Nearly 100 Alabama Educators Attend Inaugural Summer Civics Seminar at Jax State

07/13/2026

Week-long professional development program equips teachers with nationally recognized civic education resources and classroom strategies 

JACKSONVILLE - Almost 100 elementary educators from across Alabama gathered at Jacksonville State University June 14-19 for the inaugural Summer Civics Seminar, a six-day professional development program designed to strengthen civic education in classrooms throughout the state. 

Hosted by Jax State's Center for Leadership and American Principles, the seminar brought together teachers representing 74 public and private schools for presentations and discussions led by nationally recognized scholars, civic education organizations, and experiential learning opportunities focused on American history, government, and constitutional principles. Participants earned a combined 5,446 hours of professional development credit during the week.  

The seminar is part of a three-year initiative supported by a $2.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education, making Jax State the only institution in Alabama to receive funding through the American History and Civics Seminars Program. 

Throughout the week, participants learned from 23 speakers and session leaders representing 18 institutions and organizations from across the nation, including iCivics, the National Constitution Center, Thinking Nation, and the Center for American Civics.  

Faculty experts traveled from universities including Arizona State University, the University of Florida, Florida State University, the University of Missouri, the University of Tennessee, and several other institutions to share research, teaching strategies, and classroom resources.  

The seminar also extended beyond the classroom. Participants traveled Alabama's Civil Rights Trail, visiting the Freedom Riders National Monument in Anniston and the Legacy Museum sites in Montgomery to connect historical events with modern civic education. 

In addition to in-person programming, Jax State livestreamed 13 seminar sessions through Zoom, reaching educators beyond campus with more than 21 hours of content and generating more than 107 hours of participant engagement. Organizers also conducted more than 20 interviews during the week for a documentary being produced in partnership with Longleaf Studios.  

"What we accomplished in a week is going to provide years of dividends for the civic spirit and health of Alabamians across the state," said Dr. Benjamin Gross, director of Jax State's Center for Leadership and American Principles. "I had teachers tell me this was the most meaningful professional development in their lives. Content experts, who plan their own academies, told me our event is the new gold standard. We are leading the civics renaissance in Alabama; with further support, my team could be a national leader." 

For Olivia Novak, program specialist for the Center for Leadership and American Principles, the greatest reward was seeing months of planning translate into meaningful experiences for teachers. 

"It was a tremendous blessing to witness the first Summer Civics Seminar come to fruition," Novak said. "Even more rewarding than seeing our hard work come to life was hearing the gratitude of our participants and learning about the impact the seminar had on them. Throughout the week, many people shared how much they enjoyed the content, how personally meaningful it was, and how excited they were to bring what they learned back into their classrooms."  

Alexis Paige, program coordinator for the Center for Leadership and American Principles, said participant feedback confirmed the need for continued investment in civic education. 

"So many of our attendees shared that this was among the best conferences they had ever attended and that they felt reinvigorated as they prepared to return to their classrooms," Paige said. "The success of the seminar shows the real hunger our community has for civics education and the meaningful role Jacksonville State University can play in strengthening civic learning for teachers and students across Alabama. The 2026 Summer Civics Seminar may have come to a close, but the work we are doing is just beginning."  

Following the success of the elementary seminar, Jax State will continue its summer civic education programming by hosting a Summer Civics Symposium for middle and high school educators, further expanding the university's statewide efforts to strengthen civic learning.