Category: Insights

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.

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.

14 Reasons Why Teaching Civics is Important Right Now

Posted on by icivics

Teaching civics prepares students to be informed and engaged members of society. Students who experience high-quality civic education are more likely to complete college and develop employable skills (including communications and public speaking skills), vote and discuss policy issues at home, and volunteer and work on community issues. 

However, prioritizing civics in the classroom can be difficult. According to research from The Brookings Institution, schools have reallocated instructional time from social studies toward key tested subjects, often prioritizing reading and math. This has become even more pronounced as class time has been disrupted by the ongoing pandemic. Teachers spend what time they do have in the classroom trying to catch students up and prepare them to meet grade-level requirements by the end of the year.

But teaching civics remains at least as important as ever, in preparing students to take their place in shaping our government and society now and long into the future.

Why make teaching civics a priority? We posed this question to iCivics Educator Network teachers and our staff members, and they responded with the following:

  • As we approach 250 years of America’s independence, there is no better time to teach civics. Instilling the principles and virtues of our democratic society will prepare future generations to lead us through the rest of the 21st century. -Michael Reyes, Youth Fellowship Community Lead, iCivics 
  • The reason for teaching civics has always been about helping to inspire the next generation to be active and productive citizens. -Janet Wills, iCivics Educator Network Teacher 
  • Teaching civics helps students connect past and present in order to be informed voters. It helps students make meaning of current events and reassures them that nationally and internationally, there is precedent for solving modern issues. Civics also helps students engage in critical thinking and writing, which engages those 21st century skills that will be essential in their future. In examining civics, we cultivate empathy. -Amanda Setters, Curriculum Associate, iCivics 
  • Civics is the language of the citizenry. It’s how we communicate and plan and execute the change we desire. When people aren’t prepared to find this voice, ask these questions, and learn their role in the community and the democracy, they miss out on a major opportunity to be part of something meaningful—and they resign that power, those decisions, to someone else. The returns on civic education, or lack of it, are cumulative and transformative. -Christian Swagger, Educator Network Teacher 
  • Civics is a shared reality. Regardless of where people fall on the current divide du jour, we are all a part of something bigger than ourselves. Civic skills have to endure, and they have to be taught. -Carrie Ray-Hill, Senior Director of Digital Learning, iCivics 
  • No matter what plans students have for life after high school—whatever their career plans, however they may continue their education—all students will be members of communities where they will need agency to raise their voices and make an impact. Civics teaches skills, knowledge, and disposition that will be needed by all. -Shannon Salter, iCivics Educator Network Teacher 
  • Civic education is important because it is the passport to the future. The future belongs to those who prepare and educate themselves today. -Angela Clay, Educating for American Democracy Curriculum Associate, iCivics 
  • Understanding civics empowers change. The founders intentionally created a system that could endure by allowing citizens to make changes that could benefit society as a whole. -Beth Doman Doughty, iCivics Educator Network Teacher 
  • In a digital age, it is easy to have knowledge of all of the wrong things. Teaching civics allows students to learn valuable skills that are conducive to critical thinking. It helps students understand how important decisions have molded the country and continue to set precedents as time goes on. I think the statement of “history repeats itself,” applies beautifully here in a sense that knowledge allows for personal action to prevent further repetition. -Niko Garcia, Curriculum Intern, iCivics 
  • I like to think of teaching civics as giving students the opportunity to practice civic skills they are going to need when it becomes their turn to play in the real game. -Tia Costello, iCivics Educator Network Teacher 
  • At its root, civics is about how we all live together, as different as we all are from each other. To do civics well, everybody needs practice, just as we all do in learning to read, write, do math, and cook a decent meal. -David Buchanan, Director of Massachusetts Programs, iCivics 
  • Everyone needs civics. It is the fabric of civilization. Contributing to the advancement of one’s community and society and understanding how to navigate through the perils and roadblocks is of the utmost importance if we want to continue to govern ourselves in a productive manner. -Kymberli April, iCivics Educator Network Teacher 
  • A government “of the people” can only exist if the people understand how their government works, and are willing to participate in it. Teaching civics is the pathway for meeting both of those goals. -Lora DeSalvo, Curriculum Associate, iCivics 
  • Civic education has massive cross-partisan appeal as a solution to what ails our democracy. The public overwhelmingly agrees that our country needs K-12 civic education! -Abbie Kaplan, Federal Policy Associate, iCivics

On the iCivics blog, multiple perspectives contribute to the public conversation about civic education in the United States. Each contributor represents their own opinion. We welcome this diversity of perspectives. Responses in this blog post have been edited for brevity and clarity.

We Owe Our Deepest Appreciation to Our Nation’s Civics and History Teachers

Posted on by icivics

As we approach the end of the 2020-2021 school year, we owe our nation’s civics and history teachers our deepest gratitude. This has undoubtedly been one of the most challenging school years in recent memory for all teachers, but amid cascading social and political crises, it has been particularly challenging for those who teach about our history and system of government. Civics and history teachers deserve special recognition and appreciation for a job well done through such uncertain times. 

Together, iCivics, Facing History and Ourselves, the Bill of Rights Institute, National Constitution Center, the Center for Civic Education, the Ashbrook Center, Generation Citizen, and Mikva Challenge want to send this message of gratitude to civics and history teachers across the nation.

Thank you for your perseverance this year. Thank you for prioritizing the well-being and growth of your students, for navigating complex and challenging, but meaningful conversations on current events, while still guiding your students through the core curriculum. Thank you for continuing to cultivate informed, engaged civic participants, especially when our civic and political climate was so tense. And thank you for continuing to build equitable and inclusive learning experiences for all students, especially when classroom learning was disrupted or moved fully online.

Your efforts have not gone unnoticed. We’ve been listening to you and watching with awe as you work—and we’ve been taking notes. Here is what we have learned from you this year:

  • We need to be steadfast in the support of our nation’s students and teachers, inside and outside of the classroom.
  • We need to be dedicated to lifting up and connecting with our colleagues both  within and outside of our fields.
  • We need to work to ensure that you are supported in your mission to teach about our history and our form of government, even when it’s thorny and controversial.
  • We need to continue to provide you with the resources that make your job easier and meet the needs of your evolving classrooms.  
  • We need to be relentless in our work of building a sustainable future of our constitutional democracy through the prioritization of civics and history in our nation’s classrooms. 
  • We need to continue to work with teachers and students who want to build equitable and inclusive classrooms for all students.
  • We need to continue to listen to you.

We promise you this: It did not go unnoticed that you rose above the challenges faced during an unprecedented school year. As always, your students learned so much from you, and so did we. Thank you for you for your service and dedication to your profession and to our constitutional democracy.

Signed with profound gratitude,

The Proof Is in: iCivics Games Strengthen Civic Knowledge and Dispositions

Posted on by Yuki Huang

This year, we had 37,000 students test two of our best election games: Win the White House and Cast Your Vote. In the first, you are challenged to build a winning campaign for the presidency: strategic messaging, fundraising, and polling included! In the second, you must discover what it takes to become an informed voter – values, key issues, and candidates’ stances – before casting a vote in an imaginary local election. Both games were modified. Slightly. 

Before game-play, students had to answer a short quiz. Questions assessed content knowledge (such as “What is an incumbent?”), but also civic dispositions – meaning a set of tendencies and qualities that lend to democratic character formation – such as “How likely are you to get involved in a political campaign?” or even “I plan on following the news around the next election.” Then, once they played the game, students answered those same questions.

The results exceeded our best expectations.

Students improved on every question. For questions touching on civics content, scores increased 26% on average; for questions touching on civic dispositions and behaviors, we saw an astonishing 38% jump. In other words, 30 pleasant minutes of gaming and a few clicks later: students gained knowledge on the Electoral College and voting, expressed greater personal interest in these topics as well as dispositions to take part in them.

Here is the good news: we have 14 more high-quality games that would benefit.

While simple on its face, such a tool has value for teachers. One Wisconsin civics teacher put it clearly, “pre- and post- assessments are a huge opportunity to determine what students are learning from playing the simulations.” We now have a model that can be replicated in all of our games. Moreover, questions could be personalized for the classroom or game, according to each teacher’s wishes. It would help them inform their classroom instruction on a national scale. To be clear, iCivics firmly believes that the best teaching involves, well, teaching. Games cannot replace educators – but they can empower their teaching. 

iCivics has pioneered game-based philosophy since 2009. Educational games, when done well, are one of the great tools of modern learning. Games involve students in the learning. Through simulation, students step into a new civic world. They become the President, a lawmaker, a community activist, a pamphleteer in 1787 (with the fancy wig, too), a mayor, and so many other roles. With iCivics, they get to do their jobs and explore their world. Most importantly: they see where they fit in it. 

Even at the tender age of 79, having never touched a video-game in her life, our founder Sandra Day O’Connor was convinced of the merits of edu-gaming. Today – nearly 12 years later – 120,500 teachers all across America agree. Beyond gains in knowledge and dispositions, games get young people to wonder, to ask questions, and to be open to learning. We inspire students for civics life. Only then do we teach it.

Written By Gabriel Neher

Gabriel oversees much of iCivics’ institutional fundraising, with a focus on foundation relationships. He serves as principal grant writer, and manages the grants and report calendar. Gabriel graduated from Northeastern University in 2015 with a degree in psychology and criminal justice.  

This research was made possible through the generosity of the Stanton Foundation.