Many wonderful people already are working towards this goal, but they need real help and public commitment.”ĬivXNow, a project of iCivics, has taken up that call to carry on her most important work and greatest legacy – restoring the vital civic mission of schools. Now, we got public schools in this country to begin with. To achieve this, I hope that private citizens, counties, states, and the federal government will work together to create and fund a nationwide civics education initiative. SANDRA DAY O’CONNOR: I had become increasingly concerned in recent years about the lack of civics education in our nations schools. “I made a commitment to myself, my family, and my country that I would use whatever years I had left to advance civic learning and engagement… It is my great hope that our nation will commit to educating our youth about civics, and to helping young people understand their crucial role as informed, active citizens in our nation. When Justice O’Connor retired from public life in October 2018, she made a passionate appeal for the next generation of leaders to take up the cause of ensuring quality civic learning becomes a reality for all: So, in 2009, Justice O’Connor founded iCivics with the goal of transforming civic education for every student in America with innovative, truly engaging games and resources. Where it was taught, it was often dry and uninspiring. She discovered that civic education had been disappearing from curricula across the country for decades. Over the course of her career, Justice O’Connor grew concerned about a growing lack of understanding about our system of government and the disengagement that inevitably follows. 614.387.9254 Ohio Supreme Court’s Civic Education Program named 2021 Sandra Day O’Connor Award recipient Williamsburg, Va. Editor’s update: Our Courts was later renamed iCivics. Recently, the Arizona native has been promoting her newly published children’s book and her Our Courts project, a website designed to boost interest in civics education. Supreme Court by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, she became the first woman to serve on the nation’s highest court. An aspiring cattle rancher as a child, Justice O’Connor went on to forge a legal career at a time when few women did, serve in all three branches of Arizona state government, and become the first woman to serve on the United States Supreme Court. Since Justice Sandra Day O’Connor retired from her seat on the Supreme Court in 2006, life’s been busy. The Sandra Day O'Connor Award for the Advancement of Civics Education is named after the retired Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
When Justice O’Connor retired from the Supreme Court in 2006 after nearly 25 years on the bench, her exemplary career was already the embodiment of civic engagement and the American pioneer spirit.