Employing an innovative and comprehensive approach to civic education, SAR High School has designed rigorous programs for students, teachers, alumni, and parents. This past fall, Rabbi Akiva Block taught a 4-part series called “The Jewish Ethic of Citizenship” as part of SAR’s Machon Siach (“thinking institution”) Adult Education program. Participants in the course studied American …
We are excited to share that we will be leading two seminars in March at the upcoming 2019 Prizmah Conference for Jewish Day Schools in Atlanta, GA. Tamara Tweel will be moderating a panel with Heads of Schools on “Democratic Skill Building in Jewish Day Schools” and Lindsay Bressman will be moderating a panel with …
What’s the Debate? Since America’s founding, two seemingly opposing traditions have defined our national culture, namely scientific progress and religious faith. Both of these traditions trace their roots to colonial Philadelphia, where William Penn welcomed diverse religious communities from across Europe, while Benjamin Franklin helped found research institutions and museums. As scientific research has helped …
As an organization committed to supporting the civic engagement of teachers and students, we recognize that Civic Spirit must demonstrate similar involvement and leadership in local civic society.. We have joined a group of stakeholders who are helping to ensure that the Civic Engagement Commission (CEC) legislation passed in November 2016 is implemented in a …
As part of its design, from Day 1, Civic Spirit embedded an evaluator in the pilot program to ensure that we are objectively defining success, assessing outcomes, facing challenges, and capturing our best practices and distinct value within schools. Civic Spirit’s Evaluator, Daniel Olson, attended the 2018 Summer Institute and wrote an evaluation including qualitative and …
At any age, it is hard to make sense of traditional legal words on parchment paper. Add to the confusion hundreds of years of social and linguistic changes, and it becomes quite difficult to interpret constitutional Articles and Amendments and how they relate to modern life. The National Constitution Center is a multi-media, interactive museum …
The following is a Q&A with Lindsay Bressman and Civic Spirit Educator Audi Hecht of Yeshiva High School for Girls / Central. Audi is the Chairperson of the History Department and teaches Civic Spirit, AP U.S. History, and AP U.S. Politics and Government. Why does teaching civics to high school students matter to you? I …
At the heart of the American experiment is the discussion of citizenship, a principal legacy of the political ideals of the American Revolution. While the core questions around citizenship are as old as the republic and remain ever-present today, the relevance of civic education has laid dormant and is vigorously in need of a rebirth. …
As an organization, we are eagerly seeking ways to expand civic education and adequately prepare our youth to inherit democracy. Fortunately, valuable resources to help educators develop the capacity for civic engagement are on the rise. One organization, iCivics, founded by retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, has spent the past 10 years developing …