Can Civic Education Bulwark against Democratic Backsliding?

• In Event: Civic Learning on Campus: Bringing Political Science In Mini-Conference I: Countering Democratic Backsliding through Civic Education for All Students

Abstract

What role could civic education play in reversing democratic backsliding, especially the decline of democratic norms and commitments? In a period of intense political polarization marked by the erosion of basic civic and democratic norms and increasing tolerance of political violence in American society, the Education for American Democracy (EAD) framework provides an effort to reimagine history and civics education in order to bolster the democratic capacities of the next generation of the polity. In this paper, we examine whether such educational efforts can succeed in instilling in democratic values in young people, including a commitment to engage openly and constructively with those with whom they disagree politically.

We draw upon data collected during the 2023-2024 academic year from a sample of middle school students (n=4,067) from a diverse set of six school districts across the country that are introducing an EAD-aligned US history curriculum. The sample includes students who are in classes that are implementing this curriculum (n=1,996), as well as a comparison group of students in these districts whose US history classes are not using the new curriculum (n=2,071). Student survey data collected at the beginning and end of the school year are used to evaluate whether exposure to the learning opportunities embedded within the new curriculum lead to changes in the civic dispositions of youth. In particular, we test whether features of the new curriculum (such as an emphasis on collaborative learning) are associated with increases in students’ willingness to engage in dialogue across political differences, sense of political efficacy, and their intention to engage civically. In addition, the diverse sample of students allows us to evaluate whether these learning opportunities can reduce gaps across ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic lines in the civic engagement and dispositions of young people.

Authors

• Joseph Kahne, University of California, Riverside

• Benjamin T. Bowyer, University of California-Riverside- Graduate School of Education