Tax Incentive Package For Kimberly-Clark Faces Challenges In State Senate, New Black Surrealism In TV And Film, Are We Getting The Civics Education We Need?

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• Is Civics Education Preparing Students To Be Responsible Citizens?

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  Young people are becoming more engaged in politics in the wake of school shootings and the rise in social media. But in a time of a changing media landscape and increased access to digital platforms, are high school civics classes preparing students to be responsible citizens?

  A new report from the Brookings Institution found that nationwide, states require greater knowledge-based curriculum over experience-based learning in civics education, said Elizabeth Mann Levesque, a fellow at the Brown Center for Education Policy at the Brookings Institution.

  That knowledge-based coursework is essential, she said. But it’s just a starting point.

  “From there, it’s teaching students what it means to actually be an engaged citizen, how you make your opinion heard, how you voice your opinion productively, how you engage with others who disagree with you in terms of dispositions,” she said.

  The divisiveness and discord in national politics today prompted the researchers to look into what role schools can play in teaching students how to productively participate in democratic life, Levesque said. And, given the 2015 passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act to replace the No Child Left Behind Act, now is a good time to look at what states are doing.

  “We’re in an era now where states have an opportunity to be innovative in terms of thinking about what students should be learning,” she said. “How do we hold schools accountable … what are the goals of civics education.”

  Forty-three states require at least one course that is either civics or related to civics — such United States history or American government — for high school graduation, she said. Every state includes current events discussions in their curriculum, and the majority cover news media literacy, according to the report.

  “What we saw less of was the more participatory or engagement aspects of civics education,” she said. “So we saw many fewer states incorporating or mentioning service learning in their standards.”

  Just over half of the states included democratic simulations, like mock trial or elections, in their curriculum, Levesque said. And just under half of the states use the College, Career and Civic Life framework — also called the C3 framework — that incorporates both knowledge learning and active participation in civic life.

  Wisconsin requires one civics course, as well as current event discussion. Wisconsin high school students are also required to pass a civics test with the same questions someone applying for U.S. citizenship may be asked.

  However, the C3 framework has its critics, Levesque said.

  “There are definitely some who argue that the essential focus really should remain on building that knowledge base, and that teaching civic engagement isn’t necessarily within the scope of the civics curriculum,” she said.

  But for her part, Levesque says leaving out experience-based learning shortchanges students of the opportunity to practice and engage in those lessons, she said.

  That can come in the form of learning to write letters to your congressmen and learning to debate in a respectful way, Levesque said. And it helps students learn that their voice matters.

  “That’s an excellent teaching opportunity to help students craft a message and learn to communicate in a way that is civil, that uses evidence, that makes their point clear while respectfully disagreeing with someone,” she said.

  And very shortly, they’ll be the voters, jurors and politicians, she said.

  “Our students are also members of our society … they’re the future of our democracy,” Levesque said. “And so thinking about how do we give, you know, all students kind of equal access to be able to know how to fill those roles and to see themselves in those roles.”

• Tax Incentive Package For Kimberly-Clark Faces Challenges In State Senate

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  A $100 million incentive package aimed at keeping the Kimberly-Clark paper company from shuttering two plants in the Fox Cities faces an uncertain future in the state Senate after being passed by the Assembly earlier this year. We speak with Patrick Marley from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about the proposed deal and why some state lawmakers are not on board.

• The New Black Surrealism In Film and TV

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  We talk to a freelance writer about New Black Surrealism, an art form that is showing up in movies and television shows that uses satire and absurdity to shine a light on race issues in the United States.

• Is Civics Education Preparing Students To Be Engaged Citizens?

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  With a changing digital news media and youth activism making headlines in the last year, many young people are engaged in politics. But what are they learning about civics in school? We talk to a researcher who looked at civics education across the country to see how it’s preparing students to become participants in a healthy democracy.