Virginia Commission on Civics Education Tackles Full Agenda

~Group met at the Virginia State Capitol on October 2, 2012~

~Chairman Rich Anderson and Commission finalize plans for 2012 Virginia Civics Summit~

RICHMOND – Del. Richard L. Anderson (R-Prince William), chairman of the Virginia Commission on Civics Education, presided over the group’s fourth quarter meeting on Tuesday, October 2nd, at the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond.  Commission members from around Virginia gathered to consider a full agenda and to complete plans for the 2012 Virginia Civics Summit to be held at the Capitol on November 8th. 

The Commission, created by an act of the General Assembly in 2005, consists of 19 members appointed by Gov. Robert F. McDonnell, Speaker of the House William J. Howell, and the Rules Committee of the Virginia Senate.  Six members are elected members of the General Assembly and 13 members are citizens who have an interest or affiliation with civics education in Virginia schools.

The mission of the Commission is threefold:  To educate students on the importance of citizen involvement in a democracy, to promote the study of state and local government, and to enhance communication among organizations that conduct civics education.

At the just-completed meeting, the Commission agreed to meet with officials of the Virginia Department of Education to discuss possible revisions to the course content of government classes.  Additionally, the group plans to discuss with Department of Education representatives a proposal that teacher education curricula include a unit on state and local government.

A major milestone was completed during the meeting by finalizing the agenda for the 2012 Virginia Civics Summit to be held on November 8th at the Virginia State Capitol.  This annual event, sponsored by the Civics Commission, brings together teachers from across Virginia who have an interest in civics education and have incorporated its study in their local classes.  This year, the Summit will focus on a study of the Virginia judicial system and will feature a lecture and discussion by Virginia Supreme Court Justice Bill Mims.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Del. Anderson stated that “I was pleased by the way in which my fellow Commission members tackled our agenda, and I look forward to the Civics Summit in Richmond next month.  I hope that we have a high participation rate among Virginia teachers, which has been the norm in prior years.  I especially hope that we will again have a number of teachers from Prince William County and other Northern Virginia locations.”