On March 31, 2022, Cesar Chavez Day, the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) launched the LACOE Civic Engagement Recognition Program and announced criteria and guidance for awarding a LACOE Certificate of Civic Engagement to Los Angeles County students in grades 5 and 8.

By launching this important new program on Cesar Chavez Day and shortly before Dolores Huerta Day (April 10), LACOE promotes the spirit of Sí, Se Puede and empowers students through civic learning and civic action.

Research shows that students who have been educated in civics are more likely to vote and to be actively engaged in public life and their community. The LACOE Civic Engagement Recognition Program is designed to recognize and celebrate civic engagement of students in elementary and middle schools across Los Angeles County and help equip them with the skills they need for thoughtful and lifelong civic engagement

Just as the State Seal of Civic Engagement is issued by the California Department of Education to eligible high school students, the LACOE Civic Engagement Recognition Program provides pathways for students to acquire the knowledge, skills and dispositions of good citizenship beginning in kindergarten.

Like the State Seal, the LACOE Civic Engagement Recognition Program encourages districts to recognize civic engagement of young people. The program serves as a pathway for the students to earn the State Seal.  More importantly the program prepares students for civic life as a continuum throughout their K-12 education. 

Our students deserve a rich understanding of our nation’s past and its civic structures in order to become informed, responsible, actively engaged citizens throughout their lives,” said nationally recognized civics expert Dr. Michelle Herczog, who leads the Center for History-Social Science Education at LACOE. “This program will provide a pathway for students to receive an enriching and transformative civics education beginning in Kindergarten.

The program is led, facilitated, and overseen by the Center for History-Social Science Education in the Division of Curriculum and Instructional Services. 

Districts in Los Angeles County are invited to participate in the program by reviewing the LACOE K-8 Civic Learning Pathways to the State Seal of Civic Engagement criteria and identifying students in grades 5 and 8 who have met the criteria. 

In this Civic Learning Pathways document, a link to the online submission form is included to gather contact information from the District’s elementary/middle school sites and a list of students who should receive the LACOE Certificate of Civic Engagement.