Social studies and civics educators across the state are advocating for increased student civics engagement in light of the upcoming election.
Just half of 18- to 19-year-olds who voted in the 2020 presidential election said they planned to vote in November, according to a poll by The Hill, a Washington, D.C., national politics newspaper.
Additionally, a 2023 American Bar Association survey on civic literacy found that 53% of those surveyed did not have sufficient information about how the government works.
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Educators say the lack of understanding and involvement in government begins at an early age.
“It's never too early to start learning about this. It starts really young by talking to students about how people make decisions,” said Grand Valley State University professor and Michigan Social Affairs professor. said Council President-elect Annie Whitlock.
“How people work together within groups. How we all have a responsibility to our communities,” she said.
Whitlock said that in this pre-election period, the Social Studies Council is urging school administrators and legislators to increase their focus on social studies education at the elementary school level.
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This is in response to declining student and teacher participation in social studies.
“We're seeing a decline, especially with younger students, but it certainly can be an issue as they get older and lack the basic knowledge of social studies, especially civics,” Whitlock said. said.
Before becoming a professor of history and sociology at Grand Valley University, Mr. Whitlock was a middle school teacher.
Whitlock uses her middle school experience to identify gaps in early social studies education and advocate for improvements.
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“I saw firsthand how capable our young students were at discussing important issues and learning complex social studies topics,” Whitlock said. “You don't necessarily have to be afraid to talk about it with young children.”
Ellen Zwarenstein, executive director of the Michigan Civic Education Center, also said the students are eager to learn and ready to participate in civics.
“However, teachers have made their lives more difficult in this situation because they see what happens at school board meetings and worry about being misunderstood in the classroom environment. They tend to be afraid,” Zwarenstein said.
Zwarenstein said the administration has similar concerns and doesn't feel equipped or empowered to teach children civics.
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“It's not their fault,” Zwarenstein said. “For some time now, funding for civics education has been systematically defunded.”
The Civic Education Center also educates students through its own programs. One, “We the People,” engages students in discussions about the Constitution and allows them to participate in mock Congressional hearings.
This program is aimed at middle school through high school students.
Zwarenstein said the organization is offering the program to more students in grades four through eight.
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The center also helped found the MiCivics Coalition, another group dedicated to improving civics education.
The coalition works with organizations across the state to advance civic education through education, advocacy, and policy.
Professor Whitlock said: “It's important to recognize that our students already bring a lot of wealth of knowledge to the table.”
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“You have to assume that students are probably willing to talk about it,” she says. “We can figure out how to understand what they want and challenge them to think critically about what they see.”