Confronting Civic Inequities

by Mary Ellen Daneels, Lead Teacher Mentor

In his most recent blog post, Shawn Healy illustrated how APGOV scores in Illinois raise important questions about “deep inequities along racial and ethnic lines.” This data is not an isolated incident. The evidence of inequity and a civic empowerment gap has been well documented by researchers and has been referenced in previous blog posts. While measurements documenting the impact of the new Illinois civics requirement are encouraging, there is work still to be done in the area of equity. Mandating an equal opportunity for students to have civic instruction is a start but it does not guarantee equity. I do not have all of the answers concerning this important issue, but I am willing to engage in the conversation and collaborate with you to affect change.

Illustration courtesy of Interaction Institute for Social Change | Artist: Angus Maguire

I recently had the opportunity to “start the conversation” at a conference hosted by Dr. Diana Hess at the University of Wisconsin- Madison that engaged teachers who used the Legislative Semester to guide civic instruction in their respective schools. This pedagogy embraces the proven practice of current and controversial issue discussions as well as simulations of democratic processes to facilitate students in acquiring the knowledge, skills and dispositions of effective civic engagement. Dr. Hess and her colleague, Dr. Paula McAvoy have documented the opportunities and challenges of the simulation in their award winning book, “The Political Classroom”.

The teachers at this conference came from various regions of the country, each with unique challenges and opportunities. One segment of the workshop was devoted to “Meeting the Needs of All Learners: Promoting Equity in the Legislative Semester”. The following questions framed our discussions and perhaps would be helpful to you as you start conversation in your own building.

• What are some strategies or resources you use to support students of varying reading levels in conducting research and building background knowledge to participate in civic inquiry?
• What are some resources and tools you use to help students with communication challenges (ELL or speech limitations) in advocating their position in and out of the classroom?
• Students from various racial, SES and naturalization backgrounds might have a very different experience with civic institutions from others. What are some ways teachers might be more culturally relevant to embrace and address these experiences the classroom?
• If a teacher has a homogeneous classroom with a majority of caucasian students with relatively few challenges, how can they build awareness of equity issues in other classrooms or in the larger society?

My blog posts over the next weeks will address each of these questions and share resources I gleaned from participants at the conference as well as other experts in the field. But I am curious, how would you respond to these essential questions around the civic empowerment gap and equity? Please comment below. Together, we can prepare students for college, career and civic life.