08/18/2026
We are please to share a new piece authored by LFI's director and associate director in collaboration with Dr. Scott Waring.
http://www.jsser.org/index.php/jsser/article/view/6921
"Historically, civic education has been considered the panacea for many of society’s woes; however, simply teaching the content knowledge is not enough to safeguard its survival (Levine & Kawashima-Ginsberg, 2017). Engaging in a democracy takes practice and exposure to opportunities to develop the necessary skills for democratic maintenance. However, everyone’s engagement with their democracy is not the same. Authentic civic participation looks different based on the experiences of those engaging in it. With the consideration of student-lived experiences in the development of civic skills in mind, a question social studies teachers should have their students ask is, ‘how do I navigate my relationship with democracy?’. Simply saying America is great is not enough to build the capacity that policymakers are looking for to ensure the keeping of the republic. This is especially true in a polarized time such as ours. As is the case with any apprenticeship, training is necessary to develop the desired skill set. Consequently, civic educators must meet students where they are and build their capacity for engagement from there. Knowledge is necessary for foundational purposes, but students need to practice doing democracy by learning how to become deliberative and collaborative for the purpose of democratic problem solving. When students think about their relationship with democracy, how to navigate it, and what they want to derive from it, reflective tendencies emerge, which in turn affects their political efficacy, civic skill development, and confidence in democratic institutions. In teaching students to ask this question, they learn to prioritize what they want from their relationship with democracy and the means of fulfilling it. The authors of this article explore how asking ‘how do I navigate my relationship with democracy?' can serve as a transformative question for students, guiding them toward meaningful civic engagement in an era of polarization."
Preparing for Democracy: Civic Education and Democratic Practice
