CEDAR FALLS, Iowa –  The University of Northern Iowa College of Education will explore how schools can strengthen civic literacy, civil discourse and student agency during the 2025 Bill and Linda Tubbs Teaching Connections. 

Open to practicing teachers, administrators, interested professionals and members of the UNI community, the free professional development event will be held Friday, October 31 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

This year’s conference, titled “Democracy in Education: Navigating Civic Responsibility and Policy in Education,” will have a special focus on new Iowa Social Studies standards, which now include a requirement for high school graduates to pass a U.S. citizenship civics test. 

“I am very excited about this year’s Tubbs’ event. We are hoping to have some real conversations about how educators can best prepare students for their civic responsibility to American democracy,” says Dana Atwood-Blaine, associate professor of elementary education and chair of the planning committee. 

Keynote speaker Beth Ratway, a principal technical consultant with American Institutes for Research, will address changing standards in her presentation: “Reimagine Standards for a Stronger Democracy:  Lessons Learned from Social Studies Standards Revisions.” Ratway is a former social studies teacher and consultant for the Wisconsin Department of Education. 

Following the keynotes, participants can choose from two sessions: Practical Applications, facilitated by Allison Rank, director of the new Center for Civic Education at UNI; and The Crisis of Democracy and Education Policy, facilitated by Scott Ellison, associate professor, College of Education. A closing Q&A panel and networking lunch conclude the day.

Registration is encouraged. The annual professional development opportunity is sponsored by a donation to the UNI Foundation from Bill and Linda Tubbs. This year’s event falls during UNI’s sesquicentennial celebration, highlighting the university’s 150-year legacy of preparing educators and strengthening Iowa’s schools.

#UNI150

If you need reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program/event, please contact Amy Curley at 319-273-3146 or coe-events@uni.edu prior to the event.