This kind of support demonstrates the kind of faith in the power of civic education and trust that our supporters have put in iCivics to help build a civic learning ecosystem that will sustain democracy in the United States for generations to come.

We are deeply grateful to Mackenzie Scott and Dan Jewett for their incredible support of our work.

Louise Dubé
Executive Director, iCivics