Refocusing Civic Education: Developing the Skills Young People Need to Engage in Democracy

Abstract

Schools have traditionally taken a “just-the-facts-ma’am” approach to civic education, focusing on governmental structures and political systems. We argue that preparing young people to engage with democracy requires far more than rote memorization of facts and figures. Schools should be laboratories of democracy, where young people’s civic intentions are converted into civic behaviors. We argue that to realize that transformation, educators must impart real-world knowledge, practical skills, and nurturing abilities that are not captured by standardized tests of academic achievement: namely, the interpersonal and intrapersonal abilities conducive to civic mindedness. We discuss what these oft-labeled “noncognitive” skills are and how they are measured, review the evidence that shows how they foster democratic participation, articulate a vision for how civics can help develop students’ noncognitive skills, and lay out a research agenda for scholars seeking to teach young people the skills requisite to actively participate in democracy.

Supporting Civic Reasoning, Discourse, and Problem Solving That Is Political Without Being Partisan

“…In relationship with others, including peers and teachers, social and emotional skills allow students to engage in positive reciprocal relationships, engage in perspective-taking, display empathy, and engage in civic problem solving and democratic decision-making tasks. Given the intertwined nature of cognitive, social, and emotional domains, intrapersonal and interpersonal skills are best incorporated holistically as part of a whole school design process that involves teacher and peer interactions, curricula, family involvement, and community resources (Berg et al, 2017;Hillygus & Holbein, 2023;Weissberg et al, 2015). In addition to these skills being related to academic achievement and student well-being, experimental studies and those using survey and administrative data find that intrapersonal and interpersonal skills are also positively associated with democratic engagement outcomes such as voting and volunteering.…”

“…In addition to these skills being related to academic achievement and student well-being, experimental studies and those using survey and administrative data find that intrapersonal and interpersonal skills are also positively associated with democratic engagement outcomes such as voting and volunteering. Furthermore, studies and meta-analyses find that interpersonal and intrapersonal abilities are malleable and responsive to instruction, especially in early childhood (Hillygus & Holbein, 2023).…”