Why Is Youth Civic Engagement So Low? Civics Amnesia and Other Educational Barriers

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Sunday 1:45 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Curriculum as Policy, Curriculum as Power: Whose Knowledge Counts?

Abstract

Despite growing attention to civic education, youth participation remains low. This study asks whether civic education is working as intended by centering the perspectives of those closest to the classroom. Drawing on interviews and focus groups with students and teachers from two Massachusetts districts and a public university, we find that participants share an action-oriented vision for civics—emphasizing dialogue, media literacy, and civic skills. Yet six recurring barriers, including civics amnesia and avoidance of controversy, prevent this vision from being realized. These reflect implementation gaps rather than policy absence since the desired content already exists in state curriculum. By reframing these barriers as leverage points, we offer a roadmap to close the gap between civics mandates and democratic participation.

Authors

• Ashley J. Carey, Sacred Heart University

• Lance Piantaggini, University of Massachusetts - Amherst

• Salma Baksh, Smith College

• Jack Schneider, University of Massachusetts - Amherst