Application Period is Closed
Award Announcement: May 1 (Law Day)
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Norte Vista High School is in Riverside, CA
California's Civic Learning Awards
Since 2013, the Civic Learning Awards program has recognized achievements in K-12 public schools across the state. The award is co-sponsored by Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero and the State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond.
Anaheim Union High School District produced this video of Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero and State Superintendent Tony Thurmond visiting John F. Kennedy High School in Orange County for the presentation of the Award of Excellence.
These awards are made possible with support from the California Lawyers Foundation.
All honorees receive artwork to produce banners, posters, and social media posts. Schools of Excellence receive their recognition in person by the Chief Justice. The State Superintendent attends when his schedule permits and invites Schools of Excellence and Distinction to the California School Recognition Program Awards Ceremonies in the spring.
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Judicial officers present awards of Distinction, Merit, and Honorable Mention during Constitution Month.
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Scoring Applications
The Power of Democracy selects a panel of 12 volunteers to score applications. All identifying information is redacted before being shared with the panel. Before applications are forwarded to panel members, fictitious names replace the school name, mascot, county, district, and other identifying details.
A team reviews each application. The team scores are then averaged. In the event of a tie, bonus point credits are added to determine the level of honor. The finalists are presented to the Chief Justice and SSPI for approval.
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Ways to Score Big!
Judges want to see:
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an overall commitment from school administrators. Support from the District also makes an impression.
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examples of student-led activities
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measures outlined in the narrative that describe the before and after
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overcoming obstacles
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efforts that are innovative or non-traditional
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connections to the State Seal of Civic Engagement
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connections to the California courts
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engaging with the surrounding community--with parents, businesses, and local government
These awards celebrate students who know their role in society, and their responsibility to uphold their democracy. By high school, this knowledge is practiced in service learning, and by identifying issues and working to resolve them. Because this is hard to portray in writing, video applications are encouraged.
The Emeritus Award for Civics was created in 2025 to honor and recognize schools with a long-standing, exceptional commitment to civic education. This award celebrates those who have consistently demonstrated the highest standards in promoting civic knowledge, engagement, and responsibility among students over an extended period.
Its purpose is to:
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Acknowledge Sustained Excellence: It highlights schools or programs that have shown enduring dedication to civics education, not just through individual achievements, but through a sustained institutional culture of civic learning.
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Inspire Others: By showcasing exemplary models, the award encourages other schools and educators to elevate their own civic education practices.
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Preserve Legacy: It ensures that the contributions of pioneering or veteran civics programs are formally recognized and remembered, especially as educational trends evolve.
In short, the Emeritus Award for Civics was created to celebrate institutions that have not only excelled in civics education but have also set a standard of excellence over time that others can look to as a guiding example.
Six Proven Practices for Civic Education
Schools honored with this award most often submitted applications highlighting one or more of these practices. These practices are contained in the K-12 Task Force for Revitalizing Civic Learning (PDF)
PROVEN PRACTICE #1: Provide Instruction in Government, History, Law and Democracy.
Formal instruction in U.S. government, history, and democracy increases civic knowledge. This is a valuable goal in itself and may also contribute to young people’s tendency to engage in civic and political activities over the long term.
However, schools should avoid teaching only rote facts about dry procedures, which is unlikely to benefit students and may actually alienate them from politics.
PROVEN PRACTICE #2: Incorporate discussion of current local, national and international issues and events into the classroom, particularly those issues and events that young people view as important to their lives.
When young people have opportunities to discuss current issues in a classroom setting, they tend to have greater interest in politics, improved critical thinking and communications skills, more civic knowledge, and more interest in discussing public affairs out of school. Conversations, however, should be carefully moderated so that students feel welcomed to speak from a variety of perspectives. Teachers need support in broaching controversial issues in classrooms since they may risk criticism or sanctions if they do so.
PROVEN PRACTICE #3: Design and implement programs that provide students with the opportunity to apply what they learn through performing community service that is linked to the formal curriculum and classroom instruction.
Service programs are now common in K–12 schools. The ones that best develop engaged citizens are linked to the curriculum:
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Consciously pursue civic outcomes, rather than seek only to improve academic performance or to promote higher self-esteem
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Allow students to engage in meaningful work on serious public issues; give students a role in choosing and designing their projects
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Provide students with opportunities to reflect on the service work
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Allow students—especially older ones—to pursue political responses to problems consistent with laws that require public schools to be nonpartisan
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See service learning as part of a broader philosophy toward education, not just a program that is adopted for a finite period in a particular course
PROVEN PRACTICE #4: Offer extracurricular activities that provide opportunities for young people to get involved in their schools or communities.
Long-term studies of Americans show that those who participate in extracurricular activities in high school remain more civically engaged than their contemporaries even decades later. Thus, everyone should have opportunities to join high school groups, and such participation should be valued.
PROVEN PRACTICE #5: Encourage student participation in school governance.
A long tradition of research suggests that giving students more opportunities to participate in the management of their own classrooms and schools builds their civic skills and attitudes. Thus, giving students a voice in school governance is a promising way to encourage all young people to engage civically.
PROVEN PRACTICE #6: Encourage students’ participation in simulations of democratic processes and procedures.
Recent evidence indicates that simulations of voting, trials, legislative deliberation, and diplomacy in schools can lead to heightened political knowledge and interest.