A Conversation on the Civic Mission of Schools

The 2016 election has raised questions about the level of civic knowledge of, and commitment to, our democratic system of government among the American electorate. The signs are everywhere. A recent poll tells us that only a third of Americans are able to name just one of the three branches of the federal government. More worrying, a quarter of US millennials dismiss the importance of free elections in a democracy. And a near majority of voters long for a leader who “is willing to break some rules” if that’s what it takes to set things right. We will explore what has happened to civic education in our schools, and why, in a conversation with social studies writer Diane Hart.

Diane Hart is a nationally recognized author, curriculum developer, and assessment consultant. She has authored or coauthored 15 textbooks on U.S. history, world history, geography, American government, and economics, which are in widespread use in elementary, middle, and high schools across the country. She also authored the first civics and government text for Palau, a newly emerging nation in the South Pacific. She has worked closely with the National Council for the Social Studies and other civic education organizations to reinvigorate and renew our country’s commitment to the civic mission of schools.

Presenter: Diane Hart

Contact: Marilyn Austin (marilyn_a@uucpa.org)