#Sandra day o connor icivics free#

This experience solidified my belief that iCivics is a program that can make a substantial impact on civics education,' said Alaina Smith, a Baylor Law student. 'This spring, when the Baylor Law Rep Program was developed, I served as a Baylor Law Rep in a fifth-grade class in Waco I.S.D. As part of a particular iPlan, the Law Rep may lead the students through the process of debating a law or writing to their member of Congress. During this program, the Baylor Law Reps lead the students through an 'iPlan,' an interactive lesson plan that corresponds to the particular iCivics game that the students are scheduled to play that day. From September 2011 through mid-April, more than 550 students in 19 Waco and Midway ISD schools have 'played' one of the iCivics' games twice a week. Inspired by O'Connor's request, Baylor Law School used 25 Baylor Law student volunteers, called Baylor Law Reps, who go into Waco and Midway classrooms to lead the 'iEngage in iCivics' program. Baylor Law School and Baylor School of Education immediately began working on the iCivics program, forming a strong partnership with Waco and Midway independent school districts and developing The Baylor Model. O'Connor tasked Baylor Law School with developing a model that incorporates Baylor Law students into the iCivics classrooms, while the Baylor School of Education conducted research on the overall effectiveness of the iCivics program. At that event, Baylor President Ken Starr and O'Connor discussed various ways in which Baylor University could get more involved in iCivics.

The Baylor partnership came about in 2011 at an iCivics dinner in Austin sponsored by Baylor Law School and facilitated by Wendy May, Baylor Law alumna and iCivics Texas State Coordinator.

#Sandra day o connor icivics free#

In addition to the web-based games, iCivics includes free lesson plans, discussion forums, webinars and student data tracking. The iCivics project includes 16 online games on a wide variety of topics, from immigration issues in 'Immigration Nation' and constitutional law issues in 'Do I Have a Right,' to local government issues in 'Counties Work,' among others. She talked about iCivics, a revolutionary internet-based, interactive method of teaching civics developed under her leadership, and the research project Baylor Law School and Baylor's School of Education undertook to discover the program's impact on civic learning. Supreme Court, visited Baylor University and Baylor Law School. This past spring, O'Connor, the nation's first woman to serve on the U.S. 'They didn't just say it was good they gave it rave reviews, said it was incredible, that it's engaging, that the kids really learn.'īaylor Law School will continue to introduce the iCivics program in local schools this fall. 'Baylor (Law School) did a study: They put iCivics to use in a lot of schools in Texas for about three months,' O'Connor told the magazine. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor talks about Baylor Law School and its work with her iCivics program.

In this week's Parade Magazine retired U.S.