By Stacy Mantle
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As the nation approaches its 250th anniversary, educators, policymakers and civic organizations are debating how schools can better prepare students for citizenship in an increasingly polarized society.

A new $1 million grant awarded by the Andrew Carnegie Foundation to the Center for Civic Education aims to expand one possible solution: constitutional education.

The grant will support the organization's We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution program, which uses inquiry-based instruction and simulated congressional hearings to help students examine constitutional issues and democratic institutions.

Growing concerns about civic literacy

Concerns about civic knowledge are not limited to educators.

Speaking at a Constitution and Citizenship Day Summit last year, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor questioned whether Americans fully understand the foundations of democratic government.

"Do we understand what the difference is between a king and a president?" Sotomayor asked. "If people understood these things from the beginning, they would be more informed as to what would be important in a democracy."

Her comments reflected broader concerns among civic education advocates who argue that constitutional literacy is essential for informed citizenship regardless of political affiliation.

Learning democracy by doing

Unlike traditional civics courses that may rely on textbooks and lectures, We the People asks students to research constitutional questions, prepare arguments and defend their positions before judges acting as members of Congress.

"A lot of what we're used to is 'sit and get' and memorization of facts," said T. Williams, a speech and debate teacher in SUSD. "Programs like We the People go more into critical thinking instead of simply memorizing facts."

Students examine topics ranging from the Constitutional Convention and Bill of Rights to modern debates involving free speech, federalism and the role of government.

The program's simulated congressional hearings require students to support arguments with historical evidence, constitutional principles and Supreme Court decisions rather than personal opinion alone.

The Carnegie-funded expansion will strengthen programs in seven states, provide professional development for teachers and increase opportunities for schools serving historically underserved populations. About 1,440 additional students are expected to participate during the next two years.

"Curriculum has become much more prescriptive," Williams said. "We have to stay about 80% within our primary curriculum resources, and we have a process for using supplemental materials. We don't have the freedom we once had to simply pull in resources."

Can civics education reduce polarization?

Supporters argue constitutional education may offer one way to address growing political division.

Political scientists have increasingly warned that polarization can undermine cooperation and make it more difficult for democratic institutions to function effectively.

Connecticut State Sen. Sujata Gadkar-Wilcox, a volunteer with the We the People program, said investments in civics education are particularly important during periods of political division.

"Now is not the time to be cutting national civics programs when we're at such a time of political polarization," she said. "One way to get around that is to invest in civics programs."

Classroom educators have expressed similar views.

"Civic education is essential ... as we create an engaged and educated generation of students," said Katie Boland, a teacher at Trumbull High School whose students compete in the program's national hearings.

Questions and concerns

While civic education generally enjoys bipartisan support, debates remain about how civics should be taught.

"Current events and more modern topics receive a lot of scrutiny," said Williamsn. "Even supplemental materials can become the focus of lengthy school board debates."

Some critics worry that civics programs can drift into political advocacy or emphasize particular interpretations of history and current events. Others question the growing role of foundations and nonprofit organizations in shaping educational priorities through grant funding.

Supporters counter that programs focused on constitutional analysis, evidence-based reasoning and civil discourse help students evaluate competing viewpoints without prescribing what they should believe.

The challenge for educators is ensuring that civics instruction remains balanced, evidence-based and focused on teaching students how to think rather than what to think.

"We're trying to educate kids and best prepare them for adulthood and participating in our democracy," Williams said. "We're not trying to tell people what to think. We're trying to give students real facts and the critical thinking skills to evaluate them."

Looking ahead

As schools search for ways to improve civic literacy and prepare students for participation in public life, programs such as We the People continue to attract attention from educators, researchers and policymakers.

Whether constitutional education can meaningfully reduce political polarization remains an open question. What is becoming increasingly clear, however, is that many civic leaders see a stronger understanding of democratic institutions as part of the solution.

As Sotomayor noted, understanding the fundamentals of constitutional government may be one of the first steps toward creating a more informed citizenry.

Editor’s note: A grant from the Arizona Local News Foundation made this story possible. The foundation awarded 15 newsrooms to pay for solutions-focused education reporters for two years. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.

Stacy Mantle
Education Solutions Reporter

smantle@iniusa.org

Meet Stacy
Stacy Mantle is joining the team at Independent Newsmedia, Inc. as an Education Solutions journalist, thanks to a grant from the Arizona Community Collaborative. She has a long history in education that ranges from teaching junior high and middle school to developing curriculum and standards-based assessments.

Community: A longtime advocate for animal welfare, Stacy is deeply involved in rescue efforts and volunteers with several nonprofit organizations.

Random Fact: Once upon a time, she shared her home with a pet coyote and two wolf hybrids. The experiences were wild enough to become the subject of her first book!

Education: She holds a BA in English with a minor in Political Science, a Post-baccalaureate in Secondary Education, and an MBA with a emphasis on Marketing.

Hobbies: In her spare time, Stacy writes fast-paced urban fantasy novels, crafts small-batch artisan soap, and is always up for hiking or off-roading through the Arizona wilderness with her husband of 23 years.