About & Workgorups

Past: 2025 MiCivics Summit Information

The

MiCivics Coalition

The 2026 Civic Education Summit

Tuesday, March 10th, 2026

with pre-conference sessions possible Monday, March 9th

Host: Upshur Institute for Civic Education at

Eastern Michigan University

Call for Proposals and Registration Up August 2025

because nourishing the roots of democracy requires all of us


Purpose

Like the tree of 40 fruit, each one of us has our unique expressions within our democracy. Our goal as a society and as a coalition, is to ensure the health of the tree. A tree can only flourish when its roots are firmly planted - for us that means rooted in principles of Constitutional democracy with as many opportunities to practice the skills and dispositions. Understanding multiple perspectives come together to nourish the soil of democracy.

Desired Future State

The MiCivics Coalition desires a future where every person has the learning opportunities, skills, and pathways to meaningfully participate in civic life. The Coalition cultivates civic education champions in all communities for a more robust and vibrant civic society.

Evolution

Michigan’s future is a reflection of what we teach and what civic education opportunities exist today. That sentiment brought numerous concerned individuals together to begin dialogue on Michigan’s civic future.


Starting with dialogue, interviews, focus groups, and collaboration, the group began to identify itself as the MiCivics Coalition. The evolving vision of the MiCivics Coalition is to create a Michigan where every person has the opportunities, knowledge, and skills to participate meaningfully in the civic life of their communities. To do so, the group concentrates on three working areas: education, outreach, and policy. The MiCivics Coalition seeks to cultivate civic education champions in the State of Michigan and empower them to act towards the vision of a more robust and meaningful civic experience for our students.


At the same time as Michigan’s intentional collaboration and cooperation was developing steam with additional partners and goals, CivXNow was concurrently creating its own coalition work at the national and state levels to support civic education goals. MiCivics has continued to grow with support of CivicXNow field work. Supporting listening tours and collective cooperation, the Coalition seeks to continuously grow in scope, representation, and reach.



Summit

Summit

MiCivics Coalition Workgroups

Education Outreach Policy

Mission



Goal



Action Steps

Mission



Goal



Action Steps

Mission



Goal



Action Steps

The 2025 Civic Education Summit

Cultivating Civic Champions: Advancing Civic Curiosity & Joy

Summit

Friday, March 14 | 9am-3:45pm

Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum & Foundation

303 Pearl Street NW, Grand Rapids MI 49504


Julia became one of the co-founders of the Boggs School and, later,

the principal after spending her adolescence and young adulthood

under the mentorship of James and Grace Boggs and the other

influential founders of Detroit Summer. Here she found a passion for

a thriving Detroit community for children and an understanding that

we must be the leaders we are looking for.

In addition to her role at the Boggs School, Julia also sits on the Great

Lakes Stewardship Initiative board. She is a proud Detroiter and a

graduate of Detroit Public Schools. She received each of her degrees

from local universities: a bachelor's degree in English from Michigan

State University, a master's degree in liberal studies from the

University of Detroit-Mercy, and a master's degree in education and

teaching certification from Wayne State University. She was

incredibly honored in 2019 to be a keynote speaker at the annual Rev.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Symposium at the University of Michigan.

You can find her speech on the Boggs School website.


You can learn more at www.boggsschool.org




Julia Putnam

Co-Founder and Principal

The Boggs School, Detroit

Summit

The 2025 Civic Education Summit

Cultivating Civic Champions: Advancing Civic Curiosity & Joy

Friday, March 14 | 9am-3:45pm

Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum

The 2025 Civic Education Summit

Cultivating Civic Champions: Advancing Civic Curiosity & Joy


Friday, March 14, 2025 | 9am-3:45pm


Logistics

The Meeting The Venue The Menu The Seating The Parking The Lodging

Friday, March 14

Registration Opens
8:45

Opening Session

at 9am

Gerald R. Ford

Presidential
Museum &
Foundation


303 Pearl St NW

Grand Rapids, MI

49504


Registration:

DeVos Learning
Center Lobby



Please park in front of
the Museum.


Parking at both facilities
is free, and accessible
parking spaces are
located in both the
main and over-flow
parking lots.

AM

Coffee, Muffins,
Danishes, Scones


Lunch

tbd

DeVos Learning
Center


Snacks

Summit

Listening Tour Findings

Summit

Understanding the Civic Education Michiganders Want


Throughout 2022, MiCivics Coalition members began a series of 8 listening tours through Upper and Lower Michigan. Future plans are to expand the scope in order to hear from all Michiganders about their preferred civic futures.

Greater emphasis and resources for teaching state, local, and community civics and provide more local civic engagement opportunities.


Significantly greater financial investment in civic education and civic communities with a focus on those areas identified here.

Greater investment in K-8, especially K-5 civic knowledge. Reimagine embedding all other disciplines through a strong civics lens.

Preliminary Data & Outcomes - Pathways for the Future of Civic Education These trends emerged which provide opportunities to operationalize the needs of Michiganders.

The five emerging themes are:


Greater breadth and depth of teacher, administrator, and community civics knowledge, practices, and engagement.

Greater emphasis on place based and experiential learning to bring civics to life and to demystify political participation.

Summit

Civic Learning Week Recognition

The MiCivics Coalition Partners

Summit

Coalition partners pledge to ensure that every person acquires the civic knowledge, skills, and behaviors necessary for informed, authentic, and engaged civic participation. Organizational or individual participation in the coalition at large should not be construed as participation in all of these functions. Rather, organizational or individual membership denotes support for these overall goals and are willing to lend their affiliation to visibly demonstrate their support for the mission and vision of the MiCivics Coalition. Below are the current members to the MiCivics Coalition!

Learn more about the organizations supporting the coalition nationwide here.

The MiCivics Coalition Partners

Summit

Individual Partners

  • Hon. Lisa Babcock, 54b District Court Judge

  • Hillary Baker, Director of Instruction, Board Member MCCE

  • Fatima Bolyea, Attorney, Washington Twp.

  • Kevin Boyd, Teacher, Calumet

  • Fawn Cameron, Durand

  • Helen Craig, Social Studies Consultant

  • Elizabeth Donovan, EMU College of Engineering & Technology

  • Linda Doornbos, Oakland University

  • Aaron Grenier, Teacher, Fowlerville

  • Shannon Headley, Teacher

  • Thomas Heasley, Teacher, Farmington Hills

  • LaNiece Jackson, Teacher, Flint

  • David Johnson, Instructional Consultant, Northern Michigan Learning Consortium

  • Kimberly Jones, Director of Innovative Inclusion, Board Member MCCE

  • Marsha Lewis, Administrator, Detroit

  • Rita Lockridge, Retired Teacher, Oak Park

  • Brian Long, Teacher

  • Kevin Lorentz, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Freeland

Coalition partners pledge to ensure that every person acquires the civic knowledge, skills, and behaviors necessary for informed, authentic, and engaged civic participation. Organizational or individual participation in the coalition at large should not be construed as participation in all of these functions. Rather, organizational or individual membership denotes support for these overall goals and are willing to lend their affiliation to visibly demonstrate their support for the mission and vision of the MiCivics Coalition. Below are the current members to the MiCivics Coalition!

Individual Partners

  • Collene McCormack, Ludington

  • Angelo Moreno, East Lansing Public Library

  • Bill Ormerod, Teacher, Clarenceville

  • Susan Palmiter, MDE

  • Kim Pittel, Teacher

  • Eric Roberts, Law Student, MCCE Board Member

  • Doug Ross, Detroit

  • Jennifer Rumschlag, Teacher

  • Kim Saks, University of Michigan - Flint

  • Tamara Schreiner, GVSU

  • Tina Tait, Teacher, Detroit

  • Karen Twomey, Teacher, Bloomfield Hills

  • Jeanne VanLaan, Teacher, Washington Twp.

  • Ryan Werenka, Teacher, Troy

  • Kymberli Wregglesworth, Teacher, Onaway

  • Kelly Young-Raymore, Teacher, Bloomfield Hills

  • Ellen Zwarensteyn, Grand Rapids

Summit

The MiCivics Coalition has formed to fuel Michigan where every person has the opportunities, knowledge, and
skills to participate meaningfully in the civic life of their community.

Recognizing that preparing our youth to assume the responsibilities and understand their rights as active
participants in the civic life of this great nation is essential to the health of our democratic republic, the MiCivics
Coalition pledges to help every K-12 school in Michigan to fulfill their historic and vital civic mission.

Coalition members pledge to ensure that every person acquires the civic knowledge, skills, and behaviors
necessary for informed, authentic, and engaged civic participation.


Agree with the mission?


Join now!!

Contact - coalition@miciviced.org


Support - reach out to support the
coalition’s collective impact