Spotlight on Civic Learning

High-quality civic learning is crucial for ensuring that young people are prepared to contribute to thriving societies through informed participation and constructive engagement with their communities.

Advances in civic learning can contribute to the preservation and improvement of self-governance, the promotion of discourse and deliberation about important policy issues, and the readiness of all individuals, regardless of background, to succeed and thrive in society.

Civic learning takes place in schools, communities, families, and other institutions and is an essential contributor to a well-functioning society. Civic learning is driven by instruction, experiences, and opportunities that foster civic knowledge, skills (e.g., critical thinking, news/media literacy, civil discourse), and dispositions (e.g., civic interest, civic efficacy, empathy, open-mindedness, and social responsibility) for the purpose of promoting responsible and informed civic participation.

AIR's work in civic learning draws on the diverse content and methodological expertise of AIR staff and the collaborations we form with clients and partners. Our research and technical assistance cuts across several areas of civic learning:

1. Evaluating the impacts of educational interventions (i.e., policies, programs, and practices) on civic learning outcomes including interventions specific to K-12 civics and social studies, as well as relevant interventions in other K-12 subject areas, organized activities (i.e., out-of-school time programs), and postsecondary education.
2. Improving measures of civic learning opportunities and outcomes.
3. Supporting state and local agencies and foundations in developing tools and processes for engaging youth, educators, and the broader community in civic learning experiences.
   

Our Partners and Funders

• Council for Aid to Education
• Digital Inquiry Group
• Facing History & Ourselves
• iCivics
• Institute for Citizens & Scholars
• The Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk (MCPER) at The University of Texas at Austin
• Thinking Habitats
• University of Florida
• University of Glasgow
• U.S. Department of Education
• U.S. Department of Defense
• WestEd
• American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU)