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Questions of Civic Proportions: Why does it matter if we find the right words for this?

My Fellow Citizens, We’re all asking one another, “how are you holding up?” The standard response usually starts with a deep breath and includes some bad joke. We’re looking for a new approach to our standard greetings. The usual ones don’t seem to do enough to recognize

Questions of Civic Proportions: What do we want when we call for better civics?

It’s that time of year again. It might be unique to election years. Let’s all join hands or shake our fists or whatever it is you do when we join together to call for better civics. Our country is falling apart, y’all. If only there were an

#CivicEDchat: Is this Civic Education's "Sputnik Moment?"

Civic education has failed us. This, at least, is one of the explanations for the surprising election of Donald Trump. Stories since then have recorded the fall of one political norm after another. Clearly there are consequences to our patterns of disengagement. The forces pointing to the decline of civic

Ralph Ketcham: A Champion for Civic Education

Civic Education lost a powerful voice for meaningful civics this week. While some count political wins with states adding the citizenship test to graduation requirements, Ralph Ketcham led the charge for civic education that was “interdisciplinary, team-taught and driven by deliberation on current events.” That’s civics worth doing and

Editor's Note: November 2016 and Finding the Way Forward for Civic Education

Returning to “online news” with a fair measure of caution, I read a suggestion to “find solace in your tribe,” and I knew exactly who I needed to talk to in the days ahead. I have always counted a particular network of civic educators as one of the priceless assets

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