In his recent column, Stanley Kurtz mischaracterizes my civic-education work. And so I invite him and every reader to learn directly what I do.
I am a scholar of ancient and modern political thought, American constitutionalism, African-American history, and public policy. In that context, I am best known for my book on the Declaration of Independence: Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality.
I was also a Democratic candidate for governor in Massachusetts from December 2020 through February 2022.
Since 2000, as a scholar, I have been working to discover how best to improve teaching of the Declaration of Independence throughout our educational system. Since about 2014, I have also been working directly with K–12 educators about how most effectively to help our kids navigate the impact of digital media on civic experience and build a strong, positive sense of civic agency, including how to bridge growing divisions in our nation.
In 2018 the Commonwealth of Massachusetts passed new social-studies standards requiring a year-long course in civic education for grade-eight students. The legislature also passed a law mandating that every student complete a non-partisan, student-led civic action project before the end of grade eight and the end of high school. My team at Harvard University had subject-matter expertise in the philosophical foundations of democracy and American constitutionalism that was often under-represented in social-studies curricula, as well as expertise focused on supporting healthy student civic agency. K–12 educators have far superior expertise at pedagogy. Recognizing this, we partnered with our local school district to design and pilot a year-long grade-eight curriculum, “Civic Engagement in Our Democracy.” We now work in districts across Massachusetts.
We have sought to provide an alternative to the action-civics model that was then the dominant model for supporting student agency. Our model does not require an entire class to do the same project and does not direct students to particular issues. Instead, our model supports individual choice of action project, viewpoint diversity in the classroom, and students’ learning to have productive conversations across lines of difference.
Every young person should be encouraged to take on a civic role in an active, not passive, manner. As the ancient Greek legislator, Solon, knew well, we would have less-extreme politics if everyone actually participated. Every single one of us, even scholars, should step up, pick our party, and participate, seeking to help make our party as healthy as possible. In choosing my own party and running for governor, I sought to act on the lessons I am teaching. I hope that each of the kids with whom we connect will clarify their own values, independently make their own choice of party, and step up to help us all learn how to bridge divides and achieve the collaborative problem-solving we deserve.
You can learn directly about our work. The adult version of our curriculum is available here.
The roadmap to excellence in history and civic learning that we helped develop with a multidisciplinary, demographically diverse, and cross-partisan group of about 300 scholars and educators from around the country, can be accessed here.
You can find our video game on the Declaration of Independence here.