Civic Educators Conference

See photos of the conference.

Watch video of the conference.

The Center for Constitutional Studies (CCS) held its fall civic educators conference Oct. 7, 2025, at Utah Valley University.

Organized for fifth-grade and secondary-school teachers and those who support them, the conference’s theme was American Inheritance: Claiming the Declaration's Promise.

Teaching the rising generation was the primary focus of the conference, which was co-sponsored by the National Constitutional Center and Bill of Rights Institute.

Sessions considered the context and impact of moments in our nation's history, to include the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848, the buildup to the Civil War, the Lincoln–Douglas debates, and Martin Luther King's letter from Birmingham Jail.

Presentations highlighted the use of primary sources as teaching tools in the classroom, educator resources, and breakout groups.

Matthew Brogdon, senior director of UVU’s Center for Constitutional Studies, welcomed attendees to the conference and offered his perspective on its theme.

“Inheritance captures the complementary elements of being a self-governing people, having gratitude for what we have inherited, making an effort to preserve it for future generations, and heeding the moral imperative to improve it in needed ways.”

David Bobb, president of the Bill of Rights Institute, was the luncheon speaker at the conference.

Referring to CCS, Bobb praised CCS as “the finest university-based civics center in the nation. Its clarity of purpose and service to this state and community is unique and outstanding.”

And directing his attention to the teachers, Bobb said, “Thank you for making teaching your calling and for daily instilling the light of reason and the love of liberty.”

Bobb suggested that “the cornerstone of our society, the Declaration of Independence, has helped drive forces for change: abolition, women’s suffrage, and the civil-rights movement.”

Harking back to Martin Luther King’s 1963 March on Washington speech, Bobb asked in conclusion, “Can we complete the revolution of 1776? Is that how we understand the inheritance today. We’re not trying to change the nature of human beings, but we’re trying to put the principles of the Declaration into practice.”

 

• 8:30  a.m.  |  Welcome and Introduction | Clarke Building (CB) 101A

• 9:30  a.m.  |  Breakout Sessions  |  Using Primary Sources and Introduction
  • Fifth-Grade Teachers 
    • Lakeview Room | Fulton Library (FL) 428
  • Junior-High/Middle-School Teachers
    • Utah Valley and South (Alpine, Nebo, Orem, Provo, Sevier School Districts)  |  CB 509A
    • North (Box Elder, Davis, Ogden, Weber School Districts)  |  CB 510
    • Salt Lake Valley and Tooele (Canyons, Granite, Jordan, Murray, Salt Lake, Tooele School Districts  |  CB 511
  • High-School Teachers 
    • Salt Lake Valley Schools (Canyons, Granite, Murray, SLC School Districts)  |  CB 210A
    • Northern Utah County Schools (Alpine, Provo School Districts)  |  CB 310A
    • Jordan School District  |  CB 410A
    • Box Elder, Davis, Juab, Nebo, Ogden, San Juan, Weber School Districts  |  CB 409
• 11:20 a.m.  |  Lunch and Keynote Address   |  Young Living Alumni Center (YA) 125/126
  • David Bobb, Bill of Rights Institute, Saving Principles: The Declaration of Independence and the Struggle for Liberty and Equality for All
• 1:20 p.m. | Breakout Sessions  | Classroom Resources
  • Fifth-Grade Teachers  |  CB 512 
  • Junior-High/Middle-School Teachers  |  CB 510   
  • High-School Teachers  |  CB 511
• 3 p.m.  |  Closing Remarks and Book Distribution  |  CB 101A