At its June 26 meeting, the Sacramento County Board of Education presented the inaugural Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) Civic Learning Champion Award to Linda Reed, a long-time San Juan Unified School District educator. The new SCOE award celebrates those who contribute to civic education in Sacramento County.
Reed has been the coordinator of the Academia CIVITAS honors program at Rio Americano High School for more than 25 years. The four-year program provides students with advanced and specialized social science education, plus an enriched sense of citizenship. Reed has dedicated her education career to ensuring students have a strong understanding of government and civic institutions, as well as ample opportunities to become civically engaged in their communities.
Academia CIVITAS is well-respected, having earning the Civic Learning Award of Excellence through a program led by the Chief Justice of the California Courts of Appeal and the State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Only three California schools earn the award each year.
David W. Gordon, Sacramento County Superintendent of Schools, called Reed the perfect individual to receive SCOE’s inaugural Civic Learning Champion Award. “Linda Reed is an excellent educator, equally passionate about her students’ success in academic and civic life. She is loved and admired by her students and held in the highest regard by her colleagues,” he said.
As part of SCOE’s Action Civics Initiative, Reed served as a team leader and helped plan and deliver professional development to teachers participating in the initiative. Her deep connections to civic institutions in Sacramento have greatly contributed to the success of the Action Civics Initiative.