ORCID
0009-0001-9904-0111
Faculty Advisor
Dr. Daniel Stephens
Keywords
Civic Education, Democracy, Equity Policy, Critical Pedagogy, U.S. Schools
Abstract
Civic education in the United States faces persistent challenges, including inequitable access, curricular fragmentation, and reluctance to address controversial social and political issues. This paper presents a comprehensive synthesis of research, policy analysis, and practice-based case studies to reimagine civic education for the 21st century. Drawing on core scholarship supplemented with additional peer-reviewed studies on school segregation, charter school demographics, and race-conscious student assignment policies, the study examines the historical evolution of civic education, structural inequities, political avoidance, and promising innovations. Using a qualitative synthesis approach, the findings highlight five thematic areas: structural inequities, curricular misalignment, sanitized narratives, limits of rote learning, and transformative potential through critical pedagogy. New evidence from recent segregation and policy research demonstrates how inequitable resource allocation and racial isolation undermine civic preparation. Policy implications include equitable funding, vertical alignment of standards, professional development, inclusive curricula, and authentic assessment practices. The paper concludes that civic education must center marginalized voices, embrace inquiry-based and action-oriented learning, and align systems to prepare all students for democratic participation and renewal.
Date Added
10-2-2025
College
College of Community Innovation and Education
STARS Citation
Clark, Delante, "Reimagining Civic Education in the United States: Integrating Research, Policy, and Practice for Democratic Renewal" (2025). Graduate Scholarship and Creative Works. 2.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/gradscholar/2
UCF faculty support letter
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Included in
Civic and Community Engagement Commons, Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons, Educational Leadership Commons, Educational Sociology Commons, Education Policy Commons, Elementary and Middle and Secondary Education Administration Commons, Elementary Education and Teaching Commons, Inequality and Stratification Commons, Junior High, Intermediate, Middle School Education and Teaching Commons, Other Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons, Other Sociology Commons, Politics and Social Change Commons, Pre-Elementary, Early Childhood, Kindergarten Teacher Education Commons, Race and Ethnicity Commons, Sociology of Culture Commons