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Invest in the future of Democracy

2024–25 We the People Training Opportunities

Our training programs are rigorous professional development programs that bring teachers together to work with experienced mentors and scholars from a variety of disciplines. Participants attend lectures, interactive sessions, and when possible, field trips, and participate in simulated congressional hearings modeled after the We the People culminating activity. Applications are currently closed for the 2024–25 training year.

James Madison Legacy Project Expansion

An exciting new project to improve professional development and instruction in the We the People program, for middle and high school teachers.

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Civics that Empowers All Students

A project to increase underserved grades 4–8 students’ attainment of state civics standards, related literacy standards, and SEL competencies while creating inclusive learning environments.

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For Middle and high school teachers
James Madison Legacy Project Expansion Program

Apply online for a 2024–2025 learning cohort to receive extensive mentorship from experienced We the People teachers and content knowledge from top constitutional scholars.

Cohort kick-off Summer Institute: July 22–26, 2024, at James Madison’s Montpelier in Orange, VA.

Download the flyer.

“James Madison Legacy Project Expansion: Empowering High-Need Students for Informed, Thoughtful, and Productive Citizenship” is an exciting project to improve professional development and instruction in the We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution curricular program! The Center for Civic Education is working with expert teachers and consultants to develop new resources for We the People professional development and instruction that foster positive civics and social and emotional learning (SEL) outcomes among English learners, students with disabilities, and students of color. In 2024 and 2025, CCE will work with sites across the country, including Virginia, to implement and evaluate We the People professional development and classroom instruction using the new resources. Dr. Diana Owen and the Civic Education Research Lab at Georgetown University will evaluate the program’s outcomes on high-need secondary students. CCE hopes that the new materials will engage, empower, and increase the civic and SEL competencies of high-need learners facing persistent achievement gaps.

This training is funded by a Supporting Effective Educator Development grant from the U.S. Department of Education to the Center for Civic Education (CCE) and sub-granted to Virginia Civics.

The cohort will begin with a 2024 We the People Summer Institute, and continue with multiple, one-day or shorter professional development workshops during the academic year.

You’ll get:

  • Free professional development! A total of 52 hours of professional development in a learning community with mentors and other teachers in Virginia, including a 36-hour in-person summer institute and 16 hours of online academic-year follow up. Summer Institutes begin in 2024!
  • Engaging pedagogy and academic content, centered on the highly-effective We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution curriculum
  • A network of support and resources for engaging diverse student populations in the history, principles, and current application of the U.S. Constitution
  • Scholar guest speakers
  • Access to a library of professional development videos with noted scholars and practitioners cued to the curriculum
  • Free set of We the People: The Citizen & the Constitution textbooks and teacher’s guide

 

Priority is given to educators who teach social studies, government, civics, and similar subjects. Applicants must be new to the We the People program and cannot have attended previous We the People-related professional development programs.

Applications are now open! Apply online now. This short application form will take only minutes—no essay required!

For Upper Elementary and Middle School Teachers
Civics Empowers All Students Program

Apply online for a 2024–2025 learning cohort for free professional development for upper elementary and middle school teachers.

Cohort kick-off Summer Institute: July 29–August 2, 2024, at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture in Richmond, VA.

Download the flyer.

The goals of CEAS are to: (1) To increase underserved grades 4–8 students’ attainment of state civics standards, related literacy standards, and social and emotional learning competencies, (2) to create inclusive and identity-safe learning environments for underserved students in grades 4–8, (3) to support high-quality development for diverse teachers, and (4) to study the effectiveness of the updated and enhanced We the People blended-learning professional development program at improving teacher and student outcomes.

The program goes beyond past PD projects to specifically target elementary and middle school teachers based on the needs of their student age groups. It also works to incorporate the latest evidence-based practices in trauma-informed education, literacy, and SEL to address engagement and achievement gaps faced by underserved students, whose gaps have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This project is funded by a Supporting Effective Educator Development grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

  • Free professional development! A total of 52 hours of professional development in a learning community with mentors and other teachers in Virginia, including a 36-hour in-person summer institute and 16 hours of online academic-year follow up. Summer Institutes begin in 2024!
  • Engaging pedagogy and academic content, centered on the highly-effective We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution curriculum
  • A network of support and resources for engaging diverse student populations in the history, principles, and current application of the U.S. Constitution
  • Scholar guest speakers
  • Access to a library of professional development videos with noted scholars and practitioners cued to the curriculum
  • Free set of We the People: The Citizen & the Constitution textbooks and teacher’s guide
  • A stipend for completing program requirements
  • Teachers in grades 4–8 who work with classes of 30% or more high-need students (Title I schools, students of color, students with disabilities, English learners, or other underserved students) with no prior experience participating in professional development or teaching We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution

Applications are now open! Apply online now. This short application form will take only minutes—no essay required!

What else do you need?

Professional development shouldn’t be passive and boring. We learn best when we’re engaging with interesting stuff, working with supportive colleagues, and actually enjoying ourselves. Our cohorts learn from and teach each other. We support each other. And we have fun! You should join us!

Still on the fence? If you need a little more info about the We the People program or these training opportunities, feel free to reach out. We’re here to help! 

Get in Touch

Emily Voss

Emily Voss comes to civic education from the museum world, where she was passionate about making museums relevant to the modern world. She currently serves as the Manager of National Programs for the Center for Civic Education. Prior to that, she served as the Education Director at the Robert H. Smith Center for the Constitution at James Madison’s Montpelier where she spent the past decade developing programs for adult professionals that invited engagement with America’s founding documents. She served as the Virginia State Coordinator of the We the People program for 10 years and is a co-founder of Virginia Civics. Emily holds a BA in History from Gettysburg College, and an MA in Museum Education from the Cooperstown Graduate Program (SUNY). She and her family currently reside in central Virginia.

Co-Executive Director & Chief Programs Officer

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Jen Patja

Jen Patja has dedicated her career to strengthening constitutional self-government through her work with Virginia Civics, the Center for Civic Education, and Montpelier’s Robert H. Smith Center for the Constitution, where she served as Deputy Director. Jen is a co-founder of Virginia Civics, and served as a House of Delegates-appointed member of the Virginia Commission on Civic Education, a state legislative commission, from 2014–2024. She is the producer and editor of “Rational Security,” a weekly foreign policy and national security roundup, and “The Lawfare Podcast,” a daily audio production in cooperation with the Brookings Institution. She is also a speaker with the U.S. Speaker Program at the U.S. Department of State. Jen has held teaching and research positions at the University of Virginia, most notably in Criminology and the school’s University Internship Program with the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service. She received her master’s in Sociology from the University of Virginia, and a bachelor’s in English from the University of California, Berkeley.

Co-Executive Director & Chief Operating Officer

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Amelia Bochain

Amelia Bochain has devoted her professional life to effective social studies education that fosters civil discourse. As a classroom teacher for nine years, she implemented project-based learning that focused on civic engagement and encouraging effective discussion skills. She is particularly passionate about the We the People program, where she coached teams that placed in regional, state, and national competitions.

State Coordinator

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