Washington State is Looking for Young Leaders Like You!
The Legislative Youth Advisory Council (LYAC) is a statewide leadership development and civic education program for students 14-18 years old. LYAC empowers young leaders to learn about and engage directly with the legislative process through education and advocacy. The twenty-two member council is responsible for adopting a legislative agenda, meeting with legislators and testifying on bills, and organizing educational forums for young people throughout the state encouraging them to get involved. State law tasks LYAC with serving as the official voice of Washington youth to the State Legislature. The program is fully youth-led with oversight from the Office of the Lieutenant Governor.
Each year, 11 new students are selected for a two-year commitment to serve on the Council, during which they dive into the legislative process with mentors who advise them on effectively advocating for meaningful policy changes.
To be eligible for the program, applicants must be from 14 to 18 years of age and be in 8th, 9th, or 10th grade. Applicants are also required to submit one letter of recommendation from a teacher, counselor, coach, mentor, or community leader.
Applications and letters of recommendations are due by April 30th, 2022. Recommenders may submit a letter on behalf of an applicant or students may use a previous letter of recommendation as well.
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NCC Offers Valuable Civic Learning Opportunities
The Bill of Rights Featuring Erwin Chemerinsky
Erwin Chemerinsky, dean and Jesse H. Choper Distinguished Professor at Berkeley Law, joins Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen for a discussion on the Bill of Rights. Chemerinsky will also discuss his career as a legal scholar, and answer questions from participants.
Friday, April 8 |1 p.m. ET | Register Now!
Voting Rights in America
Explore the right to vote throughout history and work to answer several key questions about voting rights in America.
Wednesday, April 20 | 6:30 – 8 p.m. ET | Register here
Other Resources from the National Constitution Center
Watch the recording of their Class Takeover last week with filmmaker Ken Burns and historian Erica Armstrong Dunbar.
Schedule a virtual tour this Spring! They are a great way for audiences of all ages to visit the museum and explore the Center’s unique artifacts on display and signature exhibits.
Listen to recent episodes of the We the People podcast for current events issues your students may be asking about:
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 CivXNow & EALA Partner to Offer FREE PD
History and Civics Accessibility as a Practical Civil Right
Join CivXNow and the Educating All Learners Alliance (EALA) for a jointly hosted webinar discussing access to high-quality civics and history education as a civil right.
Presenters Rich Cairn (Emerging America), Kimberly Eckert (2018 Louisiana Teacher of the Year), and Fernanda Marinho Kray (WIDA, University of Wisconsin–Madison) will outline how to translate this right— both for those with disabilities and those learning English as a second language—from theory to practical reality.
Thursday, April 14 | 2:00-3:00 p.m. ET | Register here
 Sign Up Now for WSCSS Spring Conference 2022
Our Shared Home: Lessons of Stewardship
In this free, online webinar, attendees will examine cultural narratives while critically considering community perspective, environmental science, and public policies that center sustainability. Visit the event home page to learn more and register.
Saturday, April 23 | 9:00am - 12:00pm PST | Free Clock Hours!
Join us for the next Western States Civics Coalition Session
Moving Beyond the Textbook: Engaging Students in Simulations of Democratic Processes and Procedures
Looking for ways to deepen your students’ grasp of content and concepts? Want to move beyond the textbook? Join us in an interactive session to explore approaches and resources that deepen student understanding of democratic processes and procedures. By providing students the opportunity to develop, hone, and practice the skills, knowledge, and dispositions necessary to participate in our constitutional democracy, teachers can prepare students to engage in the real world.
As the Director of Educator Engagement for iCivics, speaker Natacha Scott focuses on growing the engagement of educators in-person and virtually through professional development sessions, curriculum, and other experiences.
Learn more about this workshop: Session #4 in the series.
April 28 | 3:30-5:00 pm PT | Free | Online | K-12 Audience | Register Now!
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Drug Testing in Schools — Who Can, Should, and Does Get Tested, and Why?
Most people think of drug (and alcohol) testing in schools as it relates to athletics. Why have athletes been the main focus of testing? Which athletes get tested? Which other school groups do, or don’t? Is the purpose of drug (and alcohol) testing for safety, fairness, role modeling? Is it effective? The latest blog explains the answers to these questions and more. Also find useful Resources for Teaching Drug Testing in the Schools and the Fourth Amendment.
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Through primary source analysis, this new resource from the Bill of Rights Institute explores the efforts to realize the Founding principles of liberty, equality, and justice by exploring key periods in African American history. This curriculum is designed to put teachers and students in conversation with those who strove and continue to strive for a greater realization of the promises of liberty and equality as outlined in the Declaration of Independence.
See details about the 6 primary source sets.
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Apply for Civic Education Grants
The Civic Education Grant provides financial support to educators and students participating in high-quality civic education programs at the national, state, tribal and/or local government level. This includes how the governments were formed, how they make decisions, what effects they have on citizens, and how citizens can participate with decision makers.
Grants will generally be awarded between the range of $250.00 to $1,000.00. Grants will be considered in excess of $1,000.00 contingent on availability of funds and strength of application. Apply here.
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Student-led "Train the Trainer" Voter Education Events
Students chosen as Voter Education Leaders (VELs) will aim to register the majority of eligible students in their school. At the end of the month, they will receive a Certificate of Completion and will be connected with Fellowships, Community Organizing apps, and international internships through Rhizome's Global Scholars Program. Visit WeRhize.org or see the flyer to learn more.
WEEK 1: (TUESDAY APRIL 12) | Training, launch class visits
WEEK 3: (TUESDAY APRIL 16) | Check-in, progress updates
WEEK 5: (TUESDAY MAY 10) | Celebration and debrief
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Students! Sign Up for Youth History Project
YHP is a 4-day immersive program that connects 40 high schoolers and 8 adult mentors with historic, cultural, and natural resources throughout Washington. This program is free of cost for accepted students and participants. Any high school-age youth may Apply now through April 30 (teachers) or May 13 (students).
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April is Celebrate Diversity Month
Resources for Students, Teachers, and Parents
Two diversity companies, ProGroup, Inc. and Diversity Best Practices, created a proclamation in 2004 for the observance of Celebrate Diversity Month, which is now widely observed in April. For more information and resources, see All About Diversity on the Diverse: Issues in Higher Education website.
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WSHM Hosts Exhibition: The Negro Motorist Green Book:
Exhibition about African American Actualization, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship
The Washington State History Museum (WSHM) in Tacoma presents the multimedia exhibition The Negro Motorist Green Book, on view through June 12. The exhibition was developed by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) in collaboration with Candacy Taylor, leading Green Book scholar and award-winning author of Overground Railroad: The Green Book and the Roots of Black Travel in America. Learn more
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Learn About the Holocaust with FREE HCH PD!
Teach about fighting bias, discrimination, racism, antisemitism to create more equitable systems and school environments with these upcoming FREE professional development workshops. Note: The April 5 session has expired.
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Book an Interactive Virtual Tour of the Capitol Campus for Your Students!
Book a free, one-hour guided virtual tour of the Washington State Capitol Campus, offered through the Department of Enterprise Services. Students will explore historic locations where government happens with 360-degree photos—no travel required! Guided virtual tours are for school groups 4th grade and up. Book your tour or email tours@des.wa.gov with questions.
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Do you have a good story to share?
OSPI is seeking stories that recognize Social Studies educators doing good work in grades K-12. We encourage administrators and educators to submit stories of districts, schools, classrooms, or community organizations promoting Social Studies. Send your story to SocialStudies@k12.wa.us.
Attend the Eighth Annual IDM™ Summer Institute
Making Inquiry Possible
Sponsored by C3 Teachers and National Council for the Social Studies, the IDM Summer Institute is back! With more and more states adopting new standards featuring the C3 Framework and inquiry, the need for designing inquiry learning experiences in social studies is greater than ever. In addition to an opportunity to learn about and use the Inquiry Design Model, we will explore the who, what, why, and how of inquiry-based instruction through our Making Inquiry Possible project, featuring teachers working together to build an inquiry culture.
July 11-12 | Online | 10:00 am - 4:00 pm each day (All Times Eastern)
Register Now!
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Tribal Sovereignty Curriculum
Introductory/Intermediate/Training of Trainers
In an effort to support continuous student and educator learning and implementation of the “Since Time Immemorial” (STI) Tribal Sovereignty Curriculum and respond to requests for “next level” and “training of trainer” trainings, the Office of Native Education will be offering a variety of professional development opportunities this Spring. For more information, visit their website or view the 2022 STI Training Schedule.
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Join the Project Citizen Research Program!
Summer Institute | July 11-15
Open to 7th to 12th-grade teachers new to using the Project Citizen curriculum, this program will provide you with free professional development, a set of books for use with your students, a modest stipend for your efforts, and a trip to Hawai’i. The professional development for teachers begins in the Summer of 2022.
Deadline for applying: April 15 | See the flyer for more details
To find out how you can participate in the cohort for teachers from Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington that begins this summer, contact your state’s Project Citizen coordinator: Washington - Kathy Hand at kathyhand@comcast.net
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Judicial Institute for Teachers
Register today for the Fourteenth Annual Judicial Institute for Teachers Grades 5-12
Learn More about the U.S. Constitution, Federal Judiciary, Civil Rights, and Federal Criminal Law. 23 clock hours available at no cost!
Featuring Mary Beth Tinker of Tinker v. Des Moines School District.
July 5, 6, and 7, 2022 if in-person | July 5, 6, 7, and 8, 2022, if virtual
Learn more and apply early by completing and submitting this form to Margaret Fisher, fisherm2@seattleu.edu.
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