| Last week’s curation at RealClear’s American Civics portal starts off with Thomas Kelly’s latest op-ed at RealClearEducation. Kelly, the Vice President of Civics Initiatives at the Jack Miller Center, highlights the success that JMC is seeing with their Founding Civics Initiative, a teacher education program that immerses high school social studies and history teachers in the American political tradition. “In just eight years,” he notes, “nearly 2,000 teachers have participated in this initiative.” In fact, FCI just had its most successful summer since it was founded, training nearly 500 teachers in nine states. “Our scholars have the expertise teachers need to navigate our current divisions and build trust,” Kelly writes. And they can provide teachers with the ability to “understand the contours of our most fundamental debates and squarely address the failures in our nation’s history while fully appreciating our achievements.” “Improving K-12 teachers’ knowledge of America’s history and its founding will help preserve” our “nation’s ideals” for posterity, Kelly concludes. Also at RealClearEducation, former U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings argues that, in light of the recent NAEP findings of a dearth of civic learning in the U.S., there needs to be a “national renewal of civics education to provide our citizenry with the knowledge and critical thinking skills necessary to engage in our democracy in a meaningful and constructive way.” The explosion of civics bees in the states, with over 50 now established in nine states, has the chance to turn things around. She urges local public officials to “be a judge at a local or state competition” and call “your local chamber to host a local competition.” She calls parents to “take a proactive role in encouraging your son or daughter to participate in next year’s competition.” She ends by contending that “we can equip all Americans with the knowledge and resources needed to bridge our divides,” a project on which “America’s future depends.” In the News Margaret Spellings, RealClearEducation Ilya Shapiro, Tim Rosenberger, & Austin Severns, City Journal Matt Wilson & Casey Cullen, Commonwealth Carl Kline, South Dakota Standard Carl M. Cannon, RealClearPolitics Rochelle Olson, Star Tribune John Fritze, USA Today PR Newswire Thomas Kelly, RealClearEducation Stephanie Argy, Braver Angels Lance B. Wickman, Deseret News Cory Charber, WHYY Mitch Daniels, Law & Liberty Tim Vandenack, Standard-Examiner Debra Satz & Dan Edelstein, New York Times PragerU Abraham Lincoln was born in a log cabin in the middle of nowhere. He had almost no... American Idea Jeff discusses two of the most fundamental ideas at the foundation of the American experiment: natural rights... FOX News Channel Republican candidate for president Vivek Ramaswamy on Monday talked to FOX News host Jesse Watters about... Carl Cannon's Great American Stories It's Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023. I hope you had a productive and enjoyable Labor Day weekend. From its late 19th ... Good morning, it's Friday Sept. 1, 2023, the day of the week when I pass along quotations intended to be ... It's Friday, August 25, 2023, the day of the week when I pass along quotations intended to be inspiring or ... | 