Law and Civics Reading and Writing Institute

Founded in 2010, Law and Civics Reading and Writing Institute  (LCRWI) is a solution-based, independent education think tank that conducts multidisciplinary research, application, evaluation, and advocacy on how children learn, birth through adolescence.

Our non-partisan think tank is especially committed to exploring this issue from the real-life experiences of our most vulnerable and disadvantaged children of color who have been placed at risk due to a host of circumstances. We use our own child and youth development research and the research of other institutions, to support schools, teachers, administrators, mentors, community residents, and policymakers. We provide best practices and common-sense solutions to educational challenges facing disadvantaged children, their families, and communities. 

Simply put, we bring people together to solve education challenges. We empower adults seeking to support children.

One of the many unique features of our education Institute is our community-engagement work of empowering adults with the knowledge, skills, and tools they need to support the children in their lives. We work tirelessly and very closely with parents, teachers, principals, and others to provide our most vulnerable children, a science-informed and world-class birth-8th grade education. 

COVID-19 Emergency Response Plan - Phase 1  

Since mid-March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has shaken many low-income African American parents and children to their core.  Generally, the parents and children we serve come from “hot spot” communities of color with the highest number of COVID-19 infections and death, and many have lost loved ones to the disease. In fact, in some low-resource communities, 60-70% of the COVID-19 deaths are African Americans. Phase 1 of our emergency-response plan for families in Thornton Township, Illinois, began in March 2020. In phase 1, we provided COVID-19 safety, wellness, and pre-k to 8th-grade supplement education resources to parents and families. From March thru July we provided:   

*     65 families (mostly essential workers) with pre-k to 8th-grade supplemental educational materials

*     45 parents “Ask the Medical Doctor” COVID-19 online live workshops on school reopening.

*    164 families with “Urgency of Now” surveys to assess their real-time COVID-19 safety and pre-k to 8th educational needs

*      29 parents with live online virtual learning math training workshops to support their children.

*      20 families with pre-k to 8th-grade boys of color COVID-19 social-emotional/mental health support listening sessions

Currently: COVID-19 Emergency Response Plan - Phase 2 (August 2020)

Phase 2 of the Emergency plan is called First Teacher First School. The program recognizes the close connection between the COVID-19 and the systemic American anti-black racism pandemics,  and provides wraparound and customized COVID-19 safety and supplemental pre-k to 8th-grade educational resources to over 160 families in the Township (note: However all Township residents received COVID-19 awareness and prevention updates on the Township's youth and family services web page).  The First Teacher First School program is based on the age-old truth that parents (often mothers) are children’s First Teachers, and children’s homes are their First Schools.  At our Institute, we firmly believe that to defeat the rapidly moving, unseen, and deadly COVID-19 virus parents must again come to see themselves as their child's first teacher and their home as their first school. School closings due to COVID-19 are forcing us to rediscover these ancient cultural traditions to save and grow our children, families, and communities.    First Teacher First School is built on these principles and practices. It asks parents in the program to envision a new future and build something new! We've started this program within Thornton Township (Illinois) and look forward to embedding this program within other communities across the country.