Amid political polarization and the need for youth to be informed voters, how should young people be taught about the government? Experts shared insights with reporters.
Photo credit: James Minichello of AASA for EWA
A conversation about the role of the American education system in creating informed civic voters among an increasingly diverse youth population kicked off the 2024 National Seminar in Las Vegas last May.
Panelists spoke about the various identities that make up the country’s youth and the importance of teaching history and race to create informed civic voters. Speakers also explored how political parties are appealing to young voters and what the incoming electoral population wants to see from their elected government officials.
Here’s what reporters should know from the session, which was moderated by Dana Goldstein of The New York Times:
Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg: CIRCLE focuses their research on youth voters, ages 18 to 29. The organization found that this generation [Generation Z and Zillennials] is the most racially diverse; 45% are people of color, approximately 21% identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community and nearly half of young voters struggle with mental health challenges.
Research also shows that this year’s federal election will be the first for the incoming electorate of 8.3 million young people.
Sonja Diaz: Ethnicity, race, gender and geographical location are all factors that impact the motivation for young voters to participate in civic engagement. The ability of the Republican and Democratic parties to integrate with young voters also impacts their motivation.
A case study about the Republican party in Florida has shown that electing non-white candidates into offices, such as the Senate or House of Representatives district, shows a willingness to integrate to young voters.
In comparison, the Democratic party has lacked in their visibility and outreach to young voters. Many young voters are now electing to identify as independent, and it is known that Black and Latina women are more civically engaged than their male counterparts.
David Griffith: One of the challenges with civic education is that it is a multilayered topic because it requires engaging deeply with issues, thinking carefully about who we vote for and questioning our own assumptions. It also can be challenging educating young people about partisanship and the different point of views between Republicans and Democrats.
Shavar Jeffries: With 120,000 students, KIPP predominantly serves low-income Black and Latino students that are working to break cycles of poverty. What these students may see in their local communities is not an accurate reflection of who and what they aspire to be.
Therefore obtaining a college degree is a central pathway that KIPP holds because many students of color need a degree just to get their foot in the door, in order to create economic security. There are other career pathways that can potentially serve the same goal, but KIPP centers college.
There is a lot of rhetoric about technical and mechanical programs that are targeted toward low-income students, but there is little data about completion rates and if these pathways guarantee employment.
Shavar Jeffries: There’s not a lot of empirical data, but anecdotally, KIPP is seeing an emergence of governmental agencies in local communities and within community colleges, creating employment pathways for a certain skill that is the same skill that colleges teach.
However, these created pathways may not be accessible to students that have a lower GPA. When KIPP sees a pathway like this that is promising and positive, they will share it with their alumni base, but for now, that is sporadic.
Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg: Despite how a state may identify, red or blue, they all have challenges in teaching about differing political views, and a lot of community trust is put into teachers. One teaching approach is called “yes and.”
With this approach, teachers may ask students to dig deep into the founding documents and explore what they meant for the time period of when they were created, but also what they mean modernly for local communities and democracy within this country. Social studies teachers are increasingly being asked to communicate what they are doing, which is typically not a part of a teacher’s training.
David Griffith: There are two types of conception of civics; conservatives lean more into history while liberals think of public policy, and those mindsets create interesting debates. Journalists should examine more if the policies that red states are enacting about social studies is impacting how teachers, teach, and what their on-the-ground lived experiences are.
As a country, we should think about teaching about the government in kindergarten instead of waiting till high school. A few states require a full year of civics, [which is mostly taught as one semester in 11th and 12th grade.]
Sonja Diaz: These acts to limit access are purposeful. There is a disconnect between model legislation and what is happening in local communities that is tied to money interests, national agendas and the interest of corporations.
There needs to be an acceptance of different ethnic histories within this country and that all of it is American history. In California, seven out of 10 young people are a part of racial and ethnic minority group, but we do not have a teacher workforce that reflects that. It’s important that history reflects all identities, but there are also places outside of schools that we can learn from, such as labor unions and community clinics.
We have to recognize the money and political interests that are regulating content and knowledge circulation, but also spotlight the work that local communities are doing to teach their history outside of a classroom setting.
Shavar Jeffries: Compared to other countries, the United States is often uncomfortable with confronting the realities of its history. If the U.S. did confront those truths, it could lead to a better understanding of the progress made, and what still needs to be done.
Instead, this country may sugar coat its history, and it can manifest into the education system and legislation like the CRT bill. Often, Republicans may look toward the founding documents but aren’t willing to address how those same documents say that a Black person was considered ⅗ of a person and how that was used to limit political representation.
KIPP works to educate the youth into becoming evidence-based critical thinkers that can make their own informed decisions. This is especially important in this digital age of social media where they may be presented with misinformed point of views.
David Griffith: It’s challenging to talk about liberals and conservatives, given that point of views can differ person by person. Talking about U.S. history can be uncomfortable because it highlights every potential fault in American society, therefore, leading to disagreements. Generally, policymakers do want the full history of the United States to be told.
Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg: About one in five young people engage in large protests, and that is an indication of them being critical thinkers who want to be heard and decide their own answers.
Young people are taking it upon themselves to discern what information to consume, based on the evidence that is provided in their school environments. They are asking to be told facts about American history but instead are asking for a chance to deeply think about it.
The research that CIRCLE has from teachers shows that collaborations with community and history organizations help to expand the thinking of students.
Shavar Jeffries:
David Griffith:
Sonja Diaz:
Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg:
Your post will be on the website shortly.
We will get back to you shortly