The EAD-CLP Network

The Education for American Democracy Community Learning Partners (EAD-CLP) Network is a collaborative initiative composed of more than 300 informal educators in museums, libraries, and historic sites across the country that aims to strengthen civic learning and education in the United States. The network focuses on integrating civic practices, skills, and content into museum interpretations and encourages participation in summits and surveys to gather insights and plan future events. With the EAD roadmap (described below) as a guide, the EAD-CLP Network represents field wide commitment to educating for American democracy and the importance of civic education in fostering informed and engaged citizens.

Museums and historic sites form a uniquely powerful yet often underutilized part of our national civic learning infrastructure. Monticello is proud to serve as the host of EAD's Community Learning Partners network.

Educating for American Democracy (EAD) is an unprecedented effort that convened a diverse and cross-ideological group of scholars and educators to create a Roadmap to Educating for American Democracy— guidance and an inquiry framework that can be used to transform teaching of history and civics to meet the needs of a diverse 21st century K–12 student body. Launched in 2021, EAD is a call to action to invest in strengthening history and civic learning, and to ensure that civic learning opportunities are delivered equitably throughout the country. Learn more on the EAD website.
- To explore the roadmap's overarching civic history questions, request an EAD inquiry deck.
Community Learning Partners (CLP) are informal learning organizations like museums, libraries, historic sites, humanities councils, and community centers of various kinds that educate K-12 students, classroom teachers, families, and community members outside of a classroom or formal learning setting. The CLP does this work through public programs, professional learning initiatives, online resources, and exhibitions, among many kinds of learning tactics. We do this through quarterly network calls and conference meet ups and by developing resources like the Inquiry Decks that make the roadmap accessible to a wide array of practitioners.

EAD-CLP Network Tools

Community Learning Partners (CLP) Task Force, 2026*

The EAD-CLP Network is overseen by a task force, whose members meet monthly and serve on working groups to strengthen the EAD-CLP network, develop tools to create easy access to the EAD roadmap, and promote the roadmap as a key strategy for integrating civic learning into their work. This committee operates under the EAD Steering Committee, which is made up of the project's primary investigators, including Monticello CEO Dr. Jane Kamensky.

CLP Task Force Members
Sarah Jencks (Chair)		Civic Partnerships Fellow, Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello Principal, Every Museum a Civic Museum, Washington, DC
Tess Benoit		Director of Programming, History Co:Lab, Winston-Salem, NC
Val Brown		Chief Education and Strategic Partnerships Officer, Levine Museum of the New South, Charlotte, NC
Heather Bruegl (Oneida Nation of Wisconsin)		Curator of Political and Civic Engagement The Henry Ford Museum of Innovation, Dearborn, MI
Brandi Burns		Director of Education and Outreach, Utah Historical Society, Mill Creek, UT
Gerrie Bay Hall		Assistant Vice President, Education, Intrepid Museum, New York, NY
Leslie Hayes		Vice President of Education, The New York Historical, New York, NY
Kaitlin Holt		Associate Director and Head, Center for Educators and Schools, New York Public Library, New York, NY
Zerah Jakub		Senior Manager of Education Operations, George Washington’s Mount Vernon, Mount Vernon, VA
Lynda Kennedy		Vice President, Education & Evaluation, Intrepid Museum, New York, NY
Carrie Kotcho		Assistant Director, Education and Experience, National Museum of American History, Washington, DC
Erin Carlson Mast		President & CEO, Lincoln Presidential Foundation, Chicago/Springfield, IL
Heather Nice		Executive Director of Strategic Projects and Partnerships, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Williamsburg, VA
Justin Reid		Civic Partnerships Fellow, Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, Charlottesville, VA
Madeleine Rosenberg		Director of Research and Strategic Initiatives, American Association for State and Local History
Rebecca Theobald		Associate Research Professor, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs Founder and Director, GeoCivics, Colorado Springs, CO
Sadie Troy		Director of Education, Adams Presidential Center, Quincy, MA
Hayley Tucker		Senior Director, Museum Learning, Please Touch Museum, Philadelphia, PA