CIVICs 250 Scholars

What is CIVICs 250 Scholars?

Through funding by the Department of Education, the Democracy and Public Policy Network at Bowling Green State University is creating learning communities to establish learning communities among K-12 educators across the region over the next three years focused on developing and strengthening American history and civics education. Each cohort will consist of approximately 35 teachers who will receive year-long training and gain expert insight from BGSU faculty to establish learning communities in their districts, culminating in a one-week summer seminar on campus to further hone their lessons and skills.

Through the learning communities, the Democracy and Public Policy Network will help Ohio's K-12 teachers develop lessons and resources focused on the nation's foundational principles, including the ideas, traditions and institutions essential to understanding American government and history. Teachings will focus on America's founding documents, including the Declaration of Independence, the Federalist Papers, the anti-Federalist Papers, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, while also bringing in knowledge of lesser-known documents to broaded the scope of participating teacher's ability to educate their students.

2026 Scholars Information

Scholar Benefits

• 6 CEU Credits (60 Contact Hours) from Bowling Green State University
• $500 Stipend and $100 travel stipend upon satisfactory completion of the program
• VIP Access to BGSU on-campus programming, including BGSU Day of Dialogue, Leadership Luncheon and others

Important Dates

The 2026 BGSU CIVICs 250 Scholars will take place from February, 2026-June, 2026, with some additional follow-up during the 2026-2027 school year. The time requirements include participating in monthly virtual meetings in February-May, as well as a week long Seminar in June. The dates/times are listed below:

Collaborative Virtual Learning Session Dates

• February date TBD 7:00-8:30pm
• March date TBD 7:00-8:30pm
• April date TBD 7:00-8:30pm
• May date TBD 7:00-8:30pm

Virtual links for each session will be sent out prior to each meeting. 

BGSU CIVICs 250 Scholars Seminar

This week-long in-person learning will be located on the campus of Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH. More details will be shared with the participants as the Seminar approaches.

• June 1-5, 2026, 8:30am-4:00pm each day, lunch provided :)

Other Requirements

CIVICs 250 Scholars should prepare for each virtual meeting by completing any questionaires as well as a short amount of pre-reading materials. Participants should come ready to discuss questions and have collaborative conversations with colleagues about the discussion topics.

Throughout the Seminar week, participating teachers will also be preparing 3-5 lessons that will be used with their students during the 2026-2027 school year. These lessons should be based on material learned throughout their participation time, and teachers will be asked to follow up on these lessons several times during the 2026-2027 school year. More guidance will be given as the learning community begins. 

Application Process

We are now accepting applications for our 2026 CIVICs 250 Scholars. Interested teachers should fill out the short application by January 28th, 2026. Notifications of acceptance will be sent out by the week of February 2nd, 2026. 

Any questions about the application or the program itself can be directed to our Program Manager, Kristin Schnerer. Her email is knschne@bgsu.edu