Sandra Day O'Connor Institute outlines teacher training and student programs to strengthen civics instruction

Liam Julian, chief of programs and public policy at the Sandra Day O'Connor Institute, told commissioners the institute is focused on three pillars—civics education, civil discourse and civic engagement—and is expanding teacher professional development and student programs aimed at improving civics instruction.

Julian said civics teaching declined after the 1960s, as controversy and curricular priorities pushed the subject from many classrooms. "More than 85% of the teachers that we surveyed said that fear of controversy in their civics classroom was a primary challenge to them teaching civics," he said.

To address that, Julian described a multi-pronged approach: week-long Constitution deep-dive seminars for teachers in partnership with the National Constitution Center and university faculty, an online training series that demonstrates how veteran teachers handle controversial topics and Camp O'Connor, a week-long middle-school civics experience in Phoenix that combines field trips, experiential learning and student-run campaign exercises.

Julian also described a new civics community app for ongoing adult learning and an Ambassadors program for high-school students. He said the institute aims to ground lessons in primary sources to lower rhetoric'driven heat and give teachers practical tools for classroom dialogue.

Representative Owen and other commissioners praised the programs and discussed state efforts such as Louisiana's own "freedom framework" for K'12 social-studies standards, which presenters said might offer opportunities for coordination.

No formal action was taken on the presentation.