News & Events
News & Updates

In the News
January 16, 2025
Poll: Voters seek overhaul of Congress for a stronger democracy

In the News
How to Fix America's Two-Party Problem
Source:
New York Times

Press Release
October 23, 2024
Tacoma, Washington Joins Our Common Purpose Communities Project

In the News
September 27, 2024
To save our democracy, fix our civic culture
Source:
The Seattle Times

Press Release
September 26, 2024
Academy Releases Roadmap for Fortifying Civic Culture

Academy Article
March 29, 2024
Helping to Build Demand for National Service

Academy Article
January 2023
Our Common Purpose - Reflections at the Midpoint

In the News
December 21, 2023
American democracy is cracking. These ideas could help repair it.
Source:
Washington Post

In the News
November 21, 2023
David Souter showed the Supreme Court how to free itself from politics
Source:
Washington Post

In the News
November 7, 2023
Massachusetts should move local elections to even-numbered years
Source:
Boston Globe

Academy Article
October 26, 2023
Event Celebrates and Considers New Publication on Supreme Court Term Limits

In the News
October 25, 2023
Law360: New Report Champions Term Limits For Supreme Court.
Source:
Law360

In the News
October 25, 2023
Bipartisan Legal Scholars Urge Supreme Court To Impose 18-Year Term Limits
Source:
Forbes

In the News
October 25, 2023
US Judge, Scholars Urge Supreme Court Term Limits in Bipartisan Push
Source:
Reuters

Academy Article
October 5, 2023
General Mattis, Civics Education, and National Security

In the News
September 27, 2023
Danielle Allen on PBS NewsHour: I’m asking the American people to claim their power.
Source:
PBS NewsHour

Academy Article
August 14, 2023
Our Common Purpose Inspires Conversation Series at Ohio Senior Center

In the News
May 23, 2023
We Hit Rock Bottom on Civics Education. Can we Turn it Around?
Source:
Washington Post

In the News
May 3, 2023
Eric Liu on NPR: We Need to Create a Culture of Connection
Source:
NPR

In the News
April 26, 2023
The next level of AI is approaching. Our democracy isn't ready.
Source:
Washington Post

In the News
April 23, 2023
Is the House "the body of the people?"
Source:
MSNBC

In the News
April 15, 2023
Pros and Cons of Expanding the House
Source:
Congressional Digest

In the News
April 14, 2023
Danielle Allen on The Ezra Klein Show: Democracy is the work of restoring power sharing
Source:
New York Times

Bulletin
Online

In the News
February 28, 2023
The House was Supposed to Grow with the Population. It didn’t. Let’s fix that.
Source:
Washington Post

In the News
February 16, 2023
Opinion: Ranked-choice voting is the right choice to advance democracy in Montgomery County

Academy Article
February 10, 2023
Discussing Democracy and Civic Renewal in Arizona: Flinn Foundation Hosts

Academy Article
December 19, 2022
Academy Hosts Conference on Reinventing Democracy at the Local Level

Press Release
December 9, 2022
The Our Common Purpose Communities Project Launches: Lexington, Kentucky Inaugurates National Initiative

Academy Article
Democracy was a Big Winner in the Midterms

In the News
KET Interview with Renee Shaw

Academy Article
October 27, 2022
Statement Issued in Advance of Midterm Elections

In the News
October 25, 2022
See how your votes aren’t equal
Source:
CNN

Academy Article
October 21, 2022
Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship Returns to Lexington, Kentucky

In the News
October 13, 2022
It shouldn’t matter so much whether Elon Musk buys Twitter
Source:
New York Times

Bulletin
What Does It Mean to be an American? Reexamining the Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship

In the News
How social media has undermined our constitutional architecture
Source:
The Washington Post

In the News
Connecting Communities: Libraries as Invisible Infrastructure
Source:
NLC - National League of Cities

Academy Article
A Convening on the Power of Civic Infrastructure: A Community Solution with National Potential

Bulletin
Reckoning with Organizational History

Press Release
President Jimmy Carter Joins Majority of Americans in Supporting a Proposed U.S. Constitutional Amendment to Address Election Spending

In the News
Should we expand the House of Representatives? The Founders thought so
Source:
The Hill

In the News
How to boost voter turnout to nearly 100 percent
Source:
The Boston Globe

In the News
Philanthropy Can Help Build a Thriving Democracy by Building Up Programs and Places That Fuel Civic Involvement
Source:
The Chronicle of Philanthropy

In the News
December 9, 2021
One way to reform the House of Representatives? Expand it.
Source:
Washington Post

Academy Article
Developing a Youth Agenda for American Democracy

In the News
Use infrastructure dollars to support our democracy
Source:
The Hill
Press Release
OCT 27, 2021
German-American Dialogue on the Political Responsibility of Universities

In the News
Political Polarization, Civility, and Deliberative Democracy: A Conversation with Carolyn Lukensmeyer
Source:
Then & Now (podcast)

In the News
Biden will host an international summit on ‘democratic renewal.’ He should start at home.
Source:
The Washington Post

In the News
Advice to Leaders on Strengthening Civic Culture & Trust in Government
Source:
Federalism.US

Bulletin
A Conversation with Architect Jeanne Gang

Bulletin
Empathy and Our Future

In the News
Museums Can Renew America Through the Semiquincentennial
Source:
American Alliance of Museums

In the News
Joint Series on Public Governance and Civic Engagement
Source:
National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA)

Press Release
APR 19, 2021
Academy Receives $1M Grant from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund to Strengthen Democracy

In the News
Cochairs Call for Expansion of U.S. ‘Civic Infrastructure’
Source:
The Harvard Crimson

In the News
Danielle Allen on achieving democracy’s ideals
Source:
Democracy Works (podcast)

In the News
AmeriCorps service nurtures professional development, civic duty
Source:
The Baltimore Sun
Academy Article
MAR 16, 2021
On the Passing of Stephen D. Bechtel, Jr. (1925-2021)

Press Release
Feb 22, 2021
Academy Announces Largest Gift in its History, $10 Million Gift from David Rubenstein

Bulletin
Does Meritocracy Destroy the Common Good?

Bulletin
Online

In the News
The Ambitious Plan To Save Democracy
Source:
Moderate Party (podcast)

In the News
No More Normal: Our Common Purpose
Source:
KUNM

In the News
To Thrive, Our Democracy Needs Digital Public Infrastructure
Source:
Politico

Academy Article
Message from Our Common Purpose Cochairs Celebrating Election Workers

In the News
Pulling Our Politics Back from the Brink
Source:
The New Yorker

In the News
Opinion: There is no more important step in Biden’s first 100 days than this
Source:
CNN Opinion

In the News
Democratic Citizenship at the Chicago Humanities Festival
Source:
Chicago Humanities Festival

In the News
Heintz Joins Panel on Strengthening U.S. Democracy
Source:
Council on Foreign Relations

In the News
Vote for president and the Senate. But pay attention to these reforms on state ballots, too.
Source:
The Washington Post

In the News
Meet the reformer: Sterling Speirn, promotor of 31 fix-the-system ideas
Source:
The Fulcrum

In the News
Make the Supreme Court Less Political. Put Term Limits on Justices.
Source:
Real Clear Policy

In the News
OCT 2020
America’s Plastic Hour Is Upon Us
Source:
The Atlantic

In the News
Amanpour and Company features Our Common Purpose
Source:
Amanpour and Company

In the News
A Playbook for Regaining Our Common Purpose
Source:
The Art of Association

In the News
The justices themselves can turn down the heat — by creating their own term limits
Source:
The Washington Post

In the News
Revitalizing Democracy During COVID-19 and Beyond
Source:
AMA Journal of Ethics

In the News
Our Towns: Three Guides to the Next America
Source:
The Atlantic

In the News
Why on this Fourth of July, America urgently needs to reinvent itself again
Source:
USA Today

In the News
Commentary: Fixing Democracy
Source:
Daily Yonder
In the News
WRONG WAY?
Source:
Anniston Star (Alabama)

In the News
The radicalism of the American Revolution — and its lessons for today
Source:
Vox

In the News
For Philanthropy to Achieve Its Goals, Democracy Must Work
Source:
The Chronicle of Philanthropy

In the News
Tech companies are finally being shamed into action
Source:
The Washington Post

In the News
Why Coronavirus Is an ‘Existential Crisis’ for American Democracy
Source:
Politico

In the News
Rebuilding Trust in American Democracy
Source:
BYU Radio

In the News
NPR On Point: Reimagining Democracy for the 21st Century
Source:
On Point, National Public Radio

In the News
Etats-Unis : du « besoin urgent » de réinvention
Source:
Le Monde

In the News
Democracy, Citizenship, and Community
Source:
VISION | Knight Foundation

In the News
Here are a whole bunch of good ideas to reform our democracy
Source:
The Washington Post

In the News
Trust In American Institutions Has Been Dropping For Decades
Source:
NPR

In the News
Study commission calls for constitutional amendment limiting influence of money on elections
Source:
Augusta Free Press

In the News
The Work of Democracy Starts Right Here
Source:
The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, WA)

In the News
We seek reforms to policing. But something even deeper needs repair.
Source:
The Washington Post

In the News
Amid inequality and polarization, how can we strengthen American democracy?
Source:
PBS NewsHour

Press Release
A Plan to Reinvent American Democracy for the 21st Century: Responding to a Nation in Crisis

In the News
America’s neck is broken. We can survive, but we have to act.
Source:
The Washington Post

In the News
The situation is dire. We need a better normal at the end of this — and peace.
Source:
The Washington Post

Bulletin
21st Century Democracy in Practice

In the News
Get the Government You Want By Getting Involved
Source:
‘Llero

In the News
Do Americans want impeachment proceedings? It’s the wrong question to ask.
Source:
The Washington Post

In the News
We Need Civics Education in Schools to Build Effective Democratic Citizens
Source:
The Washington Post

In the News
What Makes a True Patriot
Source:
CBS News

Bulletin
How to Make Citizens
Habits of Heart and Mind, a guide to fortifying civic culture, was launched at an event featuring Ben Klutsey, Eric Liu, and Natalie Tran in conversation with incoming Academy president Laurie Patton. The event and publication are online.