Skip to main content

The Citizen - January 2026

View More News

JANUARY 2026 | This Month's Featured Pillar: Educational Liberty

Ryan Owens, IGC Director
Ryan J. Owens, J.D., Ph.D. — IGC Director

Message from the Director

Welcome to the first edition of The Citizen, our monthly newsletter. 

The Institute is off to a strong start in 2026. We are building a new undergraduate degree program in Civics and Liberty Studies, recruiting faculty who can teach those courses, and hosting speakers and events to expose students to a wide range of serious ideas. We continue to survey the public on critical civic issues and to share our research with policymakers and the community.  

This month’s issue highlights educational liberty, one of the IGC’s four pillars of liberty. You will read about the millions of dollars we received in federal grants to conduct important research with real world implications. You will discover our plans to engage K-12 students with American history and foundational texts, and our expanding research agenda in education policy. As always, you can learn more about our efforts by visiting igc.fsu.edu.

We thank you for your support and remain committed to forming effective citizens and responsible leaders in 2026.

 

Educational Liberty Branch Updates

James Shuls
James Shuls, Ph.D. — Educational Liberty Branch Head

$4.6 Million in Federal Grants to Improve Civic Literacy

The IGC has secured $4.6 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Education to advance innovative civic education across Florida.

The first award, $1.7 million over three years, supports Founding Voices, an immersive civics initiative for middle school students. Through 100 in-school seminars featuring live and AI-generated historical interpreters, the program will reach up to 40,000 students and teachers, bringing founding-era debates and documents into today’s classrooms while supporting large-scale, rigorous research on civic learning.

The second award, $2.9 million, funds FIREWORKS250, a partnership with FSU’s Florida Center for Reading Research. The initiative integrates evidence-based literacy instruction with civics content drawn from primary sources and is aligned to Florida’s fifth-grade standards and the nation’s Semiquincentennial.

Together, these grants advance the IGC’s mission to strengthen educational liberty and prepare citizens equipped to sustain our republic. As part of FIREWORKS250, the IGC will host a 2026 Summer Symposium welcoming nearly 200 teachers to Tallahassee for a focused exploration of America’s founding principles under the theme “We Hold These Truths.”

 

Announcing the IGC’s K–12 Teacher Fellows

We're excited to announce the selection of three outstanding K-12 Teacher Fellows funded through the $1.7 million Founding Voices grant from the U.S. Department of Education. These dedicated civics educators bring deep expertise, classroom excellence, and a shared passion for bringing America's founding principles to life for middle school students. As fellows, they will contribute to seminar development, teacher resources, and the project's immersive experiences—helping form the next generation of informed citizens.


Danielle Kerr is a dedicated middle school educator with 13 years of experience teaching 7th grade civics at Florida State University Lab School. Named her district's Teacher of the Year in 2019, she has presented at statewide conferences on innovative civics practices and is an active member of the Florida Teacher Lead Network. “Civics is not just a subject to be learned, but a living practice—one that becomes more powerful when students recognize their role within it.”


Elizabeth Shannon has taught civics for 15 years at Sarasota School of Arts and Sciences (Sarasota District), where she has taught 7th and 8th grade Civics, Speech and Debate, US History, World History, and ELA/Reading. As Gulf Coast Ambassador for the Florida Civics and Debate Initiative, she coaches speech and debate and helps students find their voice through civil discourse. She loves blending civics with the arts: “Civics and the Arts go hand in hand in defining humanity's journey in creating a community we can all call home.”


Sherry M. Lawrance, Ed.S., brings 26 years of teaching experience and a lifelong passion for history to Deerlake Middle School (Leon County), where she teaches middle school social studies. A three-time FSU graduate, she earned her social sciences certification later in her career and was selected this past summer as a Civics Education Ambassador for the National Archives—honoring her commitment to helping students grasp history, government, and citizenship.


These fellows exemplify the excellence we're building through Founding Voices. Welcome aboard—we're thrilled to partner with them to make founding-era ideas vibrant and relevant in Florida classrooms!

 

What's Happening at the IGC

Research: From Principle to Practice: Civic Knowledge, Free Speech, and Tolerance at Florida State University

Read More

 

Event on 2/10: How Lobbyists Increase Healthcare Costs

Register

 

Event on 2/12: Special Event with U.S. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon

Register

 

Event on 2/23: LIVE Podcast with Sara Isgur and David French

Register