Understanding Barriers to Civic Education in United States Schools

• In Event: School Structure and Student Outcomes

Abstract

Since 2021, 29 states have proposed or approved policies that restrict classroom discussion of certain topics, including current events and controversial issues ranging from race and gender to the history of slavery in the United States (Alexander et al., 2024; Rogers et al., 2022; Schwartz, 2024). In addition to restricting civic discussions, some states have also sought to ban effective civic education practices such as service learning and action civics (Schwartz, 2024). Scholarship suggests these restrictive policies are likely to reinforce and exacerbate existing racialized and economic barriers to civic education, going against decades of research attempting to reduce these disparities (Andolina & Conklin, 2020; Davis Smith et al., 2023; Gould et al., 2011;  Kahne & Middaugh, 2008; Levine & Kawashima-Ginsberg, 2017;Levinson, 2009; Levinson, 2014; Lo, 2019).

This literature review of 61 articles concentrates on research conducted in PK-12 settings in the United States from 2000 to 2024 to inform future research, policy, and practice on fostering equitable and inclusive civic educational spaces. To do so, I answer the following questions: (a) How have scholars defined civic education?; (b) What are the barriers to civic education?; (c) How can barriers to civic education be reduced?

My analysis identified three strands within the literature on barriers to civic education. The first strand provides an overview of civic education and effective practices. The second strand delineates the historic and systemic educational inequities that are deeply intertwined with existing barriers to civic education. The third strand illuminates the potential of critical civic education to name existing barriers and take action toward a more just and equitable society.

As the United States is becoming increasingly more diverse (Frey, 2021), policymakers and practitioners must reimagine civic education to more accurately reflect the lived experiences of students in U.S. schools (Cohen et al., 2018; de los Ríos et al., 2015; Equity in Civic Education Project, 2020; Woodson & Love, 2019). While scholars have conducted research on barriers to civic education and civic education practices, gaps persist in: (a) understanding barriers to the implementation of civic education; (b) assessment of civic learning; and (c) the effects of censorship legislation on civic education. In addition to exploring these gaps, policy implications are considered in the areas of civics teacher education and critical civic education policy standards. Finally, this literature review ends with a call for critical civic education to be equitably implemented in schools nationwide in order to reduce and ultimately eliminate barriers to civic education.

Author

• Mallory Lineberger, University of Texas at Austin
  Presenting Author