Supporting and Advancing American Civic Education For K12 Students
The Center for American Civics is a nonpartisan outreach center under the School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership that supports and strengthens K-12 students' knowledge of American civics and civil discourse skills.
The Center for American Civics (CAC) is working towards this mission in three main fields
Teacher Professional Development
The CAC hosts teachers for professional development workshops at ASU, and offers onsite workshops as well, where teachers can learn content from the faculty of ASU’s School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership through lectures, and receive training in pedagogical strategies that research has shown to be effective in building civic knowledge and civic skills, centering on analysis of primary sources and inquiry-based dialogue as the main means of learning. The CAC has two master teachers with almost four decades of combined classroom experience on staff who design and provide this training.
Upcoming Professional Development
High-Quality Civic Education Resources
The Civic Literacy Curriculum is a free resource for teaching and learning American civics that provides students with a deep knowledge of U.S. history and American civics. It contains over 100 free lessons, including the historical background, annotated primary texts, discussion prompts, and other tools to make it easy for teachers and students. Unlike most currently available civics programs that focus on action civics or civic engagement, the CLC focuses on civic knowledge, how the Constitution’s structure operates, and the founders' ideals underlying our system of government. The CLC is currently under construction and review to create a K-12 civics curriculum with the help of the Civic Literacy Cohort, which consists of 28 teachers nationwide.
Civic Literacy Curriculum Civic Literacy Cohort
Connecting the Civilian and Military Communities
The CAC operates the Veterans Inspiring Patriotism (VIP) program, through which a network of American military veterans are available to visit schools in their local area to provide lessons or presentations on a variety of topics, including American civics and constitutionalism, American history, the American military, and what life is like in the armed services.
We pay a price when we deprive children of the exposure to the values, principles, and education they need to make them good citizens.
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor
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Program Spotlight
The Civic Leadership Institute (CLI) is a FREE summer program for high school students to learn about civic education while participating in a college atmosphere.
2024 Civic Leadership Institute:
Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and American Principles
Students engaged in the political thought, speeches, and statesmanship of contemporaries Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass to explore the fundamental American principles of the U.S. Declaration of Independence and Constitution, such as liberty, equality, constitutionalism, and democracy.
Applications for 2025 will be available in January 2025. Sign up for our newsletter to get notice when the applications are open!