Civics Course Implementation Blog

by Sonia Mathew, McCormick Foundation Program Officer and Mary Ellen Daneels, Civics Instructional Specialist On the evening of March 16th, eight people were murdered in horrific shootings in the Atlanta area . Six of the victims were of Asian descent. The Illinois Civics Hub and Democracy Schools Initiative mourn with the families and friends of loved ones who were lost in the attacks. These attacks appear to be the latest horrifying incident of anti-Asian and Pacific Islander sentiment in our country, According to the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, hate crimes against Asian Americans in the 16 largest U.S. cities have spiked by nearly 150% during 2020 , while overall hate crimes dropped by 7%. Stop AAPI Hate has also released a national report that covers the nearly 3,800 incidents of violence that have been directed against Asian Americans. When tragedy and violence occurs, classrooms become an important venue for st...

by Mary Ellen Daneels, Civics Instructional Specialist Teaching students in a pandemic is difficult with the best of supports and technology. For students in many rural communities, lack of access to reliable internet adds an additional layer of isolation, frustration, and highlights issues of equity and power. Hannah Maze and her students at Anna Jonesboro Community High School recently joined with other schools in her region to use service learning to advocate for policies to bridge the digital divide. Hannah Maze is devoted to creating hands-on content for her social studies classes. Hannah’s classes have created new school policies, worked alongside legislators in the region, conducted classroom debates, participated in Socratic Seminars, and engaged in mock trials. As part of the Guardians of Democracy Microcredential Program with Volunteer Generation Fund support from Serve Illinois , Hannah has worked with 25 colleagues throughout the state to enhance their use of the proven...

by Mary Ellen Daneels, Civics Instructional Specialist Now that the dust has settled from the 2020 elections, state and federal stakeholders are now reflecting and proposing policy changes to laws concerning voting and election laws . While some frame these current and societal issues around voting rights, others are framing new legislation around election security. Inevitably, courts will play a role in settling essential questions around the constitutionality of these endeavors. Dr. Steven D. Schwinn , professor of law at the John Marshall Law School at UIC, recently joined the Illinois Civics Hub for a webinar on Voting Rights, Election Laws, and the Courts to give a historical perspective on the Voting Rights Act, discuss current cases before the court and proposed state and federal legislation. If you missed the webinar, you can access a recording on the Illinois Civics Webinar Archive and this folder of resources shared by Dr. Schwinn . The Illinois Civics course requirements ...

by Sue Khalaieff, Democracy Schools Network Manager The seventh session of the Civics Across the Curriculum webinar series was held on Thursday, March 18, 2021. This year’s theme builds on the theme from the originally scheduled Democracy Schools Network Spring 2020 convening, “Every Teacher is a Civics Teacher: Best Practices for Civic Learning and Organizational Supports.” View a recording of the session. The program featured Grayslake Central High School staff members from various departments, sharing the many ways that they have managed to bring civics into their classrooms and curricula. Jason Janczak, Social Studies Department Chair Georgia Brown, Social Studies teacher Brian Centella, Life Fitness teacher Jim Plaza, Social Studies teacher Lora Ciferri, Math teacher Jason Janczak began the presentation by laying out goals of the Democracy School team for improving the civic health of their school: Fully embrace the “Portrait of the Graduate, a part of the sc...

by Mary Ellen Daneels, Civics Instructional Specialist One of the proven practices embedded in the Illinois middle and high school course requirements that educators find most daunting is service learning. Educators often equate service learning with volunteerism or community service that requires field trip budgets, transportation, and issues of equity. Service learning , when done well, provides all students the opportunity to apply learning to address issues that matter to them, reaching authentic audiences in their school, local, state, national, and/or global community. It gives all students an opportunity to “do civics” and build social capital while practicing their civic capacities. The Illinois Democracy Schools Network recently hosted a webinar where three teachers from various regions of the Land of Lincoln shared their journey to incorporate service learning into their classroom practice to facilitate informed action connected to the curriculum. Each of these educators...

by Mary Ellen Daneels, Civics Instructional Specialist A little over a year ago, we were living our last week of pre-pandemic life without even knowing it. Civics classrooms were in the midst of processing the results of Super Tuesday and speculating who would come out on top in the contest for the Democratic nomination. Little did we know the roller-coaster ride we were in for in the race for the White House and control of Congress. While the 2020 elections are in our rear-view mirror, there are lessons to be learned as we look to the future. This week, Dr. Shawn P. Healy, Senior Director of State Policy and Advocacy for iCivics returned to Illinois Civics to lead a webinar that reflected on the institutions that support elections, the current two-party system, and calls for reform regarding election security and access to the ballot. View a recording on the Illinois Civics Webinar Archive page. The Illinois Civics Instructional Coaches share ways they are engaging their student...

by Sue Khalaieff, Democracy Schools Network Manager The sixth session of the Civics Across the Curriculum webinar series was held on Thursday, March 4, 2021. This year’s theme builds on the theme from the originally scheduled Democracy Schools Network Spring 2020 convening, “Every Teacher is a Civics Teacher: Best Practices for Civic Learning and Organizational Supports.” View a recording of the session. The program featured Dr. John Bierbaum, Normal West Community High School; Barbara Lindauer, Collinsville High School; and Gwynne Ryan, Maine West High School. It was facilitated by Mary Ellen Daneels, Civics Instructional Specialist, Illinois Civics Hub. The presentation began with a very concise definition of Service Learning as “action informed by the curriculum.” This basic trait makes it easily distinguishable from Community Service and included an acknowledgement that there is a place and value for both in our schools. An expanded description (using the acronym, L.E.A.D....

by Mary Ellen Daneels, Civics Instructional Specialist Last year, civics classrooms around the country used the 2020 census as a teachable moment to engage students in the proven practices of civic education embedded in the Illinois civics course requirements. The Census 2020 Toolkit provided materials for students to engage in inquiry around essential questions related to power, representation, and justice with resources to direct instruction on democratic institutions, simulations, deliberations, and service learning ideas for students to encourage their community to participate in “making their community count.” In 2021, reapportionment takes center stage as Illinois faces the probable loss of one Congressional seat and new leadership in the General Assembly takes over the process of redistricting. To help #CivicsInTheMiddle classrooms understand the current and societal issue of redistricting, Illinois Civics hosted a webinar featuring Liliana Scales from CHANGE Illinois, a non...