Dayton Daily News: Wright State to teach area teachers how to prepare for civics classes; host student civics summer camps

From left, Wright State’s Center for Civics, Culture and Workforce Development staff members Adam Reiman, deputy director; Jason Anderson, executive director; Diane Vitas; and Mike Jacobs, deputy director.

Wright State University will use a $3 million U.S. Department of Education grant for civics education across central and southwest Ohio.

The project — Civic Foundations: Equipping K–12 for America’s Next 250 Years — will help educators and students to better understand their rights and responsibilities as citizens and to apply those lessons in their classrooms, communities and daily life, according to Wright State.

“The goal of the grant is to strengthen civic literacy and civic engagement across Southwest Ohio by building K–12 educators’ capacity to teach civics and American history, while also providing direct, engaging learning opportunities for students,” said Jason Anderson, Wright State executive director of the Center for Civics, Culture and Workforce Development.

He said the work is intentionally designed as a multi-year “civic infrastructure” effort.

The three-year program includes:

• 48 in-person civics seminars for up to 8,640 K–12 educators and other school staff, such as principals
• Credentialing of 1,080 teacher-leaders in civics education
• Immersive summer camps for 1,800 students focused on civic knowledge, leadership and civil discourse
• An interactive Civic-Quest online platform projected to serve 920 educators and 500 students annually
• Mentorships, leadership development and certification of 30 Train-the-Trainer fellows
• 12 full-tuition scholarships for exceptional student civic ambassadors

Anderson said the initiative is framed around the U.S.’s 250th anniversary in 2026. It also aligns with Ohio’s renewed emphasis on civics education, he said.

“Wright State’s Center for Civics, Culture, and Workforce Development was created to serve exactly this kind of regional need, and we see this moment as an opportunity to deliver measurable impact while building sustainable capacity that lasts well beyond the anniversary year,” Anderson said.

Read the complete story at daytondailynews.com.