Danielle Allen responds to new national test results which revealed a decline in students’ knowledge in U.S. civics.
American Academy of Arts & Sciences
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** We Hit Rock Bottom on Civics Education. Can We Turn it Around?
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In her latest column for The Washington Post, Danielle Allen responds to new national test results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress ([link removed]) (NAEP) which revealed a further decline in students’ knowledge in U.S. history and civics. Danielle argues that the story isn’t just about students’ loss of knowledge, but also about their loss of connection to this country. Allen writes: “The deepest truth of this work is that you can’t have a democracy unless people want one. And right now, the kids don’t particularly want a democracy. This means we are failing at one of our greatest responsibilities: generational succession.” Strategy 6 of the Our Common Purpose report centers on inspiring a culture of commitment to American constitutional democracy and one another and includes calls for investments in civic educators and civic education.
Read Danielle’s full op-ed here ([link removed]) . Read the results from the National Assessment of Education Progress here ([link removed]) .
** In the News
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** Kei Kawashima Ginsberg: Young People have Proven themselves to be Stakeholders in this Democracy
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May 7, 2023 – Kei Kawashima Ginsberg, Newhouse Director of CIRCLE at Tufts University’s Tisch College of Civic Life and a member of the Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship, recently appeared on Soledad O’Brien’s Matter of Fact to discuss the increase in voter turnout among 18–29-year-olds over the last decade, and the response by some state legislatures to limit youth participation. Strategy 2 of Our Common Purpose includes reforms to empower voters.
Watch Kei’s interview here ([link removed]) .
** Eric Liu on NPR: We Need to Create a Culture of Connection
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May 3, 2023 – In the aftermath of a new report from U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy on an “epidemic of loneliness” in America, Eric Liu spoke with NPR about solutions to America’s isolation problem. “One of the things that's so important about the surgeon general's report is this idea that we need to create a culture of connection, a civic culture in which we actually see one another's fates as entwined,” Liu said.
Listen to Eric’s full conversation with NPR here ([link removed]) .
** Good to Know
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** The American Academy is Hiring!
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The American Academy of Arts & Sciences is accepting applications for a Government Relations Officer within the American Institutions, Society and the Public Good (AI) program area. Learn more about the opening here ([link removed]) . Please share this exciting opportunity with your network. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
** Listen First Project is hiring a full-time Director of Coalition Engagement
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Listen First Project, an OCP Champion, is hiring a full-time Director of Coalition Engagement to coordinate, equip, and mobilize the ListenFirst ([link removed]) Coalition of 500+ organizations.
Learn more about this opening here ([link removed]) .
** Apply Now for Federal Civics and History Grants
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CivXNow, an OCP Champion, is now accepting grant applications for the fiscal year 2023 American History and Civics Education National Activities Programs (AHC-NA). The purpose of the AHC-NA program is to promote new and existing evidence-based strategies to encourage innovative American history, civics and government instruction for teachers, principals, or other school leaders.
Learn more about this grant opportunity here ([link removed]) .
** Join the Jewish Partnership for Democracy this Summer!
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The Jewish Partnership for Democracy is planning a summer-long series of virtual informal conversations for prospective partners. These conversations will bring together people and organizations on the front lines of American democracy — from subject-matter experts to leaders and innovators who are making a difference in their own communities.
Details on these programs and more are available here ([link removed]) .
** Read the Report
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Learn more about the Academy's current efforts to advance reforms to reinvent American democracy and read the Our Common Purpose report here ([link removed]) .
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