A number of organizations are leading the way to producing the next generation of civics instruction. iCivics, founded by Justice O’Connor, offers web-based education projects and an array of interactive games and activities that students can use in class or at home. Students can assume the role of a Supreme Court justice and help decide a school dress-code case. Or they might learn how a new immigrant becomes a U.S. citizen by guiding them through the naturalization process. iCivics also provides outlets for students to engage in real-world civics efforts and support community projects founded by their peers from across the country. Students continue to need opportunities to learn and experience civics in their offline communities as well. When Education Secretary Arne Duncan was CEO of the Chicago Public Schools, he worked closely with the Mikva Challenge, which seeks to move beyond your grandmother’s civics to what it calls “action civics.” Unlike most traditional curriculum, the Mikva Challenge teaches civics not only through classroom instruction, but through experiential involvement. They place high school students in Chicago polling places, have them volunteer in political campaigns, host candidate forums, and advocate on student issues with local politicians. Students learn a timeless lesson: Civics prepares them to participate in collective action with a public end. While civics education needs to be reinvigorated and updated, its mission remains largely unchanged. The founders, from George Washington to Thomas Jefferson, understood that informed citizens were a bulwark against tyranny and vital to a functioning democracy. When the founding fathers exited Independence Hall after drafting the Constitution, a woman asked Benjamin Franklin, “What have we got—a republic or a monarchy?” “A republic,” Franklin replied, “if you can keep it.” (via iCivics: Sandra Day O’Connor and Arne Duncan on Civics Education Online – The Daily Beast)