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Reading Between the Lines of the United States’ Founding Document

Today is Constitution Day, which is especially worth celebrating in the midst of a contentious presidential election.

A special thanks to our partners in civic education at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.,  who gave me permission to post an image of the U.S. Constitution as part of this piece. It is a beautiful thing to behold, with its exquisite script flowing from the iconic “We the People” opening.

But underlying the words lie some fundamental values and commitments that are valuable to remember today. The first subtext is the essential importance of compromise. As the National Archives notes on its website, “The Constitution acted like a colossal merger, uniting a group of states with different interests, laws, and cultures [and uniting] its citizens as members of a whole, vesting the power of the union in the people. Without it, the American Experiment might have ended as quickly as it had begun.”

Under enormous pressure, the drafters and Constitutional Convention participants navigated innumerable difficult (and woefully imperfect) compromises to establish the United States of America.

Coming together for the common good is only possible through believing in something greater than oneself and embracing the humanity of those who may have different concerns, creeds, and circumstances. Even as majorities of Americans support compromise in our national politics, too many of our national leaders who presume to represent us seem to have lost sight of this in recent years. That has made the jobs of educators, local officials, and other civic actors harder in many cases.

Thankfully, our work at iCivics provides plenty of anecdotal evidence that our fellow citizens, including the rising generations, are transcending tribalism and partisanship to solve problems together in their communities. Cases in point are the 34 new iCivics youth fellows from diverse sociopolitical and geographic contexts across the United States who will be traveling to Washington, D.C., soon to continue their civic learning and leadership journey together.

The second subtext that speaks to me when I look at the U.S. Constitution is the sense that it’s nothing more than paper without the commitment of each successive generation to teach and learn it. iCivics is proud to support more than 145,000 teachers who reach more than 9 million students a year with our civic education resources, including a new Civic Digital Literacy initiative that provides nonpartisan, evidence-based, classroom-ready resources to help prepare students to skillfully verify the various pieces of information encountered online.

We are continually in awe of the educators we work with who are bringing the Constitution and other civic lessons into the classroom, even amidst the challenges too many are facing for simply doing their jobs in an increasingly polarized climate. Now, more than ever, it is important that our educators know they have our full faith and trust in this important endeavor.

Let’s use this Constitution Day to celebrate the subtexts, reaffirming our commitment to civic compromise, civic education, and civic educators. As our iCivics founder, the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, said, “The fact is that knowledge about the Constitution…is not something that is handed down through the gene pool; every generation has to learn it.”

If you’re interested in more information to help with Constitutional conversations in your classroom, around your dinner table, or anywhere else, visit our new iCivics website.

Reflection: National Hispanic Heritage Month

National Hispanic Heritage Month is a moment to inspire to honor the unique background Hispanic Americans share, something I wish I’d appreciated sooner. When I was growing up near the Philadelphia area, I regrettably saw my background as a struggle. It wasn’t until I moved to New Mexico for college that my relationship with my heritage changed for the better. I noticed a deep culture of civically engaged communities with their backgrounds at the forefront. It was in college that I discovered my passion for policy and civic education because now I could see myself and people like me in it.

Growing up as a daughter of Peruvian immigrants, my family never really discussed civics or government. While my peers’ families had multiple generations’ worth of knowledge and civic skills, I grew up never thinking civics had a place in my life because it was never discussed at my dinner table—which always consisted of the best Peruvian food—and I did not see people like me in social studies lessons at school. My family did, however, talk to me about where they came from and why we are here now. The possibilities of opportunities and liberty that they dreamt for our family were enough to take this leap of faith in moving to the United States. Stories ranged from experiences with strong communities and limited access to quality education to first-hand political violence and lack of democracy. 

While pursuing my master’s degree, I worked on a research project that helped me better understand Peru’s history, the background of this political violence, and how it quantifiably affected the country’s democracy. Moments like this college project and the childhood stories told by my family connecting to a newly discovered passion of mine reassured me that I was where I was supposed to be.

This past year, my parents passed their naturalization test and became U.S. citizens, joining my brother, who completed his in 2013. Political instability and increasing corruption in Peru’s democracy have often made it difficult to be excited about participating in a democracy. That changes now. 

This November, we will—for the first time as a family—exercise our right to vote and participate in the U.S. democratic process. Since my parents are gearing up to participate in this process for the first time, we are experiencing new democratic practices as a family. We have been informing each other of current political events, identifying key issues, engaging in discourse, and my mom is even applying to be a poll worker now that she’s eligible!

Citizenship pic

Written by Andrea Benites

Andrea is the policy coordinator for iCivics, where she focuses on advocating for the civic education field, policy initiatives, and the work of CivxNow. She is passionate about nonpartisan, equitable solutions to foster an inclusive government.

New Online Game Uses Eve of the Revolution to Teach Critical-Thinking Skills to Upper Elementary School Students

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (Sept. 3, 2024)Today, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and iCivics released a new game that uses the eve of the American Revolution to teach upper elementary students how to apply critical-thinking skills and engage with multiple perspectives.

Uncovering Loyalties with Colonial Williamsburg helps young learners in grades 3–5 understand the tensions of pre-revolutionary Williamsburg and encourages them to learn how people from different backgrounds brought unique perspectives to American history.

Funded by the Bob and Marion Wilson Family, Uncovering Loyalties is set in 1774 Williamsburg, Va. With independence in the air, Lord Dunmore, Virginia’s last royal governor, asks players to explore the colonial city and see if rumors of revolution are true. Players engage with young people across different social classes and life experiences, identifying clues to determine if loyalties in colonial America stay true to Britain or lie with soon-to-be American patriots.

Clues vary from conversational snippets to found items. A ledger at a local pub shows that Thomas Jefferson had visited and that sentiment for a revolution may be moving south from Boston. The teapot found at the silversmith’s home is decorated with anti-British Stamp Tax sentiment, and a conversation about trade demonstrates the neutrality of a character in the marketplace.

All of the artifacts that students explore are renderings of items found in the Colonial Williamsburg museum collection. Players ultimately report their findings to the governor and in the end, they must decide whether they feel pulled toward the loyalist or the revolutionary cause.

Uncovering Loyalties merges the game-building expertise of iCivics and the historical expertise of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, which lent a team of historians to make the game true to history. Museum specialists, historians and onsite interpreters collaborated with the game team at iCivics to bring to life both well-known and underrepresented historical characters, including indigenous people, enslaved and free Black residents, and those from the political elite and artisan classes.

Uncovering Loyalties represents a new frontier in Colonial Williamsburg’s nearly 100-year storytelling tradition. This new digital offering brings the world’s largest U.S. history museum to classrooms across the nation, encouraging students to thoughtfully consider the motivations that led to the American Revolution so they can make up their own minds about America’s shared history,” said Mia Nagawiecki, Colonial Williamsburg’s vice president for education strategy and civic engagement.

Uncovering Loyalties is the first game that iCivics has created exclusively for elementary students, representing a further expansion into the K–5 space. It is also the first game that iCivics has developed that focuses on a specific place in U.S. history.

“We are incredibly excited about partnering with The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation to develop a new game about the pre-revolutionary period just in time for the anniversary of the United States’ independence in 2026: Uncovering Loyalties,” iCivics Chief Executive Officer Louise Dubé said. “Civics and history education, like math and literacy, needs to start early so that we can teach young people the skills they need to become informed and engaged citizens. Uncovering Loyalties is a building block to teach young people how our country came to be.”

The game is available in English and Spanish and includes robust educator support materials designed to inspire deeper learning, engagement, and conversation in classrooms. In the spring of 2024, more than 200 students in grades 4–8 previewed the game, reporting a 93 percent approval rating.

New Collection of Resources Teaches Students How to Verify Online Information

Civic Digital Literacy, developed by the Digital Inquiry Group and iCivics, is a collection of nonpartisan, evidence-based resources to help middle and high school students learn how to navigate misinformation, disinformation, and AI-generated content.

CAMBRIDGE, MA [August 26, 2024] – As Election Day nears and Americans are flooded with related online content, iCivics and the Digital Inquiry Group (DIG) have released a collection of resources to equip students with everything they need to know about deciphering the veracity of what they encounter online.

The new Civic Digital Literacy collection is designed to prepare young people to be informed, engaged members of our democracy. It meets an urgent need to make digital literacy a key component of civic education.

These new materials help students better understand how to navigate online sources and to build the digital literacy skills integral to our democracy.

Civic Digital Literacy helps students understand a range of topics, including who’s behind cloaked websites, how to evaluate political claims on social media, and whether online content is clickbait or legitimate.

“In a digital age, civic engagement requires the ability to find credible information online,” DIG’s co-principal Sam Wineburg said. “The internet, however, can be a perilous place to become informed. Social media is a minefield of misinformation where bad actors peddle mistruths. Fortunately, there are evidence-based approaches to teaching people how to better discern online information. The Civic Digital Literacy materials are based on a decade of research by our team at DIG to develop and rigorously evaluate curriculum tools in real classrooms.”

Designed for middle and high school students, Civic Digital Literacy currently has nine lesson plans, ten student-facing videos, and six professional development videos for teachers. It was built with the digital literacy and curriculum expertise of DIG, an independent nonprofit established by the team behind the Stanford History Education Group, and the curriculum and pedagogy expertise of iCivics, the nation’s leading civic education nonprofit. The nonpartisan resources are research- and evidence-based.

“The average young person spends more than eight hours per day online, but even though they are digital natives, that does not mean they have the skills needed to counteract the information overload in which we all live,” iCivics Chief Executive Officer Louise Dubé said. “Teaching young people how to understand the information they receive is critical so they can become informed and engaged participants in our now digital democracy.”

Civic Digital Literacy is a valuable tool for any civics or social studies teacher. The resources are flexible and can be woven into existing curricula or expanded into lessons of their own. The critical thinking skills that Civic Digital Literacy teaches are applicable across many content areas.

Each of Civic Digital Literacy’s videos and lesson plans can be used independently. Lesson plans include step-by-step instructions for teachers and learning objectives that help make the content relevant to students—and guide them through a productive conversation. Each student-facing video features a call-to-action question to encourage students to reflect on and discuss the content.

Celebrating iCivics’ First Educator Convening in California

On July 17, 2024, we were filled with excitement and anticipation to bring together 60 K–12 educators for our first iCivics Educator Convening held in Sacramento, California. This event was hosted in partnership with California’s Power of Democracy Civic Learning Initiative, sponsored by Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero to bring equity to civic learning across the state of California by connecting courts with educators.

The majority of the participants consisted of 44 educators representing 19 counties from across California, who were thrilled to connect with the educators who traveled from 14 other states: Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Idado, Illinois, Louisiana, Nebraska, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, and Virginia.

Teachers came to the convening with a vast range of personal goals, from learning how to “utilize strong resources in helping students understand our government and their role within it,” to “meeting with enthusiastic civics teachers, get[ting] inspired and energized.”

The agenda for the day was packed with learning opportunities, including a student panel discussion, two sets of breakout sessions exploring a variety of topics and resources, and a conversation about building relationships with the judicial branch. The two Californian students from the iCivics youth fellowship kicked off the day with a conversation around the importance of engaging youth in politics and sparking conversations that show how civics can be relevant in students’ daily lives and future career paths.

New and current iCivics educators got great insight into iCivics curriculum resources and how to implement them in the classroom. Sessions helped participants understand how to amplify their voice to advocate for civic education, teach the 2024 election using the iCivics Election Headquarters, engage students in civics projects using our step-by-step approach, bring U.S. Supreme Court cases from iCivics’ Landmark Library and games like Brief the Chief into civics classrooms, and integrate inquiry into classroom instruction.

After the interactive sessions, educators reconvened for a plenary session featuring Justice Judith McConnell, who presides over the state’s Fourth District Court of Appeal, and Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Julia Alloggiamento. Together they presented why and how courts support educators in classrooms starting in elementary school. Teachers were invited to connect with the Power of Democracy’s Judges in the Classroom program, modeled after similar efforts in the state of Washington. Many put in their requests on the spot for visits this September, Constitution Month.

We worked hard to make sure that our iCivics Educator Convening felt unique. We were intentional about designing an experience for our educators that not only focused on the knowledge, skills, and dispositions of civic learning, but also modeled best practices for the classroom. Educators were given space to connect with peers, collaborate, and process the information they were exploring in sessions to help the learning stick a little bit stronger. And we were delighted this was reflected in participating educators’ feedback!

“I was SO impressed by the convening. I am used to being disappointed by professional developments... This experience was a full 180 for me. The civic project curriculum was DIVINE. ... [It] has SO much more than I have learned yet, and is perfectly and expertly laid out for students. I was also deeply heartened to be in a room full of teachers like me—that kind of solidarity is so precious and rare in K–12 education. ... You all inspired me to keep pushing for civics education—which presently does not exist at all for 6th graders in my district. I am going to be told that there ‘is no time’ to teach the election, and I feel much stronger and prepared to defend my stance now.”

“I felt very seen as an educator. I enjoyed getting to know people from around the country and making new friends. This has also sparked an excitement in me when I've been feeling burnt out and a bit hopeless… so thank you for re-lighting my spark!!”

“The tools and resources provided through today's convening illustrate how important civics education at the elementary school level needs to be implemented statewide. This education directly impacts the trust and understanding of our civic responsibilities and our democratic process; it shouldn't be a mystery or a ‘figure it out’ mindset.”

Our first iCivics Educator Convening in California concluded with a sense of optimism and determination among educators to elevate civic education as a priority. We hope to make this an annual event to bring together educators to re-energize, build community, and leave with a deeper understanding of the amazing resources available for their classrooms.

Our great thanks to the Koret and Stuart Foundations for making this event possible as part of their commitment to supporting iCivics’ robust professional learning for CA civics educators.

Written by Natacha Scott

As the Director of Educator Engagement at iCivics, Natacha focuses on growing the engagement of educators in-person and virtually through professional development sessions, curriculum, and other experiences. Prior to joining iCivics, Natacha was an educator at Boston Public Schools for 14 years, serving in various roles from elementary classroom teacher to the district K-12 Director for History and Social Studies. She is passionate about place-based learning and engaging educators in meaningful learning experiences that can immediately translate into the classroom.

David Ritter

In his 45-year career as an engineer, executive, consultant, coach and investor, David Ritter has consistently helped to build successful teams, products and companies. He enables organizations to adopt collaborative, outcome-driven ways of working that create differentiated results – and allow all stakeholders to have good days at work.

​ David is currently a Senior Advisor to the Boston Consulting Group. He resides in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

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Our Moment of Consequence

We are experiencing a national civics moment like none other in my lifetime. Americans are seeing why our institutions and political systems matter.

Increasing political divisions and distrust have separated Americans from one another, and our young people wonder about their place and purpose in our civic life. Too many are losing confidence in our country —​ and in democracy itself. ​We risk losing a generation’s desire to help build “a more perfect union.”

To meet this moment and seize possibilities to protect, preserve, and strengthen our constitutional democracy, I am excited to provide this update about iCivics’ vision and plans. 

At iCivics, we know that the best way to strengthen our democracy is to teach it.  Building young people’s faith in our democracy starts with teaching them how to participate in it.

That matters now more than ever. ​

We need civic education that is relevant, meaningful, and engaging for each new generation. Civic education that not only inspires a belief in our nation, but also instills in youth a sense of belonging and a confidence to shape the world around them and work with others to solve problems together.

The New iCivics: Advancing Education, Leading a Movement

As we head toward our nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026, iCivics is continuing to expand its vision and mandate by

We empower educators and lead the movement to make civic education a nationwide priority so all young people have the confidence to shape the world around them and believe in our country’s future.

Through iCivics Education, we are providing a wide variety of high-quality civic education resources and tools that are nonpartisan, standards-aligned, and inclusive of all learners.

Through our leadership in the civic education field and CivxNow, we are joined by more than 300 organizations working to make civic education a nationwide priority and provide the research, policy, and institutional practices that empower educators, administrators, students, parents, and community members to help all young people build confidence in themselves, each other, and our country’s future.

And we know that building confidence extends ​beyond the classroom​. Students who experience high-quality civic education are more likely to:

  • complete college and develop employable skills;
  • vote and discuss current issues at home; ​
  • be confident in speaking publicly and communicating ​with elected representatives ​about their ideas and priorities; and
  • volunteer and work on community issues.

In short, when young people see their role in helping to shape our country, they believe in its future.

Our Moment of Consequence

As our nation prepares to mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026, our most urgent charge is to ensure the next generation has the confidence and character to engage in our democracy for the next 250 years and beyond.

Now is a moment of great consequence. By joining together, committing to our youth, and transforming civic education for all of us, we will step up to meet it.

Let’s get to work!

Judge Ann Claire Williams (Ret.)

Judge Ann Claire Williams (Ret.), a trailblazer and leader, heads Jones Day’s efforts in advancing the rule of law in Africa. Devoted to promoting the effective delivery of justice worldwide, particularly in Africa, she has partnered with judiciaries, attorneys, NGOs, and the U.S. Departments of Justice and State to lead training programs in Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Liberia, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. She also has taught at the International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia.

President Ronald Reagan nominated her in 1985 to the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, making her the first woman of color to serve on a district court in the three-state Seventh Circuit. In 1999, President William Clinton’s nomination made her the first judge of color to sit on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and the third woman of color to serve on any federal circuit court. She brings her vast experience on the bench to serve as a resource for the Firms leading trial and appellate practices.

Judge Williams has served on many judicial committees and, as treasurer and president of the Federal Judges Association, was the first person of color to become an officer. Committed to public interest work, she helped found Just The Beginning — A Pipeline Organization, the Black Women Lawyers’ Association of Chicago, Minority Legal Education Resources, and the Public Interest Fellowship Program for Equal Justice Works. She serves on the boards of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, iCivics, NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, Weinstein International Foundation, Museum of Science & Industry Chicago, University of Notre Dame (emeritus), and National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA) (emeritus), the Board of Counselors for Equal Justice Works, and chairs the Advisory Board of the International Law Institute-South African Centre for Excellence. She is also chair of the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary for 2021-2022, 2022-2023, and 2023-2024.

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Pritesh Shah

Pri provides advice and strategic counseling on the intellectual property, data privacy and technology aspects of transactions including commercial and licensing agreements, mergers, acquisitions, JVs, financings, restructurings and collaboration arrangements. He advises companies in numerous industries, as well as private equity and other investors.

He negotiates and advises on bespoke agreements in commercial matters, including software, algorithm and mobile apps; data monetization; artificial intelligence and machine learning; brand and franchise licensing; programming rights; manufacturing, supply and distribution; payment services, e-commerce and IT outsourcing; and mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) and IoT connectivity. Pri also advises clients on IP and commercial issues related to generative AI, the metaverse, NFTs and blockchain-related platforms.

Pri is one of Davis Polk’s two hiring partners and serves on the boards of iCivics and Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts.

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Lindsay Reimers

Lindsay is a strategic philanthropist and impact investor. She has served on iCivics’ Governing Board since 2017. She has served on several committees and now chairs the Program Committee.

Prior to joining iCivics, she served with several organizations, including Horizons National Board of Directors, Teach for America-Connecticut’s Advisory Board, and Social Venture Partners-Connecticut. She also served on the Fairfield County Community Foundation’s (FCCF) Board of Directors. At that time, she was co-Chair of the Fund for Women and Girls, the largest women’s fund in Connecticut, where she co-authored a study of women and girls in the county and helped found a public–private community college partnership.

Lindsay holds a BA from American University and a Masters of International Public Policy from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. In 2014, Lindsay attended Harvard’s Advanced Leadership Initiative (ALI), a year-long executive level program designed to help leaders address significant social problems.

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