Civic education
Democracy Project at IPA
The 2022 Democracy Project Scholars celebrate the completion of the program with with Secretary of State Jeff Bullock and Governor John Carney.
Institute for Teachers
The Democracy Project Institute for Teachers brings together teachers (K-12) and leaders in government and education to discuss the importance of civic participation for the future of our democratic society and collaborate on ways to inspire active youth citizenship.
Teachers will have the opportunity to:
- Deepen your understanding of Delaware and national civics standards
- Engage in extended discussions with Delaware’s elected and appointed officials
- Collaborate with other educators to develop innovative and interactive teaching strategies aimed at inspiring students to become involved in civic life
- Explore effective ways to discuss and teach about the upcoming elections
The Institute is designed to improve the teaching and learning of civics by enhancing participants content knowledge, resources, and instructional and assessment practices.
Democracy Project 2026: local civics-developing students as community problem solvers
The Democracy Project Summer Institute for Teachers will be held in person from June 22-26, 2026. This year's institute will be part of a grant to help students address public policy problems effectively through Project Citizen.
Professional learning will extend throughout the 2026-2027 academic year. Additionally, the grant involves a research component to determine how the instructional interventions may impact teaching and learning.
The requirements for participation are listed below:
Attend all scheduled professional learning sessions, including the 2026 in-person summer institute (34 hours), which will be held June 22-26 at the Virden Center in Lewes, Delaware (accommodations provided for those needing them), and an additional 12 hours of sustained professional learning sessions during the 2026-2027 school year.
Infuse a minimum of 20 hours of program instruction into the regular social studies curriculum, including the Center’s newly developed curricular materials, while implementing the Project Citizen program in at least one of your middle or high school classes.
Involve your students in a culminating public policy presentation in your classroom or school, including a state Project Citizen showcase organized by the Delaware Center for Civics Education.
Invite site coordinators/mentors to observe classroom instruction and the public policy presentation.
Participate in professional learning communities as designed by the site coordinator and mentor teachers as part of the 12 extended hours identified above.
Participate in the evaluation aspect of the program in accordance with instructions from the Georgetown University independent research team by: 1) Taking a pre- and post-test as the instructor, and 2) Administering pre- and post-tests to classes involved in the program
Provide anecdotal data from your classes or individual students.
Please reach out to the site coordinator and mentor about progress and support needs.
In return, your school will receive a free set of Project Citizen Level 2 textbooks. Also, as a participant, you will receive teacher professional development and a $2,000 stipend for completing all requirements of Project Citizen: Integrated Civic Competencies. The stipend will be paid over three stages.
Submit all questions to decenter4civics@udel.edu.
I love the incorporation of state history because students do not get enough of that. I also love that they have brought in state leaders. [The content] is information that we can bring directly back to our kids.
2023 Democracy Project Scholar
I like the fact that our government officials see the importance of the Democracy Project, dedicating time to engage with us in conversations and … put resources behind this project. They see the importance of civics education.
2023 Democracy Project Scholar