Wisconsin Civic Learning Coalition

Civic Literacy and Citizenship Symposium
2025-06-17 08:00 - 2025-06-18 12:00 (America/Chicago)
The Center for the Study of Liberal Democracy (CSLD) is hosting a two-day Civic Literacy and Citizenship symposium at the Great Wolf Lodge in Wisconsin Dells on June 16-17, 2025.* This symposium seeks to enhance high school teaching in texts and ideas that contribute to a deeper understanding of America’s history, citizenship, founding principles, and the wider traditions that influenced their development. This year, the theme for the event is Navigating and Teaching Free Speech in Today’s Classroom. The program will explore how instructors can foster open dialogue while managing challenges and maintaining productive learning environments, particularly when discussing controversial topics in civics and social studies courses. It will address approaches to teaching free speech to students as a part of their civic education. The event will feature scholars from both within and outside the UW system.
The event is co-sponsored by the Center for the Study of Liberal Democracy at UW–Madison and the Jack Miller Center for Teaching America’s Founding Principles and History.
*By invite only.
*Limited to two teachers from any one school.

Legislative Semester Orientation
2025-06-24 10:00 - 2025-06-25 11:30 (America/Chicago)

Symposium for Teachers with UW – Eau Claire: The Constitution and the Founding Era
2025-07-16 16:00 - 2025-07-18 12:30 (America/Chicago)
This year’s symposium will focus on the Constitution and the Founding era, including their influence over our current form and understanding of government. Session topics will include the Bill of Rights, the 1787 Constitutional Convention, and the structure of the Constitution.
Scholar sessions will be led by faculty from UW-Eau Claire’s Political Science and Criminal Justice Department. JMC Teacher Programs Manager Emilee McHorney will lead a classroom application workshop on incorporating the primary sources discussed into teachers’ own classrooms and lessons.
The program will take place at the Metropolis Resort and Conference Center in Eau Claire. Meals and resort lodging will be provided. Participants will receive a $300 stipend for completion of the program.

WI Braver Angels Statewide Debate: School Choice
2025-09-24 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Chicago) | Virtual
In 1990, the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program became the nation’s first modern school choice program. Since then, school choice initiatives have developed and expanded in Wisconsin, and families across the Dairy State continue to debate their efficacy. In this debate (just as the school year is getting underway!), we’re diving in–freely, fully, and without fear–to these debates around school choice in Wisconsin.
Have Wisconsin’s school choice programs been good for families? Students? Schools? Do voucher programs improve student outcomes? Should school choice be expanded in Wisconsin K12 education? We want to know what you think. Bring your arguments, your curiosities, and your personal stories to this Braver Angels Debate.
Here’s the night’s topic: School Choice. Our resolution?
Resolved: K-12 school choice is good for Wisconsin communities.
Join the Wisconsin Braver Angels team Wednesday, September 24, 2025 over Zoom for our second statewide debate! Listen to speeches for or against the resolution—and then share your own, if you feel so moved. (And there’s no pressure, but we hope you will!)

WI Civic Educators Summit: Foundations of Civic Culture
2025-10-04 09:00 - 15:30 (America/Chicago) | Wausau, WI, Wausau, WI
Hosted in partnership by the Jack Miller Center, Sphere Education Initiatives, and the Wisconsin Institute for Citizenship & Civil Dialogue, this summit will bring together Wisconsin social studies educators, curriculum leaders, and national thought leaders for a day of rich conversation and collaboration.
The day will feature:
Plenary panels and breakout discussions
Classroom-ready strategies and free resources
Thoughtful dialogue around America250, civil discourse, and free speech
Whether you’re a classroom teacher, an instructional leader or administration, this summit offers an energizing opportunity to explore key civic themes, connect with fellow educators, and strengthen your practice in preparation for the 250th anniversary of the American founding.

Principles of the 250th: Past, Present, and Future
2025-10-06 12:00 - 16:00 (America/Chicago) | Brown County Library, 515 Pine Street, Green Bay, WI, 54301, United States
Teacher Professional Development Workshops
The Wisconsin Historical Society and the National Constitution Center are excited to offer two free, half-day professional learning sessions focused on preparing Wisconsin educators to teach our nation’s semiquincentennial.
Register to join us on either Monday, October 6 at the Brown County Library in Green Bay, or Tuesday, October 7 at the Wisconsin Historical Society headquarters in Madison.
Participating teachers will receive lunch and refreshments during the session. Stipends to cover travel and substitute fees are available to all participating teachers. Teachers will also receive documentation of attending the workshop to support their Educator Effectiveness portfolios.
Following each session on both October 6 and 7, teachers will have the opportunity to attend Jeffrey Rosen’s lecture on his New York Times bestselling book, The Pursuit of Happiness, for the 2025 James Madison Lecture series, featuring a 5:00pm public reception and a 6:00pm lecture. The James Madison Lecture is an annual lecture series on early American history co-presented by the Wisconsin Historical Society and the Center for the Study of the American Constitution at the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
Here is a sample agenda for the sessions:
12 p.m. Welcome and Introductions
12:30 p.m. Learn about the National Constitution Center’s educational framework
1 p.m. Gain insight into the principles at the heart of the Declaration of Independence, such as liberty, separation of power, and the pursuit of happiness
2:30 p.m. Classroom application time to collaborate, build connections, and reflect on classroom-ready resources
4 p.m. Wrap-up and final questions
Register to attend: Register to Attend: https://forms.gle/g1tjpf752rWMoota6
Questions? Email Abby Pfisterer, WHS Director of PK-12 Education, abby.Pfisterer@wisconsinhistory.org

Principles of the 250th: Past, Present, and Future
2025-10-07 12:00 - 16:00 (America/Chicago) | Wisconsin Historical Society Headquarters, 816 State Street, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Principles of the 250th: Past, Present, and Future
Teacher Professional Development Workshops
Monday, October 6, 12:00–4:00 p.m. in Green Bay
Tuesday, October 7, 12:00–4:00 p.m. in Madison
The Wisconsin Historical Society and the National Constitution Center are excited to offer two free, half-day professional learning sessions focused on preparing Wisconsin educators to teach our nation’s semiquincentennial.
Register to join us on either Monday, October 6 at the Brown County Library in Green Bay, or Tuesday, October 7 at the Wisconsin Historical Society headquarters in Madison.
Participating teachers will receive lunch and refreshments during the session. Stipends to cover travel and substitute fees are available to all participating teachers. Teachers will also receive documentation of attending the workshop to support their Educator Effectiveness portfolios.
Following each session on both October 6 and 7, teachers will have the opportunity to attend Jeffrey Rosen’s lecture on his New York Times bestselling book, The Pursuit of Happiness, for the 2025 James Madison Lecture series, featuring a 5:00pm public reception and a 6:00pm lecture. The James Madison Lecture is an annual lecture series on early American history co-presented by the Wisconsin Historical Society and the Center for the Study of the American Constitution at the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
Here is a sample agenda for the sessions:
12 p.m. Welcome and Introductions
12:30 p.m. Learn about the National Constitution Center’s educational framework
1 p.m. Gain insight into the principles at the heart of the Declaration of Independence, such as liberty, separation of power, and the pursuit of happiness
2:30 p.m. Classroom application time to collaborate, build connections, and reflect on classroom-ready resources
4 p.m. Wrap-up and final questions
Register to Attend: https://forms.gle/g1tjpf752rWMoota6
Questions? Email Abby Pfisterer, WHS Director of PK-12 Education, abby.Pfisterer@wisconsinhistory.org

Contributions and Contradictions: Fostering Civil Discourse on America’s Founders
2025-11-12 19:30 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Virtual
A Virtual Professional Development Program for Educators
How should we grapple with the legacies of complex historical figures? Join Sphere Education Initiatives and Civic Spirit for this unique virtual professional learning opportunity. The webinar will take a deep dive into building civil discourse around the Founders, who embody both profound achievements and troubling flaws. We’ll explore the challenges of avoiding oversimplification, whether by elevating figures to untouchable pedestals or by dismissing them as wholly illegitimate.
In discussion, we’ll consider the role of historical context in shaping our understanding: Does it help us balance empathy with accountability, or does it risk excusing harmful actions under the guise of “different times”? We’ll discuss strategies for teaching students to recognize human fallibility in ways that develop their critical thinking and compassion while still holding fast to their values.
The event will connect these questions to the present day, sharing resources and strategies to help educators engage their students. We’ll demonstrate how to establish an open discourse with students to explore how they perceive and judge contemporary leaders, debates around monuments and institutions, as well as other social, political, and economic challenges. All this will be done with an eye toward helping students search for a meaningful line between human imperfection and actions that demand condemnation.
The conversation will equip educators with tools to navigate the complexities of history and its enduring influence on our culture, values, and public memory.

Youth as Partners in Civic Leadership Conference
2025-11-15 16:00 - 2025-11-17 12:00 (America/Chicago) | Upham Woods Outdoor Learning Center, N194 County Rd N, Wisconsin Dells, WI, 53703, United States
The mission of the Youth as Partners in Civic Leadership Conference (YPCL) is to advance youth voice in Wisconsin by increasing the capacity for youth and adults to share civic leadership in local communities, schools and organizations. We advocate for a youth voice and build mentoring, networking and learning opportunities.
Teams of high-school-age youth (ages 14-18) and adults (21 or older) sharing decision-making roles in communities, schools and organizations (19 to 20 year olds are also welcome but should register as adults.) Groups are limited to 10 people with the preferred ratio of 5 youth to one adult (at least two adults per group of ten).

60-Minute Civics: Who Decides What Patriotism Looks Like? Protest, Dissent, and the American Tradition
2025-11-20 18:00 - 19:00 (America/Chicago) | Virtual
An America 250 Webinar
In Partnership with the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation and the ASU Center for American Civics
Throughout American history, acts of protest have been hailed as patriotic by some and condemned as un-American by others. This session explores how the line between patriotism and dissent has been drawn (and redrawn) over time, inviting educators to help students examine how social movements, constitutional rights, and civic identity intersect in a democracy. This discussion will connect directly to We the People Unit 6.

Building a Brighter Tomorrow
2025-12-04 18:30 - 20:00 (America/Chicago) | Virtual
Join the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin for an in-depth conversation about how Wisconsin’s school funding system became one of the most inequitable in the nation, and what we can do to fix it.
This timely webinar will unpack the history, challenges, and future of education funding in our state, featuring insights from leading experts and local education leaders.
