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Royce Gador

Mrs. Jackie Burr, Instructor

English 2010, Period 2

19 April 2018

The Pursuit of Improving Civic Education and Engagement for Young People

Participating in the current political climate requires a skilled and knowledgeable cohort

of young people. Achieving the goal of an engaged youth begins in the classroom. For a segment

of young people, a public education is their sole exposure to civic engagement. The classroom,

unlike other environments, holds power to influence and equip entire generations of young

people. Society holds education on a high pedestal. More often than not, however, traditional

academic subjects take greater precedence. An engaged civic education takes a secondary role

within the academic hierarchy. The Department of Education reveals that, “unfortunately, civic

learning and democratic engagement are add-ons rather than essential parts of the core academic

missions in too many schools and on too many college campuses today” (qtd. in “Collaboration

and Innovation” CIRCLE 16). Advancing efforts to elevate the quality of civic engagement in

education will sustain a modern democracy dependent on the participation of young people.

A lack of civic engagement in education extends partially from teachers. Education

attempts to remain nonpartisan and unbiased to students. Teachers, with valid intentions, remove

political bias to maintain professionalism among their colleagues, avoid unfair assumptions

about them, and reduce hostile conflict emerging between students. However, impartiality comes

at the cost of avoiding political discussions altogether. The absence of political discussion in the

classroom with neutrality taking its place does little to advance youth participation. This aversion
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approach instills within students a failure see the value of their participation and connection their

education has to politics (Bloch-Schulman and Jovanovic 83-89). Despite educators valid but

consequential fears, methods exists to improve the level of engagement in the classroom. Stanley

Andrus, a Herriman High School teacher with 13 years of experience teaching government,

would describe himself as a “classicists...I just lecture and discuss...I am a very old fashion type

of ‘let’s just take about the stuff’ kind of teacher.” Despite his traditional methods of teaching,

Andrus asserts that he “would love to raise the level of engagement in [his] classes.” To elevate

engagement and supplement his lectures, Andrus incorporates discussion of current events,

registering students to vote, and allowing his students lecture to each other.

Fostering an environment where students have the opportunity to openly discuss politics

is central to improving engagement. Implementing the methods Andrus suggests, specifically

student led lectures, play influential roles in the classroom. Allowing the freedom to discuss all

sides of a political issue engages students with civic skills such as debate and obtaining

knowledge from various perspectives. Applying current events adds depth to the conversation.

Students are able to better relate, debate, and make connections within the classroom to current

events. The ultimate goal of a civic education is developing an engaged awareness of how the

classroom and political world are not mutually exclusive but interconnected realms that are

dependent on activism in the other. Establishing civic participation early in a student’s

educational career develops the foundation of lifelong political engagement (Campbell 440-441).

Formulating policy initiatives around the values of an open classroom environment have

been implemented in certain states. Florida developed policies to incorporate civic education in

language arts courses. Civics extends across academic boundaries and has relations to other
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subject areas. Shifting civics from a fixed mindset of memorization to broader educational goals

and connections assists in advancing engagement. Hawaii requires a civics project component to

their high school courses. The intention of the project is to allow students to identify a problem,

develop research, and propose solutions to enforce their ideas. Hawaii’s program allows for

methods such as incorporating current events, fine tuning mature civic skills, and personal

participation that further the goals of improving youth engagement (“Recent Civic Education

Policy Changes” CIRCLE 1-5). In a similar initiative, the Advanced Placement United States

Government course plans to implement a civics project into the curriculum. In response to the

addition of a project, Andrus believes “that [the] project could be really great because the student

has some choice over what they want to focus on.” However, criticism of civic education reform

points toward high cost, shifting focus from core academic subjects, and vague standards of

accountability (“Recent Civic Education Policy Changes” CIRCLE 1-5). Disputes against

engaging civic education practices fail to see through the broader, long term impact. Placing an

emphasis on the efforts and insights of students allows civic skills to develop with greater depth.

Concerns regarding overt politicization that diminish the open classroom environment and

projects can take place within a historical context. Incorporating knowledge from history courses

and applying them in a civics course maintain the desire for a balanced view (E.W.).

Elevating engagement among young people through these projects takes place on a local

level. Schools can collaborate with community organizations to assist the engagement of their

students. Research and efforts that contribute to local communities helps scale down engagement

to make the most impact (“Building Youth Civic Engagement” CIRCLE). Kimberly Knowlton, a

student at Herriman High School and activist in the Never Again movement, acknowledges this
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sentiment that “it all starts on a local level. If you have local representatives that are invested in

the things you are invested in and you can agree with them on issues, then that is what will

ultimately change things.” Knowlton elaborates that her involvement as an organizer for an April

20, 2018 walkout in support of the Never Again movement has helped her develop a network

with fellow young people, political leaders, and civic skills to assists in their cause. In regards to

common criticism of young people being apathetic toward politics, Knowlton believes otherwise.

“I [do not] think that [it is] necessarily that we [young

people] are apathetic to issues but...there is not a good level

of communication on a local level...I think the youth would

be a lot more involved if they felt they had an opportunity.”

It is because of the sentiments echoed by Knowlton that

opportunities in the classroom are vital to youth engagement.

When opportunities exists for students to feel their place in

their community, the prospect of political participation is

positive. Particular importance needs to be placed on

providing opportunities for students from disadvantaged

socioeconomic backgrounds. Students from disadvantaged

backgrounds typically come from homes with low economic

and civic levels. Both economic and educational levels are

significant predictors on level of participation because an

increase in both correlates to a greater chance of political

participation (Campbell 441-442).

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Democracy relies on active participation from its citizens. Responsibility falls on both

students and educators. The duality of both groups unique responsibilities and contributions to

the civic environment are central to sustaining democracy. Educators are catalysts of civic

engagement and political discussion. Effectively supporting educators to have a conducive

classroom environment free from backlash or criticism to discuss important issues facing today’s

society are needed. Providing educators with the tools, resources, and means to carry out their

broader educational pursuits will ease the tensions associated with their influential civic role.

Students within a civics context must take a primary role in that environment. Allowing

students to lead and produce their own perspectives on civics advances improving their

engagement. Through support for their teachers, students have the means to enact change in their

local communities. However, this can only be achieved if an opportunity exists. Education with

the goal of applying it toward the local community is at the heart of youth engagement. When an

opportunity fails to exists for the most vulnerable and influential demographic within society, the

prospects of a successful democracy leaves behind its most important citizens. The foundation of

an engaged and open education will cause the gap between young people and the rest of the

voting population ultimately close.

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Works Cited

“All Together Now: Collaboration and Innovation for Youth Engagement.” ​The Center for

Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement​. Tufts University Jonathan

M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service, 2013. Web. 22 April 2018.

Andrus, Stanley. Personal Interview. 16 April 2018.

Bloch-Schulman, Stephen and Spoma Jovanovic. "Who's Afraid of Politics? On the Need to

Teach Political Engagement." ​Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement​,

vol. 14, no. 1, 01 Jan. 2010, pp. 83-100. EBSCO​host​.

Campbell, David. "Voice in the Classroom: How an Open Classroom Climate Fosters Political

Engagement among Adolescents." ​Political Behavior​, vol. 30, no. 4, Dec. 2008, pp.

437-454. EBSCO​host​, doi:10.1007/s11109-008-9063-z.

CIRCLE (The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and, Engagement). ​Recent

Civic Education Policy Changes. CIRCLE Fact Sheet​. Center for Information and

Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), Center for Information and

Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), 01 Feb. 2014. EBSCO​host​.

“Crucial Role in Higher Ed in Building Youth Civic Engagement.” ​The Center for Information

&

Research on Civic Learning and Engagement​. CIRCLE, 18 November 2013. Web. 22

April 2018.

E.W. “How to teach civics in school.” ​The Economist​. The Economist Newspaper Limited, 6

July 2017. Web. 22 April 2018.

Knowlton, Kimberly. Personal Interview. 14 April 2018.

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“Voter Turnout Among 18 to 29 Year Old Citizens in Presidential Years, by Educational

Attainment.” Chart. ​The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and

Engagement​. Tufts University Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public

Service, 2013. Web. 22 April 2018.