Civic Education and Literacy

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Sunday 9:45 am - Gold 2

Session Type: Roundtable Session

Abstract

This roundtable will examine different ways and the effectiveness of integrating literacy instruction into civic education. One paper will assess the extent to which the We the People curriculum enables elementary and middle school students to achieve literacy standards at a high level. Another paper will explore how civic literacy can be fostered in schools in Germany using data from ICCS 2022 and the 2025 German School Barometer. Finally, a third paper will explore how LGBTQ+ youth engage civically through letter writing as studentcentered, open-ended expressions of civic imagination.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Democratic Citizenship in Education

Papers

• Increasing Literacy through Civic Education - Diana Owen, Georgetown University

• Unlocking Civic Potential: ICCS-Based Mixed-Methods Insights from Socioeconomically High-Need Schools in Germany - Rukiye Ates, University Duisburg - Essen; Nina Charlotte Johanna Welsandt, University of Duisburg-Essen

• Writing Democracy Anew: LGBTQ+ Youth Letters as Acts of Civic Imagination - Avner Rogel; Avner Rogel, Teachers College, Columbia University; Oren Pizmony-Levy, Teachers College, Columbia University