PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Teachers across the country are coming together to participate in a program designed to improve their students’ understanding of constitutional fundamentals.
The National Constitution Center on Independence Mall created a national Teacher Advisory Council, where educators can share experiences and ideas on how to enhance civics education and how to gain a better understanding of current constitutional issues.
“It’s a way to connect to the larger community,” said Dr. Kerry Sautner, chief learning officer at the National Constitution Center. “To ensure that we are building tools for that community and supporting that community in a way that they want and need us to.”
The council offers resources too, like a virtual expert on the 25th Amendment — a topic that re-entered public discourse following the Capitol riot on Jan. 6.
“And that’s what we really find is the best part,” Sautner said. “In connecting with the council directly, now they know they have like a phone a friend, like a Zoom a friend. One of our council members tweeted me and said, ‘My kids are asking hard questions on the 25th.’ And she’s an amazing teacher that knows so much. But she’s like, ‘I need you to bring in a scholar tomorrow at 9.’ And I’m like, ‘done and done.’
“I got one of our scholars into her classroom and the kids peppered him with questions.”
The first cohort of teachers is made up of more than 100 educators from 34 states.
“We just had a math teacher apply and we were so excited to get the math teachers in,” she noted. “We need to connect civics and STEM.”
They’re looking primarily for middle and high school teachers, but other grades are welcome as well.
“We are also extending cohorts to the elementary school teachers, and we are exploring the idea of a cohort of college teachers as well and college professors,” she said, “to see what’s the need for when they get to college and how can we have conversations with the teachers in middle school so we can connect the dots in between the two.”
The participating educators will get paid for their time. The goal is to have 1,000 teachers on the council within the next couple of years.
“It’s really important for us to be responsive, and the only way we can do that is to have feedback, as well as advocacy, and those two things are hand-in-hand.”