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| October 2021 |
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| Civics Secures Democracy Act Update
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| Congress has a full plate this fall with dueling infrastructure and budget reconciliation bills, an expiring debt limit, and the pressure to pass a full-year budget for the next fiscal year. It is our obligation as a national civic learning community to ensure that civics is among the main menu options in the “(halls) where it happens.”
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| The Civics Secures Democracy (CSD) Act was filed in March with bicameral, bipartisan co-sponsorship, and represents a generational investment in K–12 civic education to strengthen our constitutional democracy. Last month, the co-sponsors agreed to minor changes to the bill text in a bid to address concerns about how the $1B annual federal investment will be granted to states, nonprofit organizations, and colleges and universities. We anticipate further clarity in the coming days on how this investment will be financed, another key concern raised by a number of members of Congress as we engage in our collective outreach on behalf of the bill.
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| In the interim, it’s critical that you double back with your Representative and Senators and ask them to co-sponsor the CSD. Share the revised bill text, along with this outstanding Washington Examiner article from David Davenport of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. Davenport makes a compelling case for greater national prioritization of K–12 civics and a concomitant federal investment to transcend toxic political polarization and institutional dysfunction.
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| As a reminder, our CSD Toolkit includes a bill summary, contact information for congressional legislative assistants, and suggested email copy and call scripts for member outreach. Please share the results of your outreach with our new Federal Policy Associate, Abbie Kaplan, who is introduced more formally below.
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| The fragile state of our constitutional democracy demands a generational investment in K–12 civics. The CSD is a bipartisan vehicle to prioritize and adequately resource this critical subject area. Join us in elevating civics’ importance before members of Congress and ask them to sign their names alongside Representatives DeLauro (D-CT), Cole (R-OK), and Blumenauer (D-OR), and Senators Coons (D-DE) and Cornyn (R-TX) in support of the bill.
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| Yours in civics,
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| Shawn Healy
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| Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy, iCivics
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| Inside this newsletter:
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| Introducing CivXNow’s Newest Team Member, Abbie Kaplan
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| As iCivics’ new Federal Policy Associate, Abbie Kaplan will be working with the CivXNow coalition to support overall policy strategy and advocacy work with a primary focus on federal policy. |
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| Prior to joining iCivics, Abbie worked at Partners In Health on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic. She previously worked in government relations and public policy at two large firms, McDermott Will & Emery and Bracewell LLP. As an undergraduate at The George Washington University, Abbie worked in DC public schools tutoring K–12 students, interned at a large Jewish nonprofit, and volunteered with several women's health organizations and on a number of political and issue-based advocacy campaigns. Welcome Abbie! |
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| Kahne and Rogers co-wrote an accompanying op-ed on the paper’s findings, published October 15th in the Los Angeles Times: “Attacks on school board meetings are threatening democracy. Will educators help save it?” |
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| Meet the Newest CivXNow Coalition Members
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| The CivXNow Coalition is growing fast. We now stand at 176 member organizations strong; the latest additions include: |
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| The Coalition remains deeply appreciative of member efforts and of all we have accomplished together. Our goal is to aggregate and activate large networks of support to expand and re-imagine civic education as a force for civic strength. To our Coalition members, thank you for your partnership.
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| If you are part of an organization interested in joining the Coalition or learning more, please contact us at CivXNow@icivics.org.
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| Our Mission
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| CivXNow is a coalition of partners from diverse viewpoints working to create a culture shift that elevates civic education and engagement as a national priority in order to protect and strengthen America’s constitutional democracy. This includes building a shared commitment to ensure that all young people are prepared to assume their rights and responsibilities to participate in civic life and address the issues facing students, their families, and communities in our increasingly dynamic, polarized, and digital society. |
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| To achieve this goal, CivXNow advocates for bipartisan federal and state legislation that supports implementation of state and local policies that reimagine and deliver relevant, inclusive, and engaging K-12 civic learning, both in- and out-of-school. |
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| A Team Effort |
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| Follow us and use #CivXNow to join the movement!
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| 1035 Cambridge Street, Suite 21B | Cambridge, MA 02141 |
| 617-356-8311 | www.iCivics.org |
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