iCivics logo on computer

SFPS will join two other school districts this fall on an innovative national pilot program with iCivics, the country’s leader in civic education, to localize and implement a new U.S. History curriculum based on the Roadmap to Educating for American Democracy (EAD).  The curriculum for 8th grade will bring full American history to life through a project-embedded approach to engage students in learning. 

“As a district on the cutting edge of innovation in education, we are excited to join with districts in two neighboring states to pilot an effort that will inspire students to be fully engaged citizens and ground them in the tenets of our constitutional democracy,” said Superintendent Hilario “Larry” Chavez.  “Our students are our promise for tomorrow.  The future of our democracy truly rests in their hands,” he said.

“Across the country, districts, teachers, students and parents are looking for a way to teach civics and history in a way that inspires students to become informed and engaged members of our constitutional democracy,” iCivics Executive Director Louise Dubè said. “We are excited that these three districts have joined us in the forefront of efforts to strengthen how we teach one of our most important subjects, and we look forward to seeing how this curriculum will be implemented in the classroom to ensure that the practice of democracy is learned by each new generation.”

Over the past year, iCivics and experts in history and pedagogy worked together with nine teachers to build a general curriculum based on the EAD Roadmap, a framework designed to strengthen civics and history learning in K–12 classrooms throughout the country. The nonprofit then selected three districts—SFPS, Jeffco Public Schools (CO) and Oklahoma City Public Schools (OK)—to take part in a pilot program to localize the curriculum to meet the needs and interests of each district’s students and communities.

Each district’s social studies department is working with iCivics and community partners to support six teachers as they work together to modify the curriculum for their district and students. Districts will provide models for other districts to emulate after this pilot year.  

About iCivics

iCivics was founded in 2009 by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor to transform civic education and rebuild civic strength through digital games and lesson plans. iCivics is the country’s largest provider of civic education content and is currently used by up to 145,000 educators and 9 million students annually. All of its games are free, nonpartisan and available at icivics.org

 

About the Educating for American Democracy Initiative

Educating for American Democracy (EAD) is a national consensus initiative that brought together more than 300 scholars, educators and practitioners from a diversity of viewpoints, disciplinary specialities, geographic contexts and demographic backgrounds to enhance  teaching of civics and history to meet the needs of today’s 21st-century K–12 student body.

EAD provides guidance that states, local school districts and educators can use to create civics and U.S. history programs that inspire students through an inquiry-based model that challenges students to ask hard questions and use evidence to answer them.

For more information about EAD, please visit www.educatingforamericandemocr....
For more information about the pilot program, please contact jacob@oneallen.com.