Teaching Civics in a Time of Incivility

Some educators have responded to this election by throwing in the towel — censoring political discussion in their classrooms out of concern that students will start to echo the words of the candidates themselves. How can kids discuss the issues, when so much of the tone and language of the campaign is inappropriate for any age?

Here’s why that’s a mistake. Children are intellectually capable of so much more than adults recognize — and we know they are watchful observers of this year’s election. Students today can access a wealth of information about the candidates and issues. As a former civics teacher, I believe our job as  educators is to equip our students with both an understanding of how our democracy works and the tools required to separate fact from political fiction. There are radically different ways to address issues in public service, and it’s important to understand and align with your personal values.

What are the important policies at stake? How do you challenge a position? Why did our Founding Fathers establish the democratic system? What is the electoral college? How do you vet a source, or identify bias? These are the questions students, and all of us, need to be  able to answer. And now, more than ever, educators have a moral duty to confront politics head-on in the classroom and help students find answers to these questions.

Now is not the time to sweep political issues that will define us as a nation for the next decade and beyond under the rug. Approaching Election Day and beyond, teachers and school leaders must give their students the knowledge and skills to craft an informed opinion about the issues.

At Success Academy, we emphasize critical thinking and hands-on learning in every class, year-round. Middle schoolers read primary and secondary historical sources about past events and learn to identify biases within them. Starting in fifth grade, our students can compete in debate competitions throughout New York City, where they passionately and articulately develop positions for and against topics that range from second amendment rights, to global warming, to search and seizure laws in public schools.

We’ve taken the same approach to teaching our students about the election. This year, all of our middle schoolers took part in a two-day exercise in their history classes and used online resources to launch their own model campaigns — learning about the electoral college, fundraising, and marketing along the way. The following day, they cast their vote for the candidate of their choice in the 2016 election after carefully reviewing a voting framework where they identified which issues meant the most to them. Success Academy’s history manager Trevor Baisden wrote about the experience here, on our blog, Mission Possible.

In this divisive election year, it is more important than ever that students across the country learn how to engage in civics as deep and well-informed thinkers — even when the adult voters and candidates around them fail to live up to those same standards.