Webinar Calls on K-12, Higher Education to Promote Civic Learning and Engagement

As misinformation and government-related conspiracy theories continue to divide the nation, the Educational Testing Service (ETS) and the Educating for American Democracy initiative co-hosted a webinar on Tuesday to discuss the need to promote civic readiness within the K-12 education system.

The “fragility of our democracy” was made evident by the events of Jan. 6 at the United States Capitol, which was incited by rhetoric around election fraud, according to Harvard University’s James Bryant Conant University Professor Dr. Danielle Allen.

As misinformation and government-related conspiracy theories continue to divide the nation, the Educational Testing Service (ETS) and the Educating for American Democracy initiative co-hosted a webinar on Tuesday to discuss the need to promote civic readiness within the K-12 education system.

The event, “Monitoring Civic Learning Opportunities and Outcomes: State of the Field and Future Directions,” noted inadequate support for civics education from policymakers and education leaders.

On average, the federal government spends $50 per student on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) related fields for the year, compared to $0.05 per student on civics. In the K-12 classroom, social studies and civics teachers often have to use vacation time or pay out of pocket to attend professional development workshops. Additionally, only two-thirds of high school social studies teachers believe it is essential for students to “embrace the responsibilities of citizenship,” according to ETS President and CEO Dr. Walt MacDonald. Read More

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