California public schools are lacking when it comes to civic learning and democratic engagement, according to a new Leveraging Equity and Access in Democratic Education (LEADE) report.
The report found that only about 15% of schools mentioned civic education in their mission statements, and most students don’t experience substantial civic learning through their school. There’s also little staffing to support civic education agendas. Researchers who authored the report say the findings reveal an urgent need to invest more in this type of societal learning. By doing so, they say students can move into adulthood capable of thoughtfully engaging with others and participating in the democratic process. They argue this is especially important given current political polarization and misinformation. Today on AirTalk, we discuss the findings of the report and consider the challenges at play when it comes to heightened polarization. Are you a teacher who has experience with civic education? Do you think schools need to focus more attention on it? What challenges have you faced? Are you a parent or student? What would you like to see included in civic learning? Share your thoughts or questions by calling 866-893-5722.
Guest:
Joseph Kahne, professor of policy and politics at UC Riverside, where he’s also co-director of the Civic Engagement Research Group, he’s one of the authors of a new report looking at civic learning in California schools; he tweets