- UVU's Center for Constitutional Studies hosts a program for K-12 educators.
- The program enhances constitutional literacy, featuring scholars from Oxford and judges.
- Participants learn to integrate constitutional knowledge into classrooms, fostering student empowerment.
OREM — A program at Utah Valley University is teaching K-12 educators more about history and how to successfully bring that knowledge back to their classrooms.
The Center for Constitutional Studies is an academic center at Utah Valley University, established by its former President, Matthew Holland and UVU professor Rick Griffin.
The center aims to increase constitutional literacy in a nonpartisan manner both throughout Utah and nationally. This Monday through Friday, the academic center hosted an annual event at UVU called the Constitutional Literacy Institute program.
The program brings teachers together who are from Utah and across the nation for five days with one goal in mind: to equip K-12 educators with the skills and knowledge they need to effectively teach their students the U.S. Constitution. Each teacher who takes part in the program applied to be a part of it.
"We bring together scholars from our center, and actually from around the country, and then from the University of Oxford, as well as judges and others who work in the constitutional space," said Scott Paul, the executive director of the Center for Constitutional Studies at UVU.
The professors teach K-12 educators everything from separation of powers to federalism to theories of constitutional interpretation and more to help them in their curricula.
Throughout that time, the teachers are also trained how to use a research platform, the Center for Constitutional Studies, which is being developed with Pembroke College at Oxford University, called the Quill Project.
After the teachers absorb all that graduate-level knowledge, they then learn how to bring the wisdom back to the classroom to their own students.
"We step back and we bring in our colleagues from the UVU School of Education, from BYU School of Education and then some very seasoned veteran teachers who come in, and they help the teachers understand how to take that substance from the morning and adapt it to their classroom," Paul said.
One reason why the program and other programs like it are so important is because social studies teachers have limited opportunities for professional development compared to other teachers, Paul said.
Chris Taylor, a history teacher at Bonneville High School, followed in his mom's footsteps when he came to Utah for college to become a teacher.
"My mom was a teacher, although she taught elementary school ... bless her heart," Taylor said, laughing. "I've always just liked working with kids, and I always thought that history was important."
Taylor was one of the teachers who attended the 2026 Constitutional Literacy Institute program. He said when he told his friends that he was going to a "history camp" for a week, they asked him why he would do that when he's already studied the documents he would learn about.
"I think it's great to come here and hear from a broad spectrum of people that know a lot more than I do," Taylor explained. "Just to hear their perspective and how they go about teaching it or how we can apply this to students and connect it to various other documents and moments in time."
Taylor added that it's good to recognize that people are always in a state of learning and can always better understand documents.
"You can never stop learning," Taylor said.
Norma Johnson is the department chair of history at the Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy in Rockville, Maryland. She's been working there for 33 years and decided to visit Utah for the Constitutional Literacy Institute program.
While she's always looking for opportunities to learn more about the Constitution and civics, she said she was curious to find out how people in the West taught civics.
"Pleasantly, I'm really thrilled. I think that it's scholarly," Johnson said when asked if Utah taught civics in a different way. "It's done with great intent with a lot of foresight into the topics."
At the end of the day, Johnson said she felt the lessons she learned during her time with the program at UVU taught teachers how to think deeply, gave the educators different perspectives and offered time for group conversations to learn more.
As the Constitutional Literacy Institute program celebrated its seventh year running, it was also the same year America celebrated its 250th anniversary. Johnson explained why it's so important nowadays to give students and teachers a better constitutional understanding.
"It's the whole ballgame," Johnson said. "Studying the Constitution is where it is. It has to be."
Johnson explained how she felt this year has been the best year to teach civics and government because of America 250.
"I am feeling very optimistic about the next generation, because they are attentive," Johnson said. "They see big issues. They see big problems, and they are feeling, I like to believe, a little empowered."
Johnson said she hopes that empowerment is coming from the support, skills and knowledge history teachers are giving the students.
While the teachers enjoyed their time at the the Constitutional Literacy Institute program, for Paul, the week of the program is his favorite time of the year.
"(I get to work) with people who want to be there," Paul explained. "They love their craft. They love the subject matter, and they're committed to doing what they do better. The passion and enthusiasm that they bring to this week, it's infectious. It's so invigorating."
As a parent to four kids who are coming through Utah public schools, Paul said the program helps to bring hope to his world, because of the educators who are committed to helping the next generation do better.
"In a time when there's a lot to be discouraged about," Paul explained, with visible emotion, "in our country, and in our government, this week gives me hope."
