Opening Question How did you experience democracy in your K-12 education?

What some teachers and students are saying about their civic learning today

Teachers told the Southern Poverty Law Center in 2016 that… The 2016 election is making children: “less trusting of government” “hostile to opposing points of view” “lose respect for the political process” And that 67% of students of color are afraid about the result of the election and what it means for them and their families

Are teachers teaching the election and issues surrounding it? In Oregon one school district has a “gag order” so teachers cannot discuss the election. In other states teachers are opting out on their own… “I have just stopped” Maryland “I refuse to teach it” California “I try not to talk about it” Hawaii “It is stressful for my students so I try not to bring it up.” Virginia

Abby Kiesa Tisch College of Civic Life Tufts University

What do we mean by civic education? Civic knowledge is deep, complex, applied Pedagogy should involve framing questions, deliberating solutions, experiencing actions Goal is to prepare for involvement in civic life, which includes: Analysis Discussion Strategies & Planning Collaboration Working on Actual Problems Reflection Taking Concrete Action Working Across Difference Building & Maintaining Civic Relationshi p

A bit about the current context Youth Civic Engagement Demographics Polarization of parties, processes & media Inequality Civic Life Transitions to On & Offline Trends within Education

How do these dynamics affect civic education? 24.8% of teachers thought that parents or other adults would object if politics was discussed in their government course

Existing state policies are inadequate State civic education course or test requirements do not affect: Youth Voter Turnout Political Engagement Political or Civic Knowledge HOWEVER… “Consequential tests” affect civic knowledge, but not voter turnout (Campbell, 2014) High quality classroom instruction predicts informed voting, but high quality doesn’t correlate with state laws

There continue to be unequal opportunities & outcomes…  Civics well-taught in some advantaged communities, but much less so in schools that serve low-income and minority youth  White, wealthy students are 4-6 times more likely to exceed “proficient” in civics  7% of low-SES students reached “proficient.”

Focus on High Schools helps to close registration gaps.

We are stuck despite dramatic changes in: Demographics Education Technology Electoral process Political parties and issues Media

We are stuck even though we know more about what works… Discussing current issues Service-learning addressing “root causes” Extracurricular participation Engaging in campaigns & elections

Exciting Civic Education Trends AP Civics as a deeper civics C3 Standards – preparation for informed engagement Gamified & Simulated civic learning experiences Learning by taking civic action; “Action Civics” Extracurricular & Out-of- School Time State policy Integration of civic learning in elementary grade reading Project-based assessments Application of knowledge to real- world problem

…but we need to keep in mind  High quality civics is rare and unevenly distributed across the socioeconomic spectrum  Underlying inequality is mirrored in the quality of civic learning, expanding the empowerment gap  Required course in civics usually don’t offer opportunity for deeper learning -- Especially weak political education

The Great Unawakening

Wait…what kind of crisis?

In addition to lack of knowledge… The 2014 youth turnout was historically low – year- olds voted in lower rates than they have since in 18 year olds got the right to vote!

Many states are acting to address the knowledge crisis Arizona and North Dakota have adopted the citizenship test as a requirement for a high school diploma; at least 15 other state legislatures and governor’s are considering the idea Florida added an end-of-course civics exam to 7 th grade – students took the test for the first time last year BUT…

What is a Knowledge Crisis? The ‘fact’ of a crisis relies on two ideas: – 1 st : We don’t know enough – 2 nd : The stuff we don’t know enough of is important Problem with 1 st idea: We know about as much as we have always known (going back to the early 60’s) Problem with 2 nd idea: Marbury v. Madison doesn’t come up in the real world that often

However… The idea of an information crisis is not altogether incorrect What students really lack is actionable information – information about current controversial issues, about the beliefs and values of political parties and candidates, and information about the levers of power

If information about stuff that matters… …is connected to the desire to take action (inspiration) and the skills and attitudes necessary to persist through obstacles (empowerment), you have… A highly engaged, responsible citizen

Stews of ideological sameness

6 promising practices in Civic Education that have been shown to turn these outcomes around: 1. Teaching Controversial Issues 2. Simulations of Political Processes 3. Participation in student governance 4. Teaching civics in k-12 education 5. Extracurricular Activities 6. Participation in community service

What systems would we need to influence? How do we support teachers doing this work? How do we support principals doing this work? How can we encourage school boards to forward this work? How can we encourage students to do this work?