Teaching Civics After Jan. 6
U.S. News & World Report
Political polarization and distrust – capped by last year’s riot at the U.S. Capitol – have prompted renewed interest in teaching civics, with educators considering how best to explain the workings of democracy to K-12 students.
For decades, civics has taken a back seat to priorities like math, reading and college preparation, educators say. There are no mandatory federal standards for teaching civics or social studies. Instead, each state has its own standards that reflect its priorities and history. In many school districts, civics is taught only once, often in a semester-long high school class.
However, long before the riot, new guidance on civics education was being developed by a group of more than 300 prominent educators and experts, which is now being piloted in several areas around the country. The effort, known as the Educating for American Democracy initiative, has many educators optimistic that civics will get renewed attention in the coming years.
Many experts also say that parents can help their children learn about civics by taking steps at home to explain news events, facilitate conversations and support the work being done at school.
“How are we to function as a society if people cannot talk through their differences?” says Joseph Kahne, a professor at the University of California—Riverside who studies civics education and its impact on civic engagement. “Schools, while not perfect, historically have been a place where young people can learn how to engage in democracy.”