Month: March 2024

New Research Provides K-12 Civic Education Insights

Posted on by Luke O'Connor

Released at the Civic Learning Week National Forum in Washington, D.C., new research shows the need to provide more robust civic learning opportunities in high school, the positive effects of students openly discussing civic and political issues, the effect of legislation on teachers and students, and the need for more civic role models.

Leading researchers today released new analyses that indicate areas of focus for the expansion and improvement of K–12 civic education. This includes more robust civic learning opportunities in high school, the positive effects of students openly discussing civics and political issues, the effect of legislation on teachers and students, and the need for more civic role models.

The reports, which were discussed as part of the Civic Learning Week National Forum, come from RAND, Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement  (CIRCLE) at Tufts University, More in Common, and the Educating for American Democracy Research and Evaluation Task Force.

Civic Learning Week, March 11–15, is a nonpartisan effort that brings together students, educators, policymakers, and leaders in the public and private sectors to highlight and further energize the movement for civic education. It is designed to further understanding of what a modern civic education needs to sustain and strengthen our nation’s constitutional democracy.

This year’s theme, “2024 and Beyond: Civic Learning as a Unifying Force,” focuses on how to make civics a national priority, and how it can provide a way to combat polarization by building civil discourse and understanding. 

Research highlights:

  • Civic learning and engagement among 18–34-year-olds: This latest contribution to CIRCLE’s “Growing Voters” research shows how students’ self-reported civic learning and student voice experiences in high school relate to current levels of civic engagement, including attention and interest in the 2024 election. The data from a nationally representative survey of 18–34-year-olds fielded in fall 2023 shows how schools can contribute to efforts to grow voters by centering student voice in and out of the classroom as well as through civics classes, school climate, adult encouragement and collaboration, and extracurricular activities. According to the report, student voice in high school is essential to growing voters and future active community members, as those who have positive civic experiences in high school in which they feel their voice and or opinion matter are much more likely to say they now vote and are civically engaged than those who did not report these experiences. The full report is here.
  • Effect of legislation regarding teaching of race and gender: RAND released new data from a survey of more than 8,000 K–12 public school teachers that indicate how restrictions on addressing race- or gender- related topics in the classroom are influencing teachers’ instruction and students’ learning two years after such state-level legislation was first passed. The survey, conducted in spring 2023, updates previous data that found that about one-quarter of teachers reported that limitations influenced their curriculum choices or instructional practices, while only 3 percent said that limitations on race- or gender-related topics positively impact student learning. According to the report, this could lead to long-term consequences for students’ futures and the future of the education system, country, and democracy. The full report is here.
  • Students learn more when they can discuss civic and political issues openly: The  Educating for American Democracy Research and Evaluation Task Force released three research briefs that synthesize existing research and show steps that can be taken to strengthen the way young people engage in democracy. Among their findings:
    • High-quality assessments and accountability structures lead to increases in young people’s civic knowledge, and students learn more when they are in classrooms where civic and political issues are discussed freely and openly.
    • When students engage in asking and answering questions by analyzing information, they experience greater engagement and deeper understanding than if they just use a textbook.
    • Social and emotional learning (SEL) and civic learning are often mutually reinforcing, as students’ social, cognitive and emotional skills can help them critically and collaboratively engage with civic issues.
    • The full reports are here.
  • Few Americans have civic role models, but those who do most often identify parents or family members as these role models: More in Common released data from an online focus group-type of research activity with over 100 American adults. The data underscored the importance of proximate civic learning and helping young people build relationships with mentors and individuals who can help orient them toward constructive, lifelong civic engagement so that they see themselves not only as civic agents, but as role models for others to follow. The full report is available here.

New Resources and Opportunities for Yearlong Civic Learning and Engagement Announced as Part of Nationwide Civic Learning Week

Posted on by Luke O'Connor

As tens of thousands of people participate in Civic Learning Week across the country March 11-15, major organizations in the growing movement around civic education have announced new resources, opportunities, and fellowships for students, educators, and adults to engage in yearlong civic learning and engagement.

Civic Learning Week is a nonpartisan effort that brings together students, educators, policymakers, and leaders in the public and private sectors to highlight and further energize the movement for civic education. It is designed to further understanding of what a modern civic education needs to sustain and strengthen our nation’s constitutional democracy.

This year’s theme, “2024 and Beyond: Civic Learning as a Unifying Force,” focuses on how to make civics a national priority, and how it can provide a way to address polarization by building civil discourse and understanding. 

The new resources announced today include educational content, fellowships, internships, and engagement opportunities from Civic Learning Week cosponsors iCivics, A More Perfect Union, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service at George Washington University, Microsoft, More Perfect, National Archives and National Archives Foundation, and National Council for the Social Studies. 

Civic Digital Literacy: iCivics and the Digital Inquiry Group have partnered to create Civic Digital Literacy, a collection of non-partisan, evidence-based, classroom-ready materials for educators that will equip students to identify and discern credible information online. Launching in Fall 2024, Civic Digital Literacy will include 15 lesson plans, ten student-facing videos, and six videos for teachers covering a range of topics, from determining who’s behind cloaked websites to evaluating political claims shared on social media. A preview of the offering is now available.

New Civics Collection on PBS LearningMedia: GBH and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting announce a new civics collection launching in fall 2024 that will be a companion to the U.S. History Collection. It will include free, interactive, media-rich resources for teachers and students in grades 6–12.

Civic Changemaker Internship: The Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service at George Washington University is offering a summer internship for college students in Washington, D.C., that will provide the opportunity to work with middle school students to make a difference in their communities. The Civic Changemaker curriculum helps students learn more about their local government, neighborhood, and school communities while addressing community issues that are important to them. Interns will live together on the GW campus, and participate in cultural events, and professional development. 

National Archives Civics for All of US Teacher Institutes: This summer, educators working with grades 3–12 are invited to apply to attend the 2024 Civics for All of US Teacher Institute with the National Archives in Washington, D.C. Educators will learn how to use National Archives holdings to teach the civic knowledge and skills students need for civic engagement in the 21st century.  Participants will explore primary sources that shed light on the successes, failures, debates, and challenges in the history of our democracy. The program will also feature resources for sharing diverse perspectives and historically underrepresented voices in classroom civics lessons. This professional development experience will also highlight student voices in the Archives that demonstrate how civic participation can happen at any age. The application closes on March 15. 

Connecting Civic Education and a Healthy Democracy: Carnegie Corporation of New York has issued a report calling for a greater investment in civic education, given the need to prepare young people for informed and engaged citizenship. Connecting Civic Education and a Healthy Democracy highlights the need for state-level policies that expand and improve K–12 civic learning and features examples of how coalition-building has helped advance more robust policies in a number of states. Equipping young people with the tools to think critically, engage in constructive debate, and discover their agency is essential to reducing polarization and strengthening American democracy. Visit Carnegie.org/CivicsPolicy to download the free report.

Rho Kappa National Social Studies Honor Society: The National Council for the Social Studies Rho Kappa Honor Society provides high school juniors and seniors with national recognition and opportunities for exploration in social studies. Any accredited public, private, or charter high school can apply for a local chapter, through which individuals will be inducted into Rho Kappa National Social Studies Honor Society. 

For more information about any of these initiatives, contact jacob@oneallen.com or the organizations directly.

U.S. Supreme Court Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Amy Coney Barrett, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and Archivist of the United States Colleen Shogan Headline Civic Learning Week, March 11-15, 2024

Posted on by Luke O'Connor

As students, educators, and public and private leaders participate in events across the country highlighting civics as a unifying force for 2024 and beyond, the U.S. Supreme Court Justices will participate in a conversation at Civic Learning Week’s National Forum, and the U.S. Secretary of Education and Archivist of the United States will be featured as part of an evening reception March 12, 2024.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 1, 2024 — U.S. Supreme Court Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Amy Coney Barrett, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, and Archivist of the United States Colleen Shogan will join thousands of people across the country in focusing on the importance of civic education during Civic Learning Week, March 11–15, 2024.

Justices Sotomayor and Barrett will engage in a conversation for the Civic Learning Week National Forum at The George Washington University on Tuesday, March 12, at 1 p.m. ET. Secretary Cardona and Archivist Shogan will engage in a fireside chat at the forum’s closing reception at The National Archives, March 12, at 6:30 p.m. ET.

The two conversations come as part of Civic Learning Week, an annual nonpartisan event that brings together students, educators, policymakers, and leaders in the public and private sectors to highlight and further energize the movement for civic education in states and communities across the nation. This year’s theme, “2024 and Beyond: Civic Learning as a Unifying Force,” focuses on the need to make civics a national priority and a means to combat polarization.

Now in its second year as a nationwide celebration, Civic Learning Week includes hundreds of online and in-person events driving home understanding of what a modern civic education needs, and how the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that civics engenders can sustain and strengthen constitutional democracy and build civil discourse and understanding.

Civic Learning Week is sponsored by iCivics, A More Perfect Union, the Carnegie Corporation of New York; the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service at George Washington University, Microsoft, More Perfect, the National Archives and National Archives Foundation, and the National Council for the Social Studies.

“Civic learning is a requirement for a healthy democracy. It can be a unifying force for our country, particularly during times of deep division,” said iCivics CEO Louise Dubé. “Civic Learning Week will provide examples of how educators and communities are finding paths forward to bolster the knowledge, skills, and dispositions essential for engaging productively across differences—a hallmark of democracy—and bridging divides.”

The National Forum, which is open to the media, will take place at George Washington University starting at 8 a.m. ET on March 12. It also include panel discussions across several key themes that show how civics can act as a unifying force:

  • How Disinformation (Including AI) Impacts Civic Learning and What We Can Do: Moderated by The New York Times Technology Reporter Tiffany Hsu, and including FRONTLINE Senior Editor Erin Texeira and Digital Inquiry Group Founder Sam Wineburg.
  • Overcoming Political Polarization Through Investment in Civic Learning: Moderated by James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University Danielle Allen, and including Virginia Secretary of Education Aimee Rogstad Guidera, Middlebury College President Laurie Patton; and state and local educators.
  • Teaching Civics During the 2024 Elections—Can It Be Done?: Moderated by George Washington University Graduate School of Education and Human Development Dean and Professor of Education Michael Feuer, and including University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education Professor Jonathan Zimmerman and D.C.-area school educators.

The National Forum will also include the release of several pieces of new research on civic education, as well as breakout sessions tied to the themes of the day. The Forum and closing reception are open to media and will be live streamed at civiclearningweek.org/national-forum.

A full list of local and national events that will take place during Civic Learning Week is available at civiclearningweek.org/events