Florida - Thursday March 23, 2023: The first 4,500 teachers have completed the Civics Seal of Excellence endorsement course and will receive a $3,000 bonus. The course and awards highlight the state's continued commitment to expanding civics education in Florida schools.
Governor DeSantis made the announcement Thursday during a news conference in Orange Park.
“The US has had a civics education crisis for many years, so Florida has stepped up for our students,” said the Governor. “Boosting civics education and engaging our students is the best way to preserve the constitutional foundations that our country was built upon. These $3,000 bonuses provide a strong incentive for Florida teachers to put in the time necessary to take our civics course and earn the Civics Seal of Excellence.”
The Civics Seal of Excellence endorsement was launched in January of this year and more than 10,000 teachers registered for the course in the first week it was open. The Civics Seal of Excellence is a 50-hour endorsement program available to Florida teachers as part of Florida’s Civic Literacy Excellence Initiative.
Enrollment for the course is at capacity with 20,000 teachers making their commitment to civics education, and there are additional 14,000 teachers on the waiting list for this first of a kind civics teacher professional development program.
To learn more about civics education initiatives in Florida, click here.