National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) is pleased to announce a new awards program called Civic Engagement Champions (CEC) to honor middle school teachers who promote their students’ active citizenship.

With the support of the Frank Islam Institute for 21st Century Citizenship (FII), NASBE will highlight the work of four outstanding middle school teachers who are fostering civic engagement. Middle school teachers play a particularly strong role in boosting civic knowledge and engagement, helping students become active, responsible citizens. National recognition and $5,000 awards will be made at NASBE’s Annual Conference in October to teachers from four states—Maryland, Massachusetts, Illinois, and Washington, which represent NASBE’s four regional membership areas.

A group of education organizations that share the commitment to civic education and who want to promote teacher leadership will assist NASBE and FII in this effort. Partners in 2019 include AASA, the Superintendents Association; the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education; the Association of Middle Level Education; the Council of Chief State School Officers; the National Association of Secondary School Principals; the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards; and the National Council for the Social Studies. These partners, along with one representative from each participating state board, will develop the CEC selection criteria and serve on the selection committee.

The award will be open to middle school teachers in all disciplines. It is envisioned that teachers might be honored for projects like these:

• An environmental science teacher might be recognized for a classroom unit that involves students in measuring pollution in a nearby streambed.
• An English teacher might be honored for a project that involved students in writing persuasive letters to their city council or state legislature or in publishing an op-ed in their local paper on a topic of interest to the class.
• A history or social studies teacher could be recognized for an oral history project that opens up an honest community discussion about school segregation.

For more information about the Civic Engagement Champions (CEC) awards program and how to apply, please email cec@nasbe.org.