TN Civics Academy

An image of the TN Civics Academy conference.

Nominate an Outstanding Educator

Nominated educators will receive an invitation to participate in the Institute of American Civics’ TN Civics Academy, conference on teaching K-12 civic knowledge and engagement. This year the conference will convene in Knoxville on the evening of June 23, followed by a two-day session. The IAC is part of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Howard H. Baker Jr. School of Public Policy and Public Affairs. The conference will include UT scholar presentations, workshops, educator panel discussions, and educational resources.

Nominate a Teacher

Nominated educators are invited to the residential conference at no cost. It convenes on the evening of June 23 and is followed by a two-day program.

TN Civics Academy Provides:

14-18 hours of professional development credit;
Viewpoints from rural, urban and suburban districts;
Cross-disciplinary project-based learning activities;
Content-rich presentations.

NEW THIS YEAR: To enable the participation of educators throughout Tennessee, nominated teachers traveling to the TN Civics Academy from outside of Knox County, may receive travel stipends. This is made possible through the generous support of a Regions Foundation of Tennessee grant.

Distance From Home Address to Knoxville (Knox County residents excluded)	Travel Stipend Amount (Distributed after attending the full academy, June 23-25)
100 miles or less	$100
101-200 miles	$200
201-300 miles	$300
301+ miles	$400

Note: Travel stipends are limited, so early registration is recommended.

A message from Regions Foundation of Tennessee:

It is our privilege to offer financial support for the Tennessee Civics Academy to support teachers across the state. Our East Tennessee leadership, led by Market Executive Rob Stivers, is committed to providing opportunities for teachers to be successful in the classroom and the Regions Foundation of Tennessee is committed to making a difference in Tennessee by investing to improve education and enhance community development.

About the Academy

Housed within the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs, the Institute of American Civics (IAC) is committed to improving civic knowledge and civil discourse through courses, student programs, public events, and K-12 outreach.

The IAC TN Civics Academy provides a space for educators to discuss ways to foster and teach topics in civic education and to nurture civic engagement and viewpoint diversity among Tennessee’s youth. The multiple-day conference provides discussion panels led by experienced teachers from rural, urban, and suburban districts to discuss student engagement strategies, classroom challenges, and opportunities faced in promoting healthy discussion, viewpoint diversity, and civil discourse, and to share cross-disciplinary project-based learning activities. Also, attendees learn from UT scholars through content-rich presentations highlighting American founding principles, history, U.S. Constitutional rights, economics, Supreme Court decisions tied to American education, and the legacy of Senator Howard H. Baker Jr.

Why Teach Civics?

Inspire youth to study Constitutional government.
Model civic discourse.
Help students grow as engaged citizens.
Foster viewpoint diversity.
Nurture collaborative and innovative problem solving.
Motivate youth to vote & pursue public service.

Objectives

Be a resource for teachers & students.
Nurture civic knowledge & engagement.
Provide Professional Development (PD) opportunities.
Promote educator collaboration.
Share educational resources.
Listen to teachers.
Develop diverse teacher-led discussion panels.
Provide scholarly interpretations, content-rich presentations, and active learning workshops on civic education.