Kentucky Court of Justice
Kentucky teachers encouraged to apply for free summer institute on teaching civic ed

2010 We the People Institute Application

2010 We the People Institute Application (127KB-PDF)

FRANKFORT, Ky. -- Kentucky teachers for grades K-12 are invited to apply for a free training program this summer to help them improve their skills in teaching civic education. The program on the U.S. Constitution, Bill of Rights and the We the People … The Citizen and the Constitution program will take place July 17-24 at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind. The application deadline is April 15.

Thirty-three teachers from Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio will be selected to participate in the program, which is titled the We the People ... The Citizen and the Constitution Ohio-Indiana-Kentucky Summer Institute. The institute instructors are constitutional scholars.

We the People is a nationally acclaimed civic education program created by the national Center for Civic Education to promote the history and philosophy of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. The Kentucky Court of Justice and the Center for Civic Education co-sponsor the program in Kentucky.

The Center for Civic Education, Indiana Bar Foundation, Indiana State Bar Association and Indiana Department of Education are sponsoring the institute, with support from the Kentucky Court of Justice and the Ohio Center for Law-Related Education.

To be considered for the institute, teachers agree to teach the We the People … The Citizen and the Constitution curriculum during the 2010-2011 school year. They will receive a free classroom set of We the People textbooks, a free selection of books on the U.S. Constitution for their classroom and year-round assistance with implementing the program. They will have the option to earn three graduate-level credit hours through Indiana University related to their institute work.

Lodging and meals will be free for participants and the institute will cover their travel expenses.

For more information on the institute, contact Jacindia Wells or Deborah Williamson at 800-928-2350.

“We encourage educators to take advantage of this nationally renowned civic education program that will enable them to impart deep knowledge of the U.S. Constitution to their students,” said Williamson, who is the executive officer of the AOC Department of Court Services and state coordinator for the Center for Civic Education programs.

As the administrative and fiscal agent for the Kentucky Court of Justice, the AOC administers the We the People program. This year marks the 20-year anniversary of the AOC’s involvement with the program. The AOC has previously presented We the People summer institutes in Kentucky.

We the People is one of the many youth-related programs offered through the AOC in Frankfort. The AOC supports the activities of 3,700 court system employees, including the elected offices of justices, judges and circuit court clerks, and executes the Judicial Branch budget.