Civically Engaging Teachers in a Politically Charged Environment

• In Event: 32.084 - Poster Session 6
  In Poster Session: 32.084-5 - District Research

Abstract

North Carolina has been a political battleground over public education since 2010 giving teachers few opportunities to share their opinions with lawmakers. Researchers from the Education Policy Initiative at Carolina conducted a study to determine the effectiveness of a state teacher fellows program aimed at eliciting political change through teacher mobilization. This paper will use civic engagement research to assess to what extent the program was successful in recruiting and engaging teachers to take part in data collection activities around state education policy issues. Findings revealed that the program aligned well with the best practices of promoting civic engagement, but program administrators and participants were forced to navigate the unique political climate strategically to prompt change.

Authors

• Cassandra R. Davis, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Aubrey N. Comperatore, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Kristina M. Patterson-Marcinkevich, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill