This award was established by The Missouri Bar Advisory Committee on Citizenship Education in order to recognize outstanding contributions by Missouri's teachers, administrators and/or schools to citizenship education efforts in the state.

Importance of Citizenship Education

For a democracy to survive, its citizens must possess, at the least, an understanding of the laws and the structure of its government. For a democracy to thrive, its citizens must possess a commitment to improve their communities and nation. Citizenship education develops the nation's potential while enriching the lives of Missouri's students.

Award

Winners of the E. A. Richter Award for Excellence in Citizenship Education will be acknowledged in various ways. The winner(s) will be recognized before their local school boards or at other appropriate local school functions. The winner(s) will receive complimentary copies of all The Missouri Bar's law-related education materials. The winner(s) will also be recognized at The Missouri Bar's Annual Statewide Spring Conference for Educators. In addition, The Missouri Bar will nominate the winner(s) for participation in an all-expense paid national law-related education program.

Eligibility

All public, private and parochial schools within the State of Missouri are eligible for the award. Self-nomination is highly encouraged. The E.A. Richter Award is an excellent opportunity for teachers to showcase their law-related efforts and to have their hard work and creativity recognized. Nominations will be accepted in either of two categories:

(1) Individual - nominations of individual teachers and/or administrators; or

(2) Team/School - nominations of teams of teachers and/or administrators, schools or school districts as a whole.

Two winners - one from each of these two categories - will be selected from nominations received.

Entry Rules

All nominations must include the following:

(1) A 3-page summary (maximum) of citizenship programs and activities directly involving the nominee(s).

(2) At least 2 letters of recommendation or support. One letter must be from the nominee's principal or other school administrator. If the nominee is an administrator, one letter must be from a school board member. Other letters may come from colleagues, lawyers who have worked with the nominee's program, parents or other people in the community.

(3) Other relevant materials in support of the nomination, or documentation of the program's effectiveness, such as curriculum guides, lesson plans, newspaper articles about the program, and photographs of the program event's.

Judging

Nominees will be judged on the basis of the following criteria, as supported by materials submitted with the nominations:

(1) Law-Related Education Content The citizenship education principles which the nominee integrates into the curriculum;

(2) Leadership - The extent to which the nominee involves other members of the school community in citizenship education;

(3) Innovation - The extent to which the nominee develops or utilizes new citizenship education programs; and

(4) Community Involvement - The extent to which the nominee involves individuals from outside the school in citizenship education, such as judges, lawyers, law enforcement officers, parents and other community leaders.

A subcommittee of The Missouri Bar Advisory Committee on Citizenship Education will review all applications and the accompanying support materials. The subcommittee will then recommend one winner in each of the two categories, with the full Advisory Committee on Citizenship Education officially selecting the winners.

Note: The application process for the E.A. Richter Award is ongoing. Selection for a particular calendar year will be made from applicants received by February 15 of that year. Non-winning applications will be retained and re-considered for the next year's award.