By: Maddie Schwarck

Iowa Public Radio hosted Josephine Gittler, the Wiley B. Rutledge Professor of Law at the University of Iowa College of Law, on a recent River to River segment. 

The episode discussed a new Iowa law Gittler drafted and the state legislature adopted that requires high school students to pass a U.S citizenship civics test. Gittler has long championed the need for stronger civic education and advocates for this work through the Alliance for Civic Education of Iowa (ACE), which she founded and leads. 

The recent segment also features 9-year-old Henry Menniga and his mother, Molly. The pair highlighted a national recognition Henry received for promoting voter education and community service. Iowa State University’s Karen Kedrowski and Kelly Shaw also introduce the Center for Cyclone Civics, a new initiative to boost civic engagement on campus. 

Listen to the full episode.