Frequently Asked Questions

Civics 250 is a national initiative to reintroduce and reemphasize civics education in grades 6–12 across the United States, in honor of America's 250th anniversary in 2026. Built around the life and legacy of Senator Joe Lieberman, the program provides a four-module curriculum that teaches constitutional principles, civil discourse, and civic responsibility.

Civics education has been systematically deprioritized in American schools over the past several decades. Studies show that only 26% of Americans can name all three branches of government, and 57% of high school students cannot pass a basic civics test. Civics 250 was created to address this crisis — and America's 250th anniversary provides a powerful moment to act.

Civics 250 is a program of the Hidden Light Institute, the nonprofit organization founded to carry forward the legacy of Senator Joe Lieberman. The curriculum was developed by Dr. Katherine Bray Murphy, Chair of the Steering Committee, in partnership with YU Global, powered by Yeshiva University. The program is led by Laurie Beth Nichols, Executive Director of the Hidden Light Institute.

The four modules are: (1) Foundations of American Government — the U.S. Constitution, separation of powers, and the three branches; (2) Civil Discourse & Democracy — tools for constructive dialogue and respectful debate; (3) Civic Responsibility & Action — voting, community service, advocacy, and civic action projects; and (4) American Identity & Unity — shared values, diverse histories, and the promise of American democracy.

Civics 250 is designed for grades 6–12. The curriculum is differentiated to be appropriate for both middle school (grades 6–8) and high school (grades 9–12) students. Teachers can adapt the materials to their specific grade level and student population.

The documentary Centered: Joe Lieberman forms the instructional backbone of the Civics 250 curriculum. Each module uses specific scenes from the documentary as primary teaching anchors — bringing constitutional principles, civil discourse, and civic responsibility to life through Senator Lieberman's actual experiences and decisions. Teachers receive a complete scene guide with discussion questions and lesson plans for each clip.

Yes. Civics 250 is aligned to the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards (College, Career, and Civic Life), which is the national framework used by most states for social studies and civics education. We have also developed specific alignment guides for Florida, Connecticut, Colorado, Massachusetts, North Carolina, California, and Virginia. See our C3 Alignment page for details.

Schools can apply to join the Civics 250 Early Launch Program for the 2026–2027 school year. Early Launch Schools receive the full curriculum at no cost, professional development for teachers, ongoing support from the Civics 250 team, and recognition as founding partner schools. Applications are now open — visit our Early Launch Schools page to apply.

The Civics 250 curriculum is provided at no cost to Early Launch Schools for the 2026–2027 school year. This includes all four modules, teacher guides, student materials, access to the documentary Centered: Joe Lieberman, and professional development sessions.

All participating teachers receive comprehensive professional development, including an onboarding session before the school year begins, ongoing coaching throughout the year, and access to the Civics 250 educator community. No prior civics expertise is required — our professional development is designed to support teachers of all backgrounds.

The full four-module curriculum is designed to be taught over a semester (approximately 18 weeks), with each module taking 4–5 weeks. Schools can also choose to implement individual modules as standalone units. The curriculum is flexible and can be adapted to fit existing course structures in social studies, government, history, or English Language Arts.

You can reach Dr. Katherine Murphy at dr.kmurphy@gmail.com or Laurie Beth Nichols at lauriebeth@hiddenlightinstitute.org. For media inquiries, please use the same contacts. We aim to respond to all inquiries within 2–3 business days.