Minnesota Civics Summit - A new, collaborative effort to jumpstart the new civics standards for 11th and 12th graders in Minnesota, to support teachers in their engagement of students in civics and voting. Organizing partners include the Federal Bar Association, LWV Minnesota, MN Council on the Social Studies, MN Department of Education, MN Humanities Council, MN Youth Council, TeachingCivics.org, YMCA Center for Youth Voice, and other interested teachers, community members and civics organizations. Join us!
“By its very definition, civic responsibility means taking a healthy role in the life of one’s community. That means that classroom lessons should be complemented by work outside the classroom. Service-learning does just that, tying community service to academic learning.” ~John Glenn, Astronaut & US Senator
OVERVIEW
In 2023, under the leadership of Representative Dean Urdahl (GOP) and Senator Steve Cwodzinski (DFL), the Minnesota Legislature voted to require that students be required to take a course for credit in citizenship and government in 11th or 12th grade. To meet this requirement, the 11th or 12th grade course must center and prioritize the citizenship and government standards and benchmarks, and students must demonstrate their learning. Additional 2023 legislation created the opportunity for 16 and 17 year olds to pre-register to vote, and required that voter registration and pre-registration materials be made available in all schools to students eligible or about to become eligible to vote.
These recent changes provide a unique opportunity to engage students in civics learning and prepare them for the obligations and benefits of citizenship in their state and country. To assist schools and social studies teachers to implement these new standards, a group of interested and experienced education, legal and judicial professionals, along with community civics organizations, have come together to help provide teachers the resources they need to bring civics to life in the classroom and community, to best engage students in their civics learning. The first step is the launch of the Minnesota Civics Summit & Civics Community Resource Directory.
WHAT
The Minnesota Civics Summit is designed to be a day of listening, learning and engaging one another to improve civics education in Minnesota.
Listening sessions, to learn from Social Studies teachers about what they would like from community civics resource;
Connections to the current Civics standards being implemented, to help create relevance for teachers and bolster meaning for students;
Consideration of other relevant standards (i.e. Ethnic studies) in preparing the presentation for the full group;
Showcase of current successful programs and ideas, with a focus on 11th-12th grade curriculum, to create a directory of resources for classroom teachers.
Toolbox of relevant resources (i.e. groups, speakers, best-practices) to help teachers make meaningful Civics-related connections within their communities as part of their Civics teaching.
WHEN
Saturday, February 22, 2025, a pre-conference opportunity in tandem with the Minnesota Council for the Social Studies annual meeting.
9:00am to 11:30am - A Gathering of Civics Resource Organizations to discuss how they can support social studies teachers in the classroom.
Showcase organizations delivering Civics programming in Minnesota’s state and local governments, judiciary, and civic organizations throughout the state, with a goal to provide a comprehensive directory of civics resources for teachers to engage students in their learning.
12:00pm - 3:00pm - “Civics Showcase Lunch & Learn” - How can we all engage students best to embrace civics learning?
A special opportunity for us to share community civics resources and learn about the special needs of teachers, as they prepare to better engage students in civics learning.
WHO
Organizing Partners: A working group of interested community members, lawyers, judges, teachers and civics organizations, including: Federal Bar Association; LWV Minnesota; MN Council on the Social Studies; MN Department of Education; MN Humanities Council; MN Youth Council; TeachingCivics.org; YMCA Center for Youth Voice.
Target Audiences: Social Studies teachers and curriculum planners; civics and service learning organizations and community leaders; interested students!
WHY
Civics is important! And the timing is right to increase youth civic engagement, as the civics standards for 11th and 12th graders are changing. We hope to support curriculum leaders and teachers to enhance student engagement in civics.
HOW
Stay tuned to this website (www.lwvmn.org/civics) and email civics@lwvmn.org to join our collaborative effort!
“Our children should learn the general framework of their government and then they should know where they come in contact with the government, where it touches their daily lives and where their influence is exerted on the government. It must not be a distant thing, someone else’s business, but they must see how every cog in the wheel of a democracy is important and bears its share of responsibility for the smooth running of the entire machine.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
Updated 2024-10-30