Press & Blogs
Students don’t know US history as well as before. Worrisome?
KCRW
Eighth graders’ understanding of U.S. history and civics is declining, according to data out this week. The results may signal a democracy in trouble.
Political strife is harming California teens’ high school experience, study says
Los Angeles Times
California is often cited as a bastion of left-leaning politics, but a study of the state’s high schools shows that California campuses are just as likely to experience political strife as those in other, more polarized states.
California high school students increasingly criticize each others’ politics, race, sexuality
Orange County Register
New report from UCLA and UC Riverside says such speech is most common in the communities where political division is sharp.
School principals say culture wars made last year 'rough as hell'
NPR
"Rough as hell." That's how one high school principal in Nevada describes the 2021-'22 school year, when conflicts with parents and community members were all too common.
Political Tensions in Schools Are ‘Pervasive,’ Principals Say
Education Week
Nearly 70 percent of high school principals reported substantial political conflict over hot-button issues.
Opinion: Cynical MAGA censors are damaging public education
Washington Post
MAGA culture warriors have heightened their threats against teachers and school administrators. Our public education system is now paying the price.
Opinion: There’s a Reason There Aren’t Enough Teachers in America. Many Reasons, Actually.
New York Times
Mr. Edsall contributes a weekly column from Washington, D.C., on politics, demographics and inequality.
Schools are becoming hotbeds of political conflict – especially in purple districts
USA Today
A new study based on surveys with hundreds of high school principals finds partisan politics are leading to more conflict at school.
Really Listening to Students Has an Academic Payoff, New Research Finds
Education Week
New research has confirmed a link between acting on students’ feedback and their academic success, strengthening arguments for incorporating student voice into school improvement efforts.
Defining Civic Equity for Students with Disabilities
By Leah Bueso
Support is needed to expand civic learning opportunities and civic engagement for students with disabilities.
California offers graduation honor to encourage active civic engagement
EdSource
Study profiles districts that are embracing the State Seal of Civic Engagement
Students don't want to learn in a 'COVID petri dish.' They're walking out to prove their point.
USA Today
As teachers unions and schools battle over in-person and remote learning, students nationwide are demanding a seat at the table. Many are staging walkouts this week.
Teaching Civics After Jan. 6
U.S. News & World Report
With new guidance, hopes for a resurgence in teaching students how democracy works.
“We are going to make you beg for mercy”: America’s public servants face a wave of threats
Vox
The intimidation of poll workers, school administrators, and public health officials reveals a democracy rotting from within.
Op-Ed: Attacks on school board meetings are threatening democracy. Will educators help save it?
By Joseph Kahne and John Rogers
Over the last several months, school board meetings across the country have become ground zero for contentious and destructive battles. The vitriolic political rhetoric and threatening behavior are posing a serious threat to democracy.
Connecting Classrooms to Congress: New Social Studies Curriculum Aims to Boost Civic Education in a Polarized Nation
By Holly Ober
Faculty from the Graduate School of Education and the School of Public Policy at UC Riverside were awarded a highly competitive, $2 million grant from the Institute of Education Sciences, or IES.
Podcast - Surprise: a big windfall for California schools; Rx for reviving civics education
EdSource
This year’s presidential election exposed a public largely ignorant of the basics of the democratic process. Erica Hodgin, co-author of a new report by UC Riverside and UCLA on the sad state of civics education in schools, suggests ways to rejuvenate it, including a new incentive, the State Seal of Civic Engagement.
How Can Teachers and Students Discuss the 2020 Election?
by Leah Bueso and Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg
Whether you’re ready to admit it or not, this election is going to affect your classroom. You may not teach about voting or even be a social studies teacher, but the reality is that today’s political ethos stirs up worry, hope, excitement, and uncertainty in students, and likely, you too.
Young Adult Voting Skyrocketed in 2018. What Can We Do To Make It Happen Again?
by John Rogers, Joe Kahne, and Erica Hodgin
In 2014, the voting rates for young adults plunged to their lowest point in close to 40 years, with less than 20 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds turning out at the polls.
Study Finds Sizable Impact of Civic Media Literacy Education on Democratic Engagement
by Joseph Kahne
Youth, through efforts that leverage the power of social media, are often driving many of the most important social movements of our era — from the #Dreamers, to #BlackLivesMatter, to the push for gun control and #NeverAgain.