Advancing Civic Learning and Engagement in Democracy
Advancing Civic Learning and Engagement in Democracy: A Road Map and Call to Action was recently released by the US Department of Education. It outlines nine steps the Department will take to advance civic learning across American education. Those step include the following:
- Convene and catalyze schools and postsecondary institutions to increase and enhance high-quality civic learning and engagement.
- Identify additional civic indicators to better help educators understand students’ civic strengths
- and weaknesses and lead to appropriate program design.
- Identify promising practices in civic learning and democratic engagement—and encourage further research to learn what works.
- Leverage federal investments and public-private partnerships to include civic learning and democratic engagement initiatives in federally funded education programs where permitted and feasible.
- Encourage community-based work-study placements tailored to student interests in federal, state, or local public agencies or private nonprofit organizations.
- Encourage public service careers among college students and graduates by using The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.
- Support K-12 civic learning with a new grant program would assist states, local education agencies, and nonprofits in developing, implementing, evaluating, and replicating evidence-based programs that contribute to a well-rounded education—including civics, government, economics, and history.
- Engage Historically Black Colleges and Universities and other Minority-Serving Institutions—including Hispanic Serving Institutions, Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander–Serving Institutions, and Tribal Colleges and Universities—in a national dialogue to identify best practices.
Highlight and promote student and family participation in education programs and policies at the federal and local levels.
Download “Road Map Call to Action”