Civics in Schools

Civics in schools
Some educators see increasing levels of engagement among students

Kentucky School Advocate
September 2018

By Madelynn Coldiron
Staff writer

 

The seniors in Mike Hils’ government class at Highlands High School were sending him selfies toward the end of the last school year – but not from some fun spot or celebratory school event. Instead, they took cellphone photos of themselves in the voting booth May 22, primary election day.

 

Hils, who also is the social studies department chair, requires all his eligible senior students to vote in the primary. All seniors at the Fort Thomas Independent high school, in fact, are required to take a government class to graduate. “I think the reason why a lot of people don’t register, that they don’t understand what’s going on in politics, and they sometimes vote against their own interest is because they don’t get enough education in basic civics,” he said. “That’s where it all starts.”

Highlands was recognized earlier this year as one of two schools that received the Georgia Davis Powers Award from the secretary of state’s office for outstanding youth voter registration. The other was Lafayette High School in Fayette County, where two students, Eli Dreyer and Gabriella Epley, spearheaded a two-year drive that eventually registered 100 percent of eligible students.

Dreyer, who graduated this year and is headed to DePaul University in Chicago, said he realized, “The only direct way I can have an impact on having more youth go out and being involved in the democratic process is by registering them to vote and encouraging them to actually get out and vote.” 

 

(Photo submitted by Eli Dreyer)

With the support of school administrators, he and Epley (who graduated in 2017), set up voter registration tables before and after school, and during lunch. They used resources from Inspire Kentucky (www.inspire-usa.org), a nonprofit program that supports high schools with student peer-to-peer voter registration activities.

Lafayette High School Principal Bryne Jacobs, a former social studies teacher, said schools walk a fine line in supporting students with civic engagement because of the need to be unbiased. “So, we tend to encourage issues that are nonpartisan or that apply to all,” he said. “When you talk about voting and voting rights, those affect everybody – they’re kind of universal issues that the schools can be a little more supportive of those efforts.”

Hils said basic civics is important and “shouldn’t even be a state law,” referring to the new civics test students will have to take to graduate (see story, page 14). “Schools should just do it on their own.”

At Highlands High School, students can choose from three levels of government class: a regular government course, an AP course and a class called We the People in which students compete at the state and national levels. 

In any of those three classes, students study the U.S. Constitution, the branches of government, separation of powers, politics and current events, Hils said. They also analyze media perspectives, and candidates are invited to speak. Students don’t register to vote until several months into the school year, so they “understand exactly where they are politically themselves,” Hils said. “They’re well-informed voters; they're not just checking a box.”

Hils recommends that students not take a civics class until their senior year. “It’s not relevant to them when they’re only 14 or 15 years old,” he said. “They really need to have it when they’re seniors and they realize, ‘Hey, this matters now. I can register to vote.’”

Greater engagement
Hils said he hopes the civic awareness he sees in the students who are graduating will last. He said he warns students that after they graduate, it will be up to them to stay engaged. “I usually get an email or two on election night, a year or two after kids graduate, and they say, ‘Hey, Mr. Hils, I’m really into this thanks to your class,” he said.

Dreyer thinks it will become a habit among his peers – a reflection of their desire to make a difference. “Previous generations have seen voting as more of a task, and this generation, at least from what I have seen, it’s more of an event that, for one, is a mark for their adulthood – moving on from childhood and being able to have an impact on politics; as well, I’m seeing that a lot of people are just excited about being able to get out and vote,” he said.

 

Jacobs said within the last year or so, he has noticed a change in the level of student civic engagement. He’s not sure of the catalyst for this, but speculates that school violence and immigration changes are possibilities. “I think it’s because a lot of issues are affecting them personally, and they feel like the way to make change is to use their voice to impact that,” he said.

Jacobs said he doesn’t always hear positive comments about “this generation of teenagers,” who may be perceived as self-focused. “But what I see is a very compassionate, empathetic group that are very educated and are motivated to make changes when they see things aren’t right,” he said. “And I do think they’re more open to different voices than sometimes we get as adults. So, they’re willing to listen to both sides to find solutions because they do that here at school on a daily basis. I think maybe us as adults can learn some things from them.”

Board View: More than an “I voted” sticker

The initiative by teachers and others at Highlands High School to make sure eligible students are registered to vote is a great idea, but there’s more to it than that, said Fort Thomas Independent school board Chairman Jeff Beach.

“I think it’s a statement on how our teachers are trying to make our kids global leaders,” he said. “Not only are they getting them registered to vote, but I think they’re teaching them what that responsibility comes with. What are the issues of the day, who are you voting for? I think they do a great job at the school in talking about current issues and that fits in well with getting those kids registered to vote.”

One of the district’s 18-year old students even ran for city commission a few years ago. He lost, Beach said, but “I think it inspired some others along those ages to be more involved.”

 

The work that the Fort Thomas teachers do in civics education can counter the influences of unfiltered social media and encourage students to become involved and learn the platforms of political candidates, Beach said. This also makes them better citizens, to the benefit of their community, he added.

“They teach them to think for themselves. … They do a good job of helping them understand when you put them in office, how does that affect long-term what may happen in terms of taxes and other policies you may feel strongly about,” he said.