Delaware Governor Jack Markell addresses Democracy Project Institute scholars in Dover during the summer program's initial week.Twenty Delaware elementary, middle, and high school teachers will be participating in the 11th annual Democracy Project Institute for Teachers. The Institute’s first session is held June 22–26 and then reconvenes from August 10-12.
The Democracy Project began in 1999 in response to a national study, The New Millennium Project, a bipartisan study funded by the National Association of Secretaries of State. The study reported that “Young Americans have only a limited, vague understanding of what it means to be a citizen in a democratic society.” It indicated that media, parents, political parties and schools all play a role in connecting young people to the democratic process.
”Recognizing the potential impact that schools and teachers can have,” said former Delaware Secretary of State and Program Director Ed Freel, “the Democracy Project Institute for teachers was developed to work with teachers to improve the teaching of civics and democracy in Delaware classrooms.”
The Institute is sponsored by IPA and the Delaware Department of State with support from the Delaware Heritage Commission. The teachers participating will receive three graduate credits.
Throughout the Institute, the teachers will meet with elected and appointed government officials, academics, jurists, lobbyists, and members of the press who will recount their experiences and challenges and engage the teachers.
Speakers include Governor Markell, Congressman Castle, Senators Carper and Kaufman, Secretary of State Jeffrey Bullock, Superior Court Judge Mary Miller Johnston, Family Court Judge William L. Chapman, Jr., and many others. Field visits include trips to Washington, D.C., the Port of Wilmington, the Delaware Public Archives, and Legislative Hall in Dover, Delaware.
As part of the Institute, the teachers will develop innovative lesson plans to take back to their classrooms in the fall and to share with their colleagues.
