Civics Lessons in Challenging Times

MANY OF EDUCATION’S INEQUITIES were uncovered with the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and, more specifically, the nationwide school closures. Schools’ inability to offer face-to-face instruction as they struggled to provide a continuous remote education for all students highlighted the limited access of many students to an equitable education.

Our responsibility to ensure that students receive a free and appropriate public education is challenged on many fronts. School leaders are grappling with the details of how to develop engaging online experiences that maintain some level of continuity in student learning and how to reopen schools safely.

Additionally, important conversations about changes needed in society have intensified and broadened with the death of George Floyd and the subsequent nationwide protests.

If we are to strengthen society and model for our youth the importance of civic-minded thinking in times of stress, we must consider the COVID-19 pandemic and significant social unrest as teachable moments for putting a clear focus on equity, acceptance and civic responsibility. Even more important, our actions must be such that students see and feel a noticeable difference in their education.

Now is a time when schools are called upon to be safe havens against racism and inequality. During a recent superintendent forum, Teresa, a 6th grader, shared with me that to her, equity “is about not leaving someone out of something.” I was inspired by the fact that she clearly understood the importance of an inclusive mindset, which serves to further the conversation about equity.

We must embrace and nurture this type of thinking in our teachers and students. It helps students develop a sense of agency and an ability to define community by looking beyond family, school and neighborhood; by considering larger societal issues; and, as Teresa said, by not leaving someone out of something.

The product of an engaged, civic-minded society includes a deeper understanding of values like tolerance and inclusiveness. All members of society, young and old, can apply this deeper understanding to debates and political engagements. Schools truly can be centers of community where parents, students and individuals from all walks of life engage in courageous conversations.

As we reopen our schools, civics education provides an opportunity to introduce knowledge, skills, dispositions and critical thinking to our students who will become engaged citizens. A robust civics curriculum, coupled with the efforts of educators and stake-holders, provides an opportunity for schools to serve their communities through focused efforts to model respect and honor voice against the backdrop of current events.

Recognizing that access to a quality public education is a civil rights issue, we can passionately and peacefully advocate for equitable funding in public education. We can ask governing boards and superintendents across the United States to sign resolutions with language that supports stable, equitable and adequate funding for schools.

An additional and important next step is to put forth a call to action that supports school districts during the pandemic by providing required resources for continued social distancing, staffing, health care, facility sanitation and transportation, among other costs. Students must feel safe. Educators must be equipped with the tools to provide social and emotional support for students.

A teachable moment has value when action results in change. Highlighting our commitment to improving public education, we can join together by taking part in this incredible civics lesson — one that all of our students can learn from. In the words of Thomas Jefferson, “Above all things, I hope the education of the common people will be attended to ...”