Education for Sustainable Democracy Brett Levy

How do we ensure that elections are free and fair? For the past few years, we’ve heard more and more false claims about stolen elections, but the truth is that our election systems are very well-managed. Yes, there are areas where systems can be improved, but among the biggest problems in our election system now are misinformation about the elections and the skepticism that this creates.In this episode, I speak with Meghan Cook, Program Director of the Center for Technology in Government at t...

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 i...

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 elec...

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 p...

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 ...

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...