Fulfilling the Democratic Aims of Education

A systemic approach for generating learning opportunities for students’ informed participation in civic and political life

A school board member asks the superintendent how the school district is working to deepen students’ literacy skills. Suppose the superintendent responds this way: “Well, that’s a good question. Literacy is important. I don’t want to mandate attention to literacy because teachers are asked to do so much. But it is great that some of our teachers include reading and writing opportunities in their courses.”

Then he adds: “I think one thing we need to have is more extracurricular activities for students who are interested in reading and writing. Of course, not every student will want to join these clubs, but those who do will experience valuable opportunities.”

No superintendent would actually say this. However, suppose one substitutes “learning to read and write” with “learning how to participate in a democracy.” Now the superintendent’s response — “I don’t want to mandate [it] … but it’s great that some teachers include opportunities for civic engagement in their classes” — doesn’t seem so odd.

Indeed, while school leaders’ and districts’ mission statements frequently refer to preparing all students to be thoughtful citizens, few school systems make a systemic commitment. Districts rarely ensure all students are exposed to the full range of civic learning and skills for informed participation in civic and political life. This relative neglect is not surprising given that literacy and STEM are connected to high-stakes assessments. A recent national survey of principals by Education Week found the biggest hurdle to promoting civics was “pressure to focus on other subjects because they are tested or emphasized.”

Of course, every four years, in the run-up to the presidential election, the desire to prepare students to become informed voters resurfaces. For the most part, though, other than perhaps a required one-semester government course or a schoolwide mock election, civic education is intermittent and idiosyncratic. As a result, not all youth are adequately or equitably supported to develop civic capacities.