Education for Sustainable Democracy

We all know that we could be doing a better job preparing young people for civic participation – and government officials and the public largely agree, but few organizations focus primarily on addressing this problem. Democracy Ready New York is one of the groups that’s taking action on this issue – advocating for government policies to better support civic education and broadening public engagement in the issue. This episode features the leader of Democracy Ready New York, Michael Rebell. Since 2005, Michael has served as the Executive Director of the Center for Educational Equity at Teachers College, Columbia University. Over the past few years, he and other staff at the Center have built a coalition of individuals and organizations with an interest in civic education. Today this coalition, Democracy Ready New York, is working to improve various aspects of civic education, including media literacy, classrooms discussions, equity, and more. In his conversation with Brett, Michael talks about the goals of the organization, the accomplishments of its various committees, and the group’s plans to diversity its efforts to improve civic education. This episode was originally released in May, 2022. Resources Related to this Episode Michael Rebell's Website [https://www.tc.columbia.edu/faculty/mar224/] Democracy Ready New York Website [https://democracyreadyny.tc.columbia.edu/] CivXNow (Civic Education Advocacy) [https://civxnow.org/] ESD Podcast Resources Education for Sustainable Democracy Homepage [https://sites.google.com/view/esdpodcast/home] Brett Levy's Open-Access Research Articles (Free Downloads) [https://scholarsarchive.library.albany.edu/do/search/?q=author_lname%3A%22Levy%22%20author_fname%3A%22Brett%22&start=0&context=5661620&facet=] Education for Sustainable Democracy Facebook Page (Please Like!) [https://www.facebook.com/Education-for-Sustainable-Democracy-106779848039503] YouTube Channel for Education for Sustainable Democracy (Please Subscribe!) [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt5r5xiG8z6uzIrafPSrc0w] Related ESD Episodes A Congressional Bill to Strengthen Civic Education, with Cat McDonald (DC Lobbyist for Civic Ed) [https://esdpodcast.buzzsprout.com/1318597/9467506-a-congressional-bill-to-strengthen-civic-education-with-cat-mcdonald-dc-lobbyist-for-civic-ed] Guiding Productive Political Discussions, with Diana Hess (University of Wisconsin-Madison) [https://esdpodcast.buzzsprout.com/1318597/6467923-guiding-productive-political-discussions-with-diana-hess-university-of-wisconsin-madison] Engagement & Equity in Civic Education (with Prof. Jane Lo) [https://esdpodcast.buzzsprout.com/1318597/5743153-engagement-equity-in-civic-education-with-professor-jane-lo-michigan-state-university] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/esdpodcast]

Educators around the country have been increasingly interested in expanding the teaching of African-American history, and many resources have been created to help. At the same time, scholars have begun to explore how African-American history is represented in these resources, in standards, in popular textbooks, and beyond. One emerging scholar in this area is Brittany Jones, an assistant professor at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York. Her work explores how emotions are represented in the curriculum, how we can help students consider the lived emotions of those in the past, whether or not some types history should be deemed "difficult" for students, and much more. On this episode, Brittany discusses these issues and how she arrived at these questions. Episode Resources Brittany Jones's Faculty Page [https://ed.buffalo.edu/about/directory/faculty/profile.html?uid=bjones4] Brittany's Google Scholar Page [https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=9bTXbpcAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao] The 1619 Project Curriculum [https://pulitzercenter.org/lesson-plan-grouping/1619-project-curriculum] Key Articles by Brittany Jones Feeling fear as power and oppression: An examination of Black and white fear in Virginia’s U.S. history standards and curriculum framework [https://doi.org/10.1080/00933104.2022.2069529] What is the word “difficult” doing in social studies research?: A systematic literature review of empirical research on difficult knowledges and histories, 2004–2022 [https://doi.org/10.1080/00933104.2024.2430782] ESD Resources Brett Levy's Open Access Research Articles [https://scholarsarchive.library.albany.edu/do/search/?q=author_lname%3A%22Levy%22%20author_fname%3A%22Brett%22&start=0&context=5661620&facet=] Education for Sustainable Democracy Site [https://sites.google.com/view/esdpodcast/home] ESD Facebook Page (Please like!) [https://www.facebook.com/Education-for-Sustainable-Democracy-106779848039503/?ref=page_internal] ESD YouTube Channel (Please subscribe!) [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt5r5xiG8z6uzIrafPSrc0w] Related ESD Episodes Integrating History & Current Events and Creating an Open Classroom Climate, with Amber Joseph (East Side Community School, New York City) [https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/1318597/episodes/8438304-integrating-history-and-current-events-creating-an-open-classroom-climate-with-amber-joseph-east-side-community-school-nyc] Engagement & Equity in Civic Education, with Professor Jane Lo (Michigan State University) [https://esdpodcast.buzzsprout.com/1318597/5743153-engagement-equity-in-civic-education-with-professor-jane-lo-michigan-state-university] Guiding Productive Political Discussions, with Diana Hess (University of Wisconsin-Madison) [https://esdpodcast.buzzsprout.com/1318597/6467923-guiding-productive-political-discussions-with-diana-hess-university-of-wisconsin-madison] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/esdpodcast]

How can we teach about elections in ways that support students' political engagement and also strengthen their willingness to consider diverse perspectives? In this episode, Brett draws on his own research to address this question, offering practical tips for the classroom. Related Resources Teaching Elections Site [https://sites.google.com/view/teachelections/] Education for Sustainable Democracy Homepage [https://sites.google.com/view/esdpodcast/home] Brett Levy's Open-Access Research Articles [https://scholarsarchive.library.albany.edu/do/search/?q=author_lname%3A%22Levy%22%20author_fname%3A%22Brett%22&start=0&context=5661620&facet=] Education for Sustainable Democracy Facebook Page (Please Like!) [https://www.facebook.com/Education-for-Sustainable-Democracy-106779848039503] YouTube Channel for Education for Sustainable Democracy (Please subscribe!) [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt5r5xiG8z6uzIrafPSrc0w] Related ESD Episodes The Seal of Civic Readiness for High School Diplomas, with Lisa Kissinger (New York State Council for the Social Studies) [https://esdpodcast.buzzsprout.com/1318597/13150280-best-of-esd-integrating-history-and-current-events-creating-an-open-classroom-climate-with-amber-joseph-east-side-community-school-nyc] Lateral Reading & Other Media Literacy Skills, with Sarah McGrew (University of Maryland) [https://esdpodcast.buzzsprout.com/1318597/13150280-best-of-esd-integrating-history-and-current-events-creating-an-open-classroom-climate-with-amber-joseph-east-side-community-school-nyc] Teaching Elections & Modeling Political Tolerance, with Wayne Journell (University of North Carolina, Greensboro) [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1318597/episodes/14750681-best-of-esd-teaching-elections-modeling-political-tolerance-with-wayne-journell-university-of-north-carolina-at-greensboro] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/esdpodcast]

This is a rebroadcast of an interview with Professor Wayne Journell about teaching elections, recorded in 2020. How should educators teach about elections? How can they maximize student learning, foster engagement, and minimize overly heated exchanges among students? Professor Wayne Journell from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, has conducted research on how high school teachers help students learn about elections. He describes how teachers can frame productive discussion of elections, integrate election-related content into other aspects of the curriculum, and model a tolerant attitudes towards different political perspectives. Dr. Journell also explains how educators can help students navigate our complex media landscape and avoid falling victim to misinformation.  Resources Related to this Episode Teaching Elections Website [https://sites.google.com/view/teachelections/] Wayne Journell's Website [https://www.waynejournell.com/] Theory & Research in Social Education [https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/utrs20/current] ESD Podcast Resources Brett Levy's Open-Access Research Articles (Free Downloads) [https://scholarsarchive.library.albany.edu/do/search/?q=author_lname%3A%22Levy%22%20author_fname%3A%22Brett%22&start=0&context=5661620&facet=] Education for Sustainable Democracy Facebook Page (Please Like!) [https://www.facebook.com/Education-for-Sustainable-Democracy-106779848039503] YouTube Channel for Education for Sustainable Democracy (Please Subscribe!) [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt5r5xiG8z6uzIrafPSrc0w] Brett Levy's Twitter/X Handle: @brettlmlevy [https://twitter.com/brettlmlevy] Education for Sustainable Democracy Homepage [https://sites.google.com/view/esdpodcast/home] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/esdpodcast]

How should secondary school teachers help their student learn about the election during this heated political moment? In this episode, Brett speaks to Dan Hornick, who teaches high school government in a politically diverse district in upstate New York. Dan shares his insights, experiences, and suggestions on teaching about elections in the current era. He also explains how to get students to develop good media literacy habits and become engaged in local civic issues. Dan brings to this discussion over two decades of classroom experience and years working in local government in various positions. Episode Resources https://sites.google.com/democracyprep.org/dppscivics/civics-program?authuser=0New York State's Seal of Civic Readiness Site [https://www.nysed.gov/curriculum-instruction/seal-civic-readiness] Brett Levy's Teaching Elections Site [https://sites.google.com/view/teachelections/] ESD Podcast Resources Education for Sustainable Democracy Homepage [https://sites.google.com/view/esdpodcast/home] Brett Levy's Open-Access Research Articles [https://scholarsarchive.library.albany.edu/do/search/?q=author_lname%3A%22Levy%22%20author_fname%3A%22Brett%22&start=0&context=5661620&facet=] Education for Sustainable Democracy Facebook Page (Please Like!) [https://www.facebook.com/Education-for-Sustainable-Democracy-106779848039503] YouTube Channel for Education for Sustainable Democracy (Please subscribe!) [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt5r5xiG8z6uzIrafPSrc0w] Related ESD Episodes The Seal of Civic Readiness for High School Diplomas, with Lisa Kissinger (New York State Council for the Social Studies) [https://esdpodcast.buzzsprout.com/1318597/13150280-best-of-esd-integrating-history-and-current-events-creating-an-open-classroom-climate-with-amber-joseph-east-side-community-school-nyc] Lateral Reading & Other Media Literacy Skills, with Sarah McGrew (University of Maryland) [https://esdpodcast.buzzsprout.com/1318597/13150280-best-of-esd-integrating-history-and-current-events-creating-an-open-classroom-climate-with-amber-joseph-east-side-community-school-nyc] Teaching Elections & Modeling Political Tolerance, with Wayne Journell (University of North Carolina, Greensboro) [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1318597/episodes/14750681-best-of-esd-teaching-elections-modeling-political-tolerance-with-wayne-journell-university-of-north-carolina-at-greensboro] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/esdpodcast]