Sandra Day O'Connor to discuss civics education at UF's Bob Graham Center

September 7, 2011

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who since her retirement from the bench has built a new legacy in teaching civics education using digital games, will speak on Sept. 12 at the University of Florida’s Bob Graham Center for Public Service.

O’Connor will discuss her groundbreaking work to advance civics education in Florida across several platforms, including a successful venture developing cutting-edge, digital civics games for young students. She will be joined by former Florida governor and U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, who has worked closely with O’Connor in the creation of a civics curriculum for middle and high school students in Florida.

This event will begin at 6 p.m. in the University Auditorium, and is free and open to the public. No backpacks or large bags will be allowed. Television cameras, microphones and flash and candid photography will not be permitted.

In 2006, Graham and former U.S. Rep. Lou Frey launched a pioneering effort to improve civics education in Florida. O’Connor joined their effort and in 2010, the Justice Sandra Day O’Connor Civics Education Act was passed into law.

This piece of legislation requires that beginning in 2012-2013 Florida middle school students must take one semester of civics. The new law also requires civics-related content be taught in the language arts curriculum of all grade levels beginning with the 2011-12 school year.

As part of these efforts, O’Connor has been a key promoter of iCivics, a web-based project that uses game play to teach middle school students about civic engagement. The online games, which can be accessed at www.icivics.org, are built around issues such as the national budget and explore how the three branches of government function in a democracy. O’Connor became involved with the project because of her concern that civics education was faltering due to poor materials and support in many classrooms across the nation.

“We got public schools in this country to begin with because of the concern about the need to teach young people how to be good citizens,” O’Connor told PBS last year.

“In recent years, the schools have stopped teaching [civics] and it’s unfortunate. Half the states no longer make it a requirement to get out of high school, if you can believe it. It’s really a remarkable withdrawal from the very purpose we had originally for public schools.”

This event will also be streamed live on Sept. 12 from the Bob Graham Center Web site, www.bobgrahamcenter.ufl.edu.

O’Connor will also be speaking at the Phillips Center for Performing Arts at 10 a.m. Sept. 12 as part of the UF Levin College of Law’s Allen L. Poucher Legal education series. O’Connor will join a panel to discuss judicial reform.

O’Connor had served in a variety of legal, legislative and executive posts in Europe, California and Arizona before President Ronald Reagan nominated her to the Supreme Court. She took her seat Sept. 25, 1981. She retired from the Supreme Court on Jan. 31, 2006.