"Because many of our schools fail to address the health and well-being of both students and their communities, teachers and teacher educators are in need of a revised vision for teaching and schooling-one that is committed to civic and community engagement where we see school and community building as reciprocal, not separate, projects. This vision of schooling places the health and well-being of individuals and their communities at the center of the curriculum and sees partnership and collaboration with communities and community and democratic revitalization as a central goal of education. Teachers need specific strategies and ideas for reviving our democracy and revitalizing communities-strategies that I have learned from community organizers and then used to guide me in my own journey as a teacher and a teacher educator (e.g., building intentional relationships, organizing listening campaigns, integrating and valuing local knowledge, teaching democratic practices, giving students choice and agency in school, exploring who we are and what and how we know, examining our intellectual and ethical commitments, mapping community assets, holding relational meetings, creating community engagement councils, working directly with community-based organizations (CBOs), organizing accountability sessions with public officials, working to create healthy and sustainable spaces, running voter registration drives, co-creating curriculum with students, marching, protesting, participating in public arts, etc.) (Catone, 2016; Warren, 2005)"--

This practical resource shows teachers how to enact robust forms of civic education in today’s schools. Both instructive and thought-provoking, it will inspire teachers to craft curricula addressing a wide range of genuine civic problems such as those related to racial discrimination, environmental damage, and community health. Dividing civic literacy projects into three key phases—problem identification, problem exploration, and action—the author provides concrete examples from upper-elementary, middle, and high school classrooms to illustrate and analyze how each phase can unfold. The projects ultimately provide opportunities for youth to participate in civic life while they develop essential literacy skills associated with reading, writing, and speaking. The final chapter outlines a curriculum design process that will result in coherent and meaningful civic literacy projects driven by clear goals. It includes practical tools, such as a sample unit timeline, an assessment chart, and student worksheets that can be modified for immediate use. “Shira’s work offers us a reflection of democratic practice in the classroom through the teaching of critical reading, persuasive writing, and deliberation. In Teaching Civic Literacy Projects,Shira invites us all to contemplate the depth of the democratic project and the possibility that schools can help uphold our democratic ideals.” —From the Foreword by Celia Oyler, professor, Teachers College, Columbia University. “This book is a gem! Shira Epstein has provided invaluable assistance for teachers interested in engaging their students in the political and civic spheres in ways that build crucial literacy skills. The combination of a powerful framework and rich and detailed case studies provides readers with a clear vision and helpful, specific guidance for creating robust civic learning experiences for young people.” —Diana Hess, senior vice-president, Spencer Foundation and professor, University of Wisconsin–Madison “Excellent civic education means encouraging young people to identify and define problems and take action. That is challenging in our era of political polarization and narrow definitions of education. Shira Eve Epstein provides the best practical guide for teachers who want their students to confront social problems.” —Peter Levine, Lincoln Filene Professor of Citizenship & Public Affairs, Tufts University

This practical book provides teachers and teacher educators with concrete strategies for doing community-based work. By reframing the act of teaching to include working for social change, the author pushes readers to see school and community revitalization as reciprocal, not separate, projects. Drawing on the strategies and tactics of community organizers and activists, Charest describes an approach to schooling that addresses the social and economic concerns that students and families in under-resourced communities confront in their daily lives. He uses a decolonial framework to examine how schools can de-center Whiteness and reimagine curriculum and teaching. He also shows teacher educators how they can better prepare the next generation of civic-minded teachers to create a more just and democratic society. This model of intentional community engagement, when initiated by teachers and school leadership, is designed to re-position schools to take up questions of equity, racism, and the long-term health and well-being of individuals and communities. “Charest urges us to imagine a path to teaching and learning that is inseparable from democracy . . . Let’s join the movement.” —From the Foreword by Kevin K. Kumashiro, former dean, School of Education, University of San Francisco “I am overjoyed that Brian Charest is brave enough to take a stance on justice-centered teaching as a relational and political act rooted in the principles of organizing.” —David O. Stovall, University of Illinois at Chicago “This book takes up the central problem of our country’s failed education system: how to move schooling away from structures that isolate, stigmatize, and disempower students and communities towards structures that prioritize democracy, relationships, and organizing for power.” —Jay Gillen, teacher and organizer

American democracy is at a critical crossroads. Rancor, division, and suspicion are the unfortunate byproducts of the contentious 2016 presidential election. The election also bred a measure of civic uncertainty where citizens of all ages struggle to find and define their roles within a functioning democracy. No Reluctant Citizens: Teaching Civics in K-12 Classrooms is designed to help social studies teachers reinforce the centrality of civic education through a series of hands-on, participatory, and empowering activities. From civic literacy to human rights, from service learning to controversial issues, No Reluctant Citizens: Teaching Civics in K-12 Classrooms explores an array of topics that ultimately provides K-12 students the conceptual and practical tools to become civically engaged.

In Teaching America, more than 20 leading thinkers sound the alarm over a crisis in citizenship--and lay out a powerful agenda for reform. The book's unprecedented roster of authors includes Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, Senator Jon Kyl, Senator Bob Graham, Secretary Rod Paige, Alan Dershowitz, Juan Williams, Glenn Reynolds, Michael Kazin, Frederick Hess, Andrew Rotherham, Mike Feinberg, Seth Andrew, Mark Bauerlein and more. Their message: To remain America, our country has to give its kids a civic identity, an understanding of our constitutional system, and some appreciation of the amazing achievements of American self-government. But we are failing. Young Americans know little about the Bill of Rights, the democratic process, or the civil rights movement. Three of every four high school seniors aren't proficient in civics, nine of ten can't cut it in U.S. history, and the problem is only aggravated by universities' disregard for civic education. Such civic illiteracy weakens our common culture, disenfranchises would-be voters, and helps poison our politics.

As former elementary school teachers, the authors focus on what is possible in schools rather than a romantic vision of what schools could be. Based on a 5-year study of an elementary school, this book shows how civic engagement can be purposive and critical—a way to encourage young people to examine their environment, to notice and question injustices, and to take action to make a difference in their communities and school. Focusing on the intersection of student voice and critical inquiry, the book describes how to embed civic engagement into curriculum, school decision-making processes, and whole-school activities. Chapters provide an overview of what research has demonstrated about civic engagement at the classroom, school, and community levels, including detailed descriptions of activities and lessons for practice. Classroom teachers, school principals, community members, and teacher educators can use this resource to foster a deeper, richer understanding of what is entailed in civic life. Book Features: A vivid portrait of a “typical” public school that wants to do more than teach to the test.An examination of the conditions that enable young people to participate in democratic practices, including identifying and questioning injustices.Concrete examples of student voice and critical inquiry in classroom contexts.Practices and activities that encourage children to get along with others, exchange perspectives, and work across differences. “Offers a suggestive range of evidence that high-quality civic engagement initiatives can enhance students’ academic, social, and emotional engagement. . . . It reveals the nitty-gritty of how experienced teachers can enable children who are immersed in meaningful civic work also to engage more deeply with mathematical problem-solving, peer collaboration, literacy and social studies learning, and development of empathy and mutual trust.” —From the Foreword by Meira Levinson “Mitra and Serriere show us not only that elementary-aged children are capable of civic engagement, but how such engagement can be nurtured in the classroom. Children can be active civic participants; this book demonstrates both the power of this idea and how we might accomplish this essential task.” —Beth C. Rubin, Rutgers University

With this essential book, co-published by Routledge and MiddleWeb, you will gain a variety of practical strategies for teaching civics and current events to your middle school students.