Strengthening civics, history and media literacy teaching

As they prepare to enter civic life, K–12 students are being asked to make sense of an information environment that is faster, more fragmented and more difficult to navigate than ever before.

That makes civics education and media literacy increasingly inseparable as students learn to  understand the issues shaping their communities, along with the ability to evaluate information, consider multiple perspectives and determine how they can participate.

Project ACCLaIM —  Advancing Civics Curriculum Learning through Instructional Microcredentials  —  was developed to address this need through professional development for educators. The $1.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education funded the project as  350 teachers learned to design classroom lessons, schoolwide initiatives and community-based civic engagement projects, indirectly reaching more than 9,000 students. 

The project, which is concluding in September, has been led by Arizona State University researchers from the Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning; the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication; and the School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies It also directly addresses one of the key findings in a recent nationwide survey of district leaders on civics learning that connects professional learning to civics education.

“Teachers are asking for guidance on how to make civics relevant and actionable in their classrooms,” says Lauren Harris, professor of history education with the MLFC and SHPRS. “Project ACCLaIM was designed to meet that need so that students can develop a foundation to evaluate information and engage in productive civic dialogue.”

Professional learning that puts civics into practice

Legislators and education leaders across the political spectrum have called for civics instruction that is more accessible, student-centered and connected to real-world issues. So have district leaders, according to a research partnership into civic learning by RAND and MLFC’s Center on Reinventing Public Education.

One way ASU faculty are addressing this need is through an Arizona-wide initiative around student participatory budgeting, which connects K-12 students with projects at their schools to foster a deeper understanding of how systems work and their part in it (read the ASU News story).  Another way is through educator professional development, as identified in a recent RAND and CRPE report, “A Mile Wide, an Inch Deep: The State of Civic Learning in U.S. School Districts.”

Through guided professional learning, Project ACCLaIM provided a foundation for educators to integrate civic learning across subject areas. Some of the lesson frameworks they developed included:

• A first grade research project on the ways that public participation influenced how transportation evolved in the United States. 
• An eighth grade mock election planned and run by students.
• A project to engage elementary schools in researching and developing a plan to engage school community members to install a cold-water fountain on campus.
• A high school psychology project in which students created mental health awareness social media campaigns.

From their participation in the initiative, teachers also created lessons focused on evaluating news sources, investigating historical events from multiple perspectives, discussing difficult public issues and helping students understand how social media and artificial intelligence shape the information they encounter.

Research-based approaches to preparing educators

The project’s faculty leads brought their own research expertise to guide the project’s course development as well as assessment.

For example, Harris’ research and teaching have long centered on the relationship between historical understanding, civic identity and classroom discussion. Her scholarship has explored how educators approach difficult histories. She became the primary editor of “Teaching Difficult Histories in Difficult Times: Stories of Practice,” a book that brings together educators’ experiences teaching subjects that can be challenging for both teachers and students. 

This insight contributed to the development of Project ACCLaIM as civics discussions often involve the same complexities. In both cases, educators are seeking guidance in how to create a space for multiple perspectives while establishing norms that allow students to develop and refine their thinking. 

Faculty and leadership with ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication also contributed to the project by sharing their expertise in evaluating where information comes from, how it is sourced and evaluating alternative viewpoints as part of civic participation.

Educators report increased knowledge and effectiveness

A post-course survey found strong professional learning results: 99% of enrolled teachers reported that they increased their knowledge of the topics taught, and 91% reported being more effective in teaching history, civics and media literacy after taking the courses.

MLFC’s Leanna Archambault’s research background in preparing educators for online and blended environments also contributed to how the online professional learning courses were developed. “We designed the course sequence to support educators and also to deepen our understanding of how online learning can make high-quality professional development more accessible and scalable,” Archambault says.

The nine courses were designed with assessments embedded throughout the sequence. Teachers who completed the instructor-facilitated sequence could also apply nine credits towards MLFC’s Master of Arts degree in education. The courses continue to be available online or for districts to organize cohorts through the ASU Professional Educator Learning Hub.

Project ACCLaIM was recognized with MLFC’s 2026 Principled Innovation Faculty Award, and is helping to shape ongoing research and advancements in the field of civics education and micro credentials. An upcoming paper on the topic will be presented by project leads at the annual meeting of the National Council for the Social Studies: College and University Faculty Assembly in Chicago in December, 2026.

“When teachers have the resources and frameworks to guide these conversations, civics becomes much more than an abstract principle and creates the conditions for students and our wider society to thrive” says Harris.

Recognitions

Project ACCLaIM ASU faculty leads are MLFC professors Lauren Harris and  Leanna Archambault. Project ACCLaIM team members include Lindsie Spengler, MLFC clinical assistant professor; Tara Bartlett, Principled Innovation Fellow with the ASU Office of University Affairs; Celeste Sepessy, assistant teaching professor at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication; Kristy Roschke, formerly with the Cronkite School; and James Dupey, SHPRS clinical associate professor.