Rendell Center moves to Penn
Two public-policy centers in the Philadelphia region are joining forces with the goal of improving civics education in schools. The Rendell Center for Civics and Civic Engagement, created in 2013 in collaboration with the National Constitution Center, has relocated from Arcadia University in Glenside to the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, the institutions announced Wednesday.
Two public-policy centers in the Philadelphia region are joining forces with the goal of improving civics education in schools.
The Rendell Center for Civics and Civic Engagement, created in 2013 in collaboration with the National Constitution Center, has relocated from Arcadia University in Glenside to the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, the institutions announced Wednesday.
The Rendell Center, a nonprofit led by Judge Marjorie O. Rendell of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, develops civics lessons for lower grades, while the Annenberg Center has worked with middle and high schools.
"We at Penn are honored and delighted to partner with the Rendell Center," Penn president Amy Gutmann said in a statement. "The center's goal of buttressing a robust civics education for young people aligns beautifully with the ideals of Penn's founder, Benjamin Franklin, and mirrors the university's own long-standing commitment to civic engagement."
Rendell, who cofounded the center with her husband, former Gov. Ed Rendell, said she also was pleased with the move.
"I'm looking forward to working with the Annenberg Public Policy Center to have an even greater impact on civics education," she said in a statement.
The center is developing a civics curriculum, "We the Civics Kids," currently being tested, and sponsors an essay-writing program for fourth and fifth graders.
Arcadia and the Constitution Center will continue to be involved with the center, the institutions said.
