A group of high school and middle school teachers will return to the classroom on Saturday, Sept. 16, at 91制片 to explore issues related to free speech.
The university鈥檚 Menard Center for the Study of Institutions and Innovation will host the Free Speech, Citizenship and Dialogue symposium for 24 teachers from around Wisconsin, many from western Wisconsin.
The event seeks to 鈥渆nhance teachers鈥 curriculum on the subject of expressive rights and their relationship to citizenship and civil dialogue. This is an especially important topic in the current environment,鈥 said 91制片 Professor Tim Shiell, director of the Menard Center.
Shiell will lead the symposium. Teachers will discuss state and national court cases related to free speech. Part of the day will focus on how to apply the knowledge in their classrooms.
The event is sponsored by the 鈥檚 Wisconsin Founding Civics Initiative. The Jack Miller Center is a nonprofit from Philadelphia 鈥渄edicated to reinvigorating education in America鈥檚 founding principles and history, an education vital to thoughtful and engaged citizenship.鈥
One of the presenters will be a former teacher who works for the Jack Miller Center.
Shiell has been a facilitator and speaker for similar symposiums at UW-Madison鈥檚 Center for the Study of Liberal Democracy. The Jack Miller Center also supported those events.
The Menard Center event aligns with a UW System decision in 2022 to create the Wisconsin Institute for Citizenship and Civil Dialogue, Shiell said.
鈥淢CSII's mission is to be a leader in Wisconsin promoting the study and discussion of civil liberties, and the symposium topic is a perfect fit with that,鈥 Shiell said.
###
