The University of Iowa College of Law hosted the 2026 ACE Summer Fellowship Institute in July with the Alliance for Civic Education (ACE) of Iowa. The Institute is an annual three-day series of educational professional development for middle and high school social studies instructors.
ACE is a nonprofit non-partisan organization founded by Iowa Law professor Josephine Gittler, the Wiley B. Rutledge Professor of Law. In addition to founding ACE, she also organized and coordinated the Institute.
“Our democratic system of government depends upon an informed and active citizenry,” Gittler said. “Unfortunately, there is compelling evidence that all too many Americans, including Iowans, lack the knowledge of American government and history and the skills needed to carry out their responsibilities as informed and active citizens.”
To address this problem, ACE promotes civic education and engagement in K-12 public and private schools and in universities and colleges in Iowa, including the summer Institute, which featured presentations and discussions on topics related to civics education, as well as opportunities for networking and identifying instruction techniques, lesson plans and other teaching resources. Most of the fellows came from rural school districts where the need for professional development opportunities and mentorship is greatest.
Dean Todd Pettys opened the Institute with a welcome to the educators selected as fellows. He thanked them for their “efforts to think about how best to powerfully convey an important set of facts, values, and principles to the young people of our state.”
2026 marks an important year for American history and politics. As the country celebrates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Institute included sessions on teaching students about the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution.
The Institute also included sessions on the history of American voting rights and electoral processes in light of this year’s upcoming midterm elections. Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate was a featured speaker and presented on his office’s youth civic engagement programs and how to encourage eligible high schoolers to vote.
The Institute also highlighted the implementation of recent legislation that will require high school graduates to pass the U.S. citizenship civics test—an initiative led by Gittler and ACE.
Attendees said the Institute was a “very valuable experience” and “an honor to be a part of,” in post event-evaluations. During the event, fellows frequently mentioned how beneficial it was to interact with other similarly situated social studies educators and discuss solutions to overcome common challenges.
Recognizing the importance of civic education in rural schools, where there are few social studies instructors and generally more limited resources than in urban and suburban schools, the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation co-sponsored the Institute and provided a grant for the travel expenses of attendees from rural schools.