People Powered: Civic Action, Community Engagement, and American Representative Democracy
Traditional civics education has focused largely on the establishment, structures, and
inner-workings of the federal government, specifically the duties and prerogatives of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, and more recent civics curriculum has incorporated a focus on individual action, like voting. People Powered will expand the civic lens and include a substantial focus on the powerful ways that collective grassroots organizing and engagement with the legislative process have historically shaped and continue to shape our nation. Students participating in this initiative will develop and refine the critical skills needed to become informed and engaged participants in American civic life.
People Powered: Civic Action, Community Engagement, and American Representative Democracy will train high school educators in inquiry-based teaching pedagogies and engage students in a year-long series of collaborative civics-focused experiential activities that culminate in a research-based authentic task assignment. Designed as a hybrid project incorporating the most successful elements of the Byrd’s Center’s highly regarded annual Teacher Institute and student-focused Government and Deliberation programs, People Powered will utilize innovative primary source-based lessons and student-led activities to facilitate broader and deeper understanding of the full arc of American civic life in historic and contemporary contexts.
Participants in People Powered will gain:
inner-workings of the federal government, specifically the duties and prerogatives of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, and more recent civics curriculum has incorporated a focus on individual action, like voting. People Powered will expand the civic lens and include a substantial focus on the powerful ways that collective grassroots organizing and engagement with the legislative process have historically shaped and continue to shape our nation. Students participating in this initiative will develop and refine the critical skills needed to become informed and engaged participants in American civic life.
People Powered: Civic Action, Community Engagement, and American Representative Democracy will train high school educators in inquiry-based teaching pedagogies and engage students in a year-long series of collaborative civics-focused experiential activities that culminate in a research-based authentic task assignment. Designed as a hybrid project incorporating the most successful elements of the Byrd’s Center’s highly regarded annual Teacher Institute and student-focused Government and Deliberation programs, People Powered will utilize innovative primary source-based lessons and student-led activities to facilitate broader and deeper understanding of the full arc of American civic life in historic and contemporary contexts.
Participants in People Powered will gain:
- Access to dynamic educational tools for engaging your students in inquiry and experiential based learning
- Primary resources which support instruction on the Constitution, Legislative Branch, and West Virginia history
- Training in civics instruction from field leaders at regional and national institutions
- A network of fellow civics teachers and an exchange of ideas, experiences, and resources to ensure your students are meeting their curricular expectations
Get Involved:
The Byrd Center is currently welcoming educators who teach 10th to 12th grade civics or social studies who are interested in participating in a training workshop to explore the lesson content of People Powered and to pilot the resources as well as experiential learning project with their students this coming academic year (2022-2023). If you are interested in learning more about People Powered and becoming a pilot teacher in this program, please join our contact list be entering your information below. We plan to offer training for People Powered in late-August or early-September 2022.
Project Background:
The Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation has awarded the Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education a grant of $136,250.00 for a new initiative that will expand civics education in West Virginia. “People Powered: Civic Action, Community Engagement, and American Representative Democracy” will launch in the fall of 2021 and will bring together the Byrd Center’s leadership in teacher training with leading learning resource creators from across the United States to deliver innovative educational materials to West Virginia teachers and students.
“People Powered” is a supplemental year-long curriculum designed to support the 10th-12th grade civics and social studies standards which are taught in schools throughout West Virginia. Grant funding will enable the Byrd Center to produce lesson plans which utilize the primary sources in its archival collections in engaging, inquiry-based learning tools to connect the broader concepts of American government and civic life with a West Virginia and Appalachian regional focus. The grant will also allow the Byrd Center to offer specialized training for teachers to incorporate these resources in their classrooms. Paired with tested learning tools from such highly regarded institutions as the National Archives and Records Administration and iCivics, “People Powered” will provided a robust resource for West Virginia educators.
The Byrd Center is uniquely positioned to lead such an initiative. For six years, the center has worked closely with teachers to discover and implement primary sources in classroom instruction, demonstrating the immense value these resources can lend to civics education. The center’s highly regarded Teacher Institute has served over 300 West Virginia teachers since its launch in 2013. From this foundation, “People Powered” will be the Byrd Center’s next step in engaging with West Virginia’s excellent educators as we work together to prepare our nation’s next generation of public leaders and engaged citizens.
“People Powered” is a supplemental year-long curriculum designed to support the 10th-12th grade civics and social studies standards which are taught in schools throughout West Virginia. Grant funding will enable the Byrd Center to produce lesson plans which utilize the primary sources in its archival collections in engaging, inquiry-based learning tools to connect the broader concepts of American government and civic life with a West Virginia and Appalachian regional focus. The grant will also allow the Byrd Center to offer specialized training for teachers to incorporate these resources in their classrooms. Paired with tested learning tools from such highly regarded institutions as the National Archives and Records Administration and iCivics, “People Powered” will provided a robust resource for West Virginia educators.
The Byrd Center is uniquely positioned to lead such an initiative. For six years, the center has worked closely with teachers to discover and implement primary sources in classroom instruction, demonstrating the immense value these resources can lend to civics education. The center’s highly regarded Teacher Institute has served over 300 West Virginia teachers since its launch in 2013. From this foundation, “People Powered” will be the Byrd Center’s next step in engaging with West Virginia’s excellent educators as we work together to prepare our nation’s next generation of public leaders and engaged citizens.
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Our Mission: |
The Byrd Center advances representative democracy by promoting a better understanding of the United States Congress and the Constitution through programs and research that engage citizens.
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© 2021 Robert C. Byrd Center for
Congressional History and Education |