Teaching Civics and Strengthening American Democracy

A power outage in Longfellow Hall may have forced the panel to use their “teacher voices,” but the latest Askwith Education Forum served as a clarion call to center civics and agency in the American education system.

Despite darkened hallways and unamplified voices, Askwith Hall carried out the “civic act” of discussion on Thursday night that focused on the role education plays in our national understanding of civics and how to help strengthen American democracy.

“Schools and America’s 250th: Patriotism, Pluralism, and Civic Education,” saw three civil rights and education experts — Professor Danielle Allen, former Secretary of Education of the Commonwealth of Virginia Aimee Rogstad Guidera, and 2023 Massachusetts History Teacher of the Year Jessica Lander, Ed.M.’15 — guide a conversation around the nation’s upcoming milestone this summer and how civics is taught in modern classrooms.

“Tonight we’re not only talking about civics, but in many respects we’re engaged in a civic act,” said Lecturer Eric Soto-Shed, the event’s moderator. “To be gathered here today as a community to talk about and explore different perspectives on an issue that is very vital to our community, our nation, and our society.”

Introducing the evening’s events, Academic Dean Martin West noted the “remarkable moment” the forum takes place during, with this July 4 set to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States. West noted the place in history Cambridge occupies in the nation’s revolutionary story and how the Ed School is impacted by this historic geography.

“HGSE sits on Appian Way, in a neighborhood where the history we discuss is not abstract or distant. Just down the block is Christ Church, which billeted Continental soldiers during the American Revolution. Several blocks away is Longfellow House, which served as George Washington’s first long-term headquarters during that same struggle for independence,” said West. “The ideals, conflicts, and unfinished work of the American Experiment are not only subjects we study here, they’re part of the landscape that we inhabit.”

Centering the concept of civics and its role in education, West reflected on what that history asks of the educators honing their craft just steps from the burial place of revolutionary soldiers.

“At HGSE, history is all around us. Still asking something of us. And what it asks, especially in education, is not simple reverence,” said West. “It asks your seriousness. It asks us to prepare young people to engage their country with both honesty and hope, with critical judgement as well as commitment, and with a willingness to listen across disagreement without surrendering their convictions. And that’s why this conversation tonight is so important.”

Allen, an HGSE faculty member and founder of the Democratic Knowledge Project, described her own path to teaching civics, starting with an adult education class she taught in Chicago that focused on the Declaration of Independence. Noting the exact length of the document — 1,337 words — Allen stressed how she and her students found connection to the Declaration’s call to action that resonates with citizens to this day.

“It was the most explosive and powerful teaching experience I’ve ever had,” recalled Allen. “The reason was because the Declaration of Independence tells a very simple story about human agency.”

Throughout the hour-long Askwith Education Forum, the panel reflected on the "renaissance" that civics education has seen in recent years, and the role the American education system plays in engaging students’ connection to democratic agency and the nation’s history.

Teaching difficult subjects and finding ways to connect students to the nation’s history was front and center throughout the night. The panel noted that finding ways to encourage students to be good citizens isn’t always easy given all the other things teachers need to do during the school day, but the resulting conversations can provide powerful lessons.

“Schools need to be creating those spaces where they’re building real relationships with students,” said Lander, an author and director of practice and policy at Re-Imagining Migration. “And building the space for kids to develop the skills of having messy conversations. And that just takes time. But it can be stunning when it works.”

Allen noted that teaching history involves more than just memorizing facts and figures, but also learning the important ways people found their own way forward in difficult times. Rather than ignoring or avoiding controversial histories, she noted, there are always lessons to be taught and histories worth highlighting.

“When you’re facing a hard history and you’re telling that story, you also have to tell the story of how people overcame it. You don’t just stop at the hard history,” said Allen. “Many of those stories involve the way people tapped into resources of the Democratic tradition. And so you end up being able to see the way in which the tradition itself, even while it’s getting things wrong, is also yielding resources and beneficial foundations for people to do good work.”

Rogstead Guidera, who helped guide the Commonwealth of Virginia’s history and social studies standards and worked on the state’s 250th Commemoration projects, urged those in attendance to celebrate the upcoming anniversary with hope in mind.

“My hope is that this work of the 250th anniversary doesn’t end on July 5, but that we’re just starting,” said Rogstad Guidera. “I’d love to change how we operate as Americans and how we treat each other and how we listen. And that we’re inspired by the stories of the last 250 years to create better stories in the future.”

Further Resources:

• Democratic Knowledge Project — An Ed School-affiliated lab that develops research-based resources for teachers.
• CivxNow — A cross-partisan coalition working to prioritize K-12 civic learning to strengthen democracy in the United States.