What if a school made preparation for democracy its central goal? That’s what Democracy Prep tries to do - not in just one school but in many. This charter school network includes 24 schools in five states, with schools at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. In this episode, Brett talks to Rashid Duroseau, the Civics Program Director at Democracy Prep. Rashid describes the civic participation experiences that these schools require of students, how various courses integrate civic issues into the curriculum, how he found his way into education, and more. This a rebroadcast of an ep ..read more

This is a rebroadcast of an interview with Professor Wayne Journell about teaching elections, recorded in 2020. How should educators teach about elections? How can they maximize student learning, foster engagement, and minimize overly heated exchanges among students? Professor Wayne Journell from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, has conducted research on how high school teachers help students learn about elections. He describes how teachers can frame productive discussion of elections, integrate election-related content into other aspects of the curriculum, and model a tolerant a ..read more

We have millions of young people in school every year who become eligible to register during their time in school, but there are few mechanisms in place to get them registered. Laura Brill is starting to change that. Through her new organization, the Civics Center, she’s trying to make voter registration drives a regular feature of high schools around the country. We discuss why she started the organization, how they reach students, the variety of ways that voter registration drive can take place in schools, how educators can get involved, and much more. Episode Resources The Civics Center H ..read more

How can state laws improve civic education, and how can research-practice partnerships support the enactment of these state laws?  This episode explores how an ambitious Illinois civic education law, passed in 2015, is being enacted with the help of a research-practice partnership.  I speak with Kei Kawashima-Ginsburg and Mary Ellen Daneels, who are leading this partnership, which has helped tens of thousands of educators strengthen their civics-oriented teaching. Kei is the Director of CIRCLE, the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, and Mary Ellen i ..read more

In today’s media environment, there’s no shortage of information and disinformation – so how do we know if we’re being misled? How can young people know? The ability to tell fact from fiction is vital for maintaining a healthy civil society, and researchers are exploring how to teach these skills.  On this episode, Brett speaks with Sarah McGrew, a cutting-edge researcher in this area. After earning her PhD at Stanford in 2019, she joined the faculty at the University of Maryland, where she has several ongoing studies about fostering students’ media literacy. On this episode, she discusse ..read more

In today’s media environment, there’s no shortage of information and disinformation – so how do we know if we’re being misled? How can young people know? The ability to tell fact from fiction is vital for maintaining a healthy civil society, and researchers are exploring how to teach these skills.  On this episode, Brett speaks with Sarah McGrew, a cutting-edge researcher in this area. After earning her PhD at Stanford in 2019, she joined the faculty at the University of Maryland, where she has several ongoing studies about fostering students’ media literacy. On this episode, she discusse ..read more

In today’s media environment, there’s no shortage of information and disinformation – so how do we know if we’re being misled? How can young people know? The ability to tell fact from fiction is vital for maintaining a healthy civil society, and researchers are exploring how to teach these skills.  On this episode, Brett speaks with Sarah McGrew, a cutting-edge researcher in this area. After earning her PhD at Stanford in 2019, she joined the faculty at the University of Maryland, where she has several ongoing studies about fostering students’ media literacy. On this episode, she discusse ..read more

What do students learn when they discuss controversial political issues? What are the benefits and limitations? How can teachers guide these discussions and maintain a positive classroom environment? In this episode - published originally in late 2020, renowned social studies education scholar Diana Hess explores these questions, drawing on her two decades of research in classrooms. Hess is professor and dean at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education and has written two award-winning books about how young people can learn about and productively discuss controversial political ..read more

How should educators prepare youth for democratic participation at a moment when democracy itself seems so fragile? For ESD's third anniversary episode, Walter Parker, professor emeritus at the University of Washington - Seattle, explores the answer to this question by sharing ideas from his new book,  Education for Liberal Democracy: Using Classroom Discussion to Build Knowledge and Voice. Walter Parker is one of the most influential social studies education scholars of our time. In his new book and on this episode, he argues that education can and must address a twofold crisis in our de ..read more

How should educators prepare youth for democratic participation at a moment when democracy itself seems so fragile? For ESD's third anniversary episode, Walter Parker, professor emeritus at the University of Washington - Seattle, explores the answer to this question by sharing ideas from his new book,  Education for Liberal Democracy: Using Classroom Discussion to Build Knowledge and Voice. Walter Parker is one of the most influential social studies education scholars of our time. In his new book and on this episode, he argues that education can and must address a twofold crisis in our de ..read more