The U.S. Department of Education has awarded over $2 million to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Institute of American Civics through the department’s American History and Civics Seminars Program.
“We are deeply honored to receive this significant investment from the U.S. Department of Education,” said Josh Dunn, executive director of the IAC. “This support will allow us to dramatically expand our work equipping Tennessee’s K-12 educators with the tools, knowledge and confidence to teach America’s founding principles and constitutional heritage.”
The funding is part of a historic $153 million federal investment in American history and civics education. The IAC will use the grant to expand its K-12 civics outreach through a three-year program, Renewing the Republic: Strengthening Civics Instruction for Tennessee Teachers. The program will provide educators with in-depth professional development seminars to deepen their understanding of the principles and institutions that make the U.S. system of self-government possible and to equip them with the resources to instill that understanding in their students.
Building on the IAC’s successful Tennessee Civics Academy, the grant will support a range of content-rich learning opportunities, with the aim of reaching more than 1,000 teachers each year through expert-led civics seminars and clinics.
The new programming will incorporate a celebration of America’s semiquincentennial — the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence — grounding instruction in the nation’s founding texts and constitutional principles and providing both in-person and virtual learning opportunities and resources.
“By growing our civic academies, seminars and professional development clinics, we will help ensure that the next generation understands not only the history of our nation but also the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship,” Dunn said. “As we approach America’s 250th anniversary, there is no more important task than preparing young people to sustain and strengthen our constitutional democracy.”
About the Institute of American Civics
The Institute of American Civics, housed within the Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is dedicated to advancing civic knowledge, constitutional understanding and civil discourse. Established to serve as a hub for scholarship, public education and community engagement, the IAC promotes the values and principles at the heart of American democracy and seeks to cultivate informed and engaged citizens through a dynamic blend of academic programming, public events and outreach initiatives. Visit civics.utk.edu for more information.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Stacy Estep (865-974-8304, sestep3@utk.edu)
Kate Reagan (865-974-1519, kmahar@utk.edu)