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iCivics Educator Network Grows Elementary Representation

Posted on by Sophie Gordon

The iCivics Educator Network has increased its elementary representation by nearly 48% this year, the highest level of elementary participation the Educator Network has seen. This growth reflects iCivics’ ongoing efforts to build out its elementary offerings, like the Private i History Detectives curriculum and iCivics Readers.

The Educator Network is made up of about 350 civics, history, government, and social studies teachers—now including 31 elementary educators (nearly double the representation of previous years)—who serve as champions and ambassadors for high-quality, equitable civic education. 

“The iCivics Educator Network is a professional community of the best social studies and civics teachers who are building a movement to reinstate the civic mission of schools in every corner of this country—and that includes elementary educators,” said Natacha Scott, iCivics Director of Educator Engagement. “It is so important to start civic education at a young age, and we are excited to see more elementary teachers learning about iCivics and joining the Educator Network to begin building civic values in students early on.”

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.

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 not only helped me develop best practices for teaching civics and government, but has allowed me to collaborate with educators from across the country,” said Michael Martirone, a high school social studies teacher in New Jersey and an Educator Network member since 2016. “I’ve had the opportunity to engage in meaningful pedagogical conversations, share civics resources, and seek new perspectives about my content matter—all of which has made me a better teacher for my students.”

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. This year’s cohort saw an increase in educators from urban and “red” areas, as well as more educators who are earlier in their careers.

“We want the Educator Network to reflect the diverse experiences of teachers across the country,” said Scott. “We want to know how the educator in rural Kansas is teaching about due process; we want to know how the educator in a purple area balances teaching about elections. Sharing our stories is the best way for us to learn from each other and strengthen our mission to make civic education a nationwide priority.”

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 https://vision.icivics.org/get-involved/educators/

Teaching the Importance of Civic Participation

Posted on by Sophie Gordon

“Raise your hand if you are eligible to vote.”

Only a few hands went up, but there were some confused looks. 

“Raise your hand if you know when you vote.”

More confused looks.

“Where you vote.” 

The more questions I asked my senior Government students about the voting process, the more bewildered faces I saw. Students looked around to see if anyone knew the answers to my questions, but no one did. I have been teaching for 15 years (13 in my current district), and every year I get the same responses, the same confused looks. 

These students are about to become adults, but many have no idea how or when to participate in one of the most fundamental acts of citizenship: voting.

At some point, it hit me—who is actually teaching students how to make their voices heard? There are classes on calculus, literature, culinary, personal finance, automotive technology, and numerous others where students learn valuable skills, but where is the class on voting and civic participation? Where’s the guide for becoming an active, informed participant in our democracy?

For Texas, it’s in your Government class. Those skills are covered in the Texas Essential Knowledge and Standards Chapter 113, Subchapter C, sections (d)13 and (d)14. My students do not arrive with an innate understanding of how they can participate in our democracy. It is my job to assist them in ways they can engage with their government and the voting process. 

Historically, youth voter participation has been extremely low in comparison to voter turnout in other age groups. It’s a trend that we teach in our classes. As the educators of these young voters, we have the opportunity to increase their level of engagement in their own democratic government, which relies so heavily on citizen participation.

In order to accomplish this, I have spoken to election officials within my county to ensure that I was up to date on election codes regarding high school voter registration, as well as received guidelines from the Texas Secretary of State. One year, I partnered up with a student group I led and, together, we created a presentation for their peers. They created a program to present to their senior class in the auditorium. They discussed voter registration requirements, upcoming election timelines with sample ballots, and ways to research offices and candidates on nonpartisan websites. At the end, we had a balloon drop! It was so much fun, and I was so happy to see the students invested and developing lifelong civic participation habits.

I’ve also used resources like the iCivics game, Cast Your Vote, which is very impactful regarding the burden a citizen faces in a democracy in the quest to become an informed voter. And I’ve used the lesson plan, Voting: Will You Do it?, as an icebreaker. I have found that students engage more when they are given agency within the assignment or task, as well as understanding the purpose or the “why.”

Democracy cannot function without citizen participation. My goal is for students to understand how crucial their participation is if they want their government to reflect their beliefs and needs. I bring up examples where students were able to bring about change by getting involved. The purpose of this is for my students to understand that there are no gatekeepers to the government or creating change.

Written by Brittany Marrs

Brittany Marrs is a National Board Certification candidate and veteran social studies educator with over a decade of experience teaching Government, AP Macroeconomics, and Dual Credit courses at Magnolia High School in Texas. A passionate advocate for civic education, she serves as an Ambassador for the iCivics Educator Network, a member of the National Constitution Center’s Teacher Advisory Council, Association of Texas Professional Educators, and Texas Community College Teachers. She also served on the Social Studies TEKS Streamlining Committee for Government and Economics. At Magnolia High School, Brittany serves as the Senior Class Faculty Sponsor. She is also a College Board AP Macroeconomics Reader and an active member of several community organizations, committed to equipping students with the knowledge and tools to become informed and engaged citizens.

Through the iCivics Educator Network, the perspectives of teachers across the country contribute to the public conversation about civic education in the United States. Each contributor represents their own opinion. We welcome this plurality of perspectives.

Student Choice, Real Decisions: Why I Use Brief the Chief

Posted on by Sophie Gordon

There’s something powerful about putting students in the driver’s seat of history. When students play iCivics’ Brief the Chief, they get to help real presidents make real decisions that shaped our nation.

In this game, students take on the role of presidential advisors, guiding Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Lyndon Johnson through high-stakes moments in American history. Unlike a worksheet, choosing the right “answer” isn’t the point here. This learning game focuses on asking good questions, thinking critically, and making tough calls under pressure.

For example, if a student chooses Abraham Lincoln, they might need to decide whether or not to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. They can interview his Secretary of State, a military leader, or other advisors to figure out the risks and rewards. With Jefferson, students might dig into trade policy with Haiti or the importance of securing the Port of New Orleans. And if they pick LBJ, they’ll confront civil rights issues or help him decide whether to run for re-election.

What I love most is how into it the students get. The game helps them take notes, but I like to encourage students to keep their own notebook to organize their thoughts and lock in the learning. I love when students share their experiences and their decision-making strategies with their classmates. Sometimes they’ll debate what was the best move in each scenario. Even the quiet kids come alive and explain their learning as I wander the classroom and get down on their level to check in.

And because students get so much choice, the game is different each time they play. Students choose which president to advise, which challenge to tackle, and how they spend their time. The gaming is fun and the learning is rich. They’re doing history, but also practicing evidence-based reasoning, decision making, and critical thinking.

For teachers considering Brief the Chief, give your students some background knowledge before they play. It helps slow them down and take the reading seriously. Encourage note-taking and make sure they interview everyone. Definitely use the Extension Pack which includes lesson plans, slides, and handouts. (What a time-saver!) And don’t skip the post-game reflection! That’s where some of the best connections happen.

If you’re looking for a way to bring energy and real-world thinking into your civics or history class, Brief the Chief is a win. It’s interactive, meaningful, and gives students a chance to lead. And honestly, students deserve a chance to shape history as they’re learning it!

Written by Christian Wrabley

Christian Wrabley is an award-winning civics and American history educator with over a decade of classroom experience. He is a member of the iCivics Educator Network and contributed to some fun work with the Design Squad. As a National Constitution Center Constitutional Fellow and a PBS Digital Innovator All-Star, he blends innovative teaching with real-world civic engagement. Christian has created national resources for PBS, WQED, and Junior Scholastic, and is a founding member of Pennsylvania’s Democracy Bowl. His work inspires students to lead, think critically, and participate in democracy long before they’re old enough to vote. Christian lives in Johnstown, PA, with his wife and three kids.

Through the iCivics Educator Network, the perspectives of teachers across the country contribute to the public conversation about civic education in the United States. Each contributor represents their own opinion. We welcome this plurality of perspectives.

Incorporating iCivics in Back-to-School Prep

Posted on by Sophie Gordon

It’s that time of the year again, and no matter what help you need prepping for the school year, iCivics is here to help.

Are you an experienced teacher who has used iCivics for years? Or maybe a veteran teacher who is teaching civics for the first time? Or even a brand new teacher with no idea where to start? No matter where you’re at, iCivics has your back.

First things first, figure out what it is you need.

If you don’t know how you want to progress throughout your course (either because you have no starting point or want to change things up), check out the Scope and Sequence for your grade band. It can be overwhelming at first glance, so if you’re just getting started, avoid getting bogged down with all the topics in the units until you’ve built up a good frame. You can go back and place the topics, lessons, and games they have listed into whichever units you think they fit best with.

If you’ve already got a solid course outline and just want to tweak how you present a unit or add new related topics, check out the curriculum units. iCivics constantly adds new materials to these units. These materials come out so quickly that sometimes there is a delay between when they are released and when they are listed on the scope and sequence documents.

If you’re looking to simplify how you track student work and access iCivics resources, play around with their integration tools and set up your classes to find the most efficient ways to bring and manage iCivics to your classroom. It definitely beats repeatedly explaining to students how to take a screenshot of their game progress screens or dealing with a frustrated student who lost all their game progress because they weren’t signed in. You can still keep a nice blend of paper and digital assignments with these integrations, and they’re incredibly helpful for supporting absent students, multi-language learners, and facilitating a variety of accommodations and modifications to assignments.

If your focus is providing greater support for different groups of students or providing more variety in the instructional approaches you’re using, search the materials by resource type and pedagogical tags to find a variety of materials and supports to increase student engagement and differentiation. I know I’m going to be digging into their simulations and document-based questions this year as I’m looking to increase student engagement and primary source analysis skills.

If you’re looking for how to incorporate media literacy skills into your curriculum that hasn’t had the chance to catch up with rapidly changing technology, check out iCivics’ Media and Influence unit that can be applied across disciplines and is great for the start of the year to prepare students for more reflective analysis throughout the school year.

Lastly, if you’re looking for ways to make civic learning more accessible for other teachers and students’ families, check out iCivics’ information pages that provide detailed resources on how they can support teacher professional growth throughout the school year and help keep families connected and informed about what civics looks like and why it matters that their students engage deeply and meaningfully in their learning.

I hope that no matter where you’re starting, you know iCivics has your back with high-quality, nonpartisan resources to bring civics alive for your students this school year!

Written by Shae Parks

Shae Parks is starting her seventh year teaching 10th-grade U.S. Government & Economics and A.P. U.S. Government and Politics at her alma mater, Milford High School in Milford, Delaware. She is an iCivics Educator Network member, the 2023 James Madison Fellow for Delaware, recipient of the 2025 Delaware Civics Educator Award, and will be presenting at the 2025 National Social Studies Conference on her passion: bringing democracy to our kids in the classroom, school building, and beyond.

Through the iCivics Educator Network, the perspectives of teachers across the country contribute to the public conversation about civic education in the United States. Each contributor represents their own opinion. We welcome this plurality of perspectives.

Kwesi Jackson

Posted on by Sophie Gordon

For 16 years, a dedicated 7th-grade social studies teacher at a Title I school in Huntsville, Alabama, has faced challenges many educators know all too well: large class sizes, diverse learning needs, and a growing population of students who struggle with literacy and attention.

But everything shifted when Kwesi Jackson discovered iCivics.

“It was a game changer,” he said. “I’m working with children whose literacy rates are so low. So you’re trying to teach at one level, but some of the students aren’t going to get there.”

That’s where iCivics made a difference: our platform’s visually engaging resources, built-in reading supports, and interactive games helped him meet students exactly where they were.

“The vocabulary is bold and highlighted, with definitions embedded. Just the fact that it’s chunked is helpful—it’s one of the literacy strategies that we’re told to use. It’s already where it needs to be.”

For this veteran teacher, one of the biggest advantages was how quickly he could implement iCivics lessons without sacrificing quality. “If a new teacher comes into the building today and they’re lost and they need a lesson, what do they do? I tell them: Go to iCivics. I think you’ve laid it all out for us. I really do.”

He’s seen the impact firsthand. Students who once hesitated to participate are now raising their hands. Those who struggled to comprehend traditional texts are thriving with the scaffolded, student-friendly resources. iCivics isn’t just a resource—it’s a bridge to engagement and understanding for students who need it most.

“Every now and then, there’s a bright light in my class. I listen to their conversations, and I’m like ‘We’re going to be okay,’ you know? I hope to see the students start to do the work and support what they believe. If you believe it, just as they say, ‘stand on it.’”

About Kwesi

Teaching experience: 20+ years in education; 15 years teaching — 7th grade social studies

School/Organization: Huntsville Junior High

How I Plan My Year with iCivics

Posted on by Sophie Gordon

As a teacher, one of the most important things I do at the start of each school year is map out my curriculum—and iCivics makes that process not only manageable but genuinely exciting.

On the iCivics website, in the Educational Resources section, teachers can browse materials by grade level or resource type. But my go-to move? I scan all the way to the right and click on the unassuming “Scope and Sequence.” (Personally, I think there should be arrows and sparkles surrounding this hyperlink because this is where the magic begins.)

Each year, I download the Scope and Sequence document directly to my desktop so I always have it on hand. iCivics offers versions for elementary, middle, and high school, and they’ve even included Spanish-language resources for middle and high school. These Spanish-language documents are incredibly user-friendly—every lesson plan, game, and infographic is hyperlinked, making it easy for teachers to access exactly what they need with just a click.

Since I teach high school, I use the High School Scope and Sequence. It’s organized into clearly defined units, each with a suggested sequence that helps me see the big picture. Every resource is labeled by type—WebQuest, DBQuest, lesson plan, video, mini-lesson, or infographic—so I can quickly identify what will work best for my students. I never worry about missing a resource—even if it fits into multiple categories, iCivics has it linked everywhere it’s relevant.

When I first made the move from elementary to middle school civics, I would browse resources by grade or type. Usually, I would start with the curriculum units. These were a lifesaver! They were laid out in a logical, chronological order and came with detailed lesson plans and student activities that helped me build confidence and structure in my classroom.

Now, as a more (ahem) experienced teacher, I’ve grown more comfortable adapting the materials. Now, using the Scope and Sequence as my foundation, I pick and choose the resources that best fit the needs, interests, and learning styles of my students. Whether I’m diving into a DBQuest to build document analysis skills or using a mini-lesson to introduce a new concept, iCivics gives me the flexibility to teach civics in a way that’s both rigorous and engaging.

Planning my year with iCivics isn’t just about staying organized—it’s about empowering my students to become informed, active citizens. And with tools this thoughtfully designed, that goal feels more achievable every day.

Written by Anne Walker

Anne Walker brings a wide perspective to iCivics, having taught Kindergarten through Dual Enrollment American History and Government over her 20+ years in education. A proud Madison Fellow, she holds master’s degrees in both Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment, as well as American History and Government. A member of iCivics’ Steering Committee, she is also proud to have a seat on the National Constitution Center Teacher Advisory Council and RetroReport Teacher Ambassadors. She currently serves on the National Council of Social Studies Board of Directors.

Through the iCivics Educator Network, the perspectives of teachers across the country contribute to the public conversation about civic education in the United States. Each contributor represents their own opinion. We welcome this diversity of perspectives.

2 iCivics Games are GEE! Award Finalists

Posted on by Sophie Gordon

Two iCivics Games are finalists in the 2025 GEE! Learning Game Awards. Uncovering Loyalties and the yet-to-be-released game, Investigation Declaration, have both been recognized as finalists in the Formal Learning category. 

“We are honored to be a finalist in the GEE! Awards again,” said game creator and iCivics’ Senior Director of Digital Learning Carrie Ray-Hill. “This organization really champions educational video games, and we are grateful to be among such innovative competitors.”

Uncovering Loyalties 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.

Investigation Declaration challenges middle and high school students to track how Enlightenment ideas and themes from the Declaration of Independence influenced rights and freedoms for a century. Investigation Declaration will be released in August! 

“It’s exciting to see our two newest games get recognized for excellence in game design,” Ray-Hill said. “We always put students at the forefront of our designs, and we challenged ourselves to find new, engaging ways to immerse them in the games.”

The GEE! Awards recognize excellence in educational game design. Finalists showcase their games during the Play Make Learn conference, which “is a place for collaboration and discovery in the design, research and practice of playful learning, games for learning and positive social impact, making and makerspaces, STEAM education, and arts in education.”

Both games are also in the running for the People’s Choice Award, which recognizes the game people are most excited about. Voting is open now and ends at midnight on August 21.

GEE! winners will be announced live at Play Make Learn on August 21.

Jennifer Jewell

Posted on by icivics

 Jennifer joined iCivics as Chief Financial Officer in June 2025, bringing more than 20 years of nonprofit financial leadership to the organization. In this role, she is responsible for providing strategic oversight of iCivics’ finance and operations functions. Jennifer collaborates closely with the CEO, Executive Leadership Team, Board of Directors, and senior staff to drive the organization’s financial growth and operational excellence.

Prior to joining iCivics, Jennifer served as Chief Financial Officer at JVS Boston, a prominent workforce development organization. During her nine-year tenure, she played a pivotal role in driving the organization’s financial growth and diversifying its funding model, which contributed to a doubling of its annual budget to $30 million.

Jennifer’s experience spans several national nonprofit organizations. As Managing Director of Finance and Operations at the National Center on Time and Learning, she led financial and operational functions across four related education reform organizations. Additionally, Jennifer served as Senior Director of Finance and Regional Operations at KIPP Massachusetts, where she supported the growth of the network from one to five schools. Earlier in her career, Jennifer held the position of Director of Accounting Operations at City Year, Inc., where she designed scalable systems to support the expansion of multiple sites nationwide.

Jennifer holds a B.A. in Business Administration – Management from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a Master of Public Administration, with a concentration in Nonprofit Administration, from San Francisco State University. She is also an alumna of the 2010 Lead Boston cohort.

Outside of her professional work, Jennifer is deeply committed to community service. She resides north of Boston with her husband and son and actively volunteers with several organizations. 

Posted in Bio

Tyce Henry

Posted on by icivics

Tyce Henry is a managing director at Alvarez & Marsal.

In his prior role, he was a leader in Boston Consulting Group’s (BCG) Education & Employment practice and in BCGU, a BCG business unit that develops and delivers high-impact learning and development experiences for clients.

During his 20-year career with BCG, Henry drove transformative change with clients including education technology firms, curriculum and assessment providers, universities, K-12 school systems, and private equity investors.

Henry specializes in growth strategy; turnaround and restructuring efforts; investment due diligence and portfolio strategy; and scale up of change efforts through client enablement and training.

Posted in Bio

CivxNow Hill Day: Civic Education Advocacy in Action

Posted on by Maria Owens

On May 4th, I was engaged with educators in a conference room at the National
Constitution Center in Philadelphia. I listened to a conversation about something called “Hill Day.” I tried to piece together what I heard. “CivxNow Coalition . . . lobbying Congress . . . If you are interested, speak with . . .” Oh! I was interested! But who am I to lobby Congress? Thankfully, I found the courage to “speak with . . .”

Eighteen days later, I entered another conference room in Washington D.C. As soon as I said, “Hi my name is . . .”, advocates and Coalition partners from across the country engaged me in conversation and filled me with confidence. They convinced me that my voice was worthy, not simply because I was a citizen, but because I was an educator of citizens.

As I rode to our first meeting, memories of hundreds of citizens I had educated flooded me – filled me with inspiration. I imagined them saying to me a version of what I had said to them. “Use your voice, Mr. Uplinger! It’s your unalienable right!” It was as if all those students and I locked hands and cleared security together.

At the first Representative’s office, we were greeted by a young woman who looked just like a student I had taught. But she had been a student of other teachers. . . and my goodness, they had educated her well! While people swirled around us, she listened attentively to every word and asked questions to clarify and gather more information. And her eyes only left the conversation to record notes.

That pattern repeated in every office we entered. Every young woman or man we
spoke to looked like a student of mine. But still other teachers had inspired them to do the essential work of Democracy: to sincerely consider a constituent’s concern; to faithfully relay those concerns to elected representatives; to follow-up and continue the civil discourse with gratitude. I pray those other teachers know how well they have done their essential work.

As I waited for my train back to New Jersey, I reflected on the spiritual nature of civic advocacy in a journal:

I lobbied today with dedicated educators. Most directly, we asked for federal
funding for civic education. We offered metrics and numbers that measure the
benefit of that. But in a larger sense, I learned that every positive moment I
experienced today started with civic education. It is the seed that, when
nurtured and fed, can produce infinite growth in a democracy. There is no
earthly metric or number large enough to measure the true worth of civic
education – or measure the harm if it is lost. ‘Who am I to lobby Congress?’ I
am a citizen who educates citizens. . . and no advocate is more important and
essential to a democracy.

Written by Craig Uplinger

Craig Uplinger taught Honors United States History, Street Law, and We the People: the Citizen and the Constitution at Marlboro High School in Marlboro, New Jersey. Currently, he serves as the Associate Director for the New Jersey Center for Civic Education. In that role, Craig provides mentorship, professional development, and curricular resources for New Jersey K-12 educators. He also serves as the New Jersey coordinator for the We the People and Project Citizen curriculums. Craig received a M.A. in United States History in 2015; was recognized as the Outstanding Graduate Scholar by Monmouth University; and was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Freehold Regional High School District in 2017. In addition, he is a James Madison Fellow and a member of the Phi Alpha Theta National Historical Honor Society. Craig’s passion is to strengthen civic relationships, first between students and their teachers in the classroom, then within every community they all will inhabit throughout their lives. 

On the iCivics Educator Blog, multiple perspectives contribute to the public conversation about civic education in the United States. Each contributor represents their ownopinion. We welcome this diversity of perspectives.