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Forget civics class: Students want to make a difference in real life

The Hechinger Report

Some school districts, local governments and nonprofit groups across the country have galvanized this youth activism by giving students opportunities to participate in leadership roles and democracy in ways that go beyond civics classes and student government. Related: Making America whole again via civics education.

Civics 143
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PROOF POINTS: Slightly higher reading scores when students delve into social studies, study finds

The Hechinger Report

Fordham Institute found that elementary school students who studied more social studies, including geography, history and civics, scored higher on fifth grade reading tests. Fordham Institute , an education policy think tank, which directly linked minutes of social studies instruction to higher reading scores.

educators

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OPINION: Educators must be on the frontline of social activism

The Hechinger Report

These dangerous culture wars will wreak havoc on education and education policy for years to come. I taught my students to respect the power of civic engagement and social activism. We must do this through teaching, learning and advocacy — as well as social activism and civic engagement.

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One state is poised to teach media literacy starting in kindergarten 

The Hechinger Report

Polites, who testified before the legislature on the need for media literacy, said the subject goes “hand-in-hand” with a recently passed state civics-education law , that will help students to become well-informed voting citizens, regardless of political party. It’s about civic responsibility,” Polites said. “I

Teaching 135
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OPINION: In an era of teacher shortages, we must embrace and develop new ways to unleash educator talent

The Hechinger Report

These include the Khan Academy, with its free online learning and AI-empowered tutoring ; Outschool , which lets students choose online discussion-based classes; and Remake Learning , which provides a model for connecting the learning that takes place in museums, after-school programs, camps and civic organizations in the Pittsburgh area.

Tutoring 120
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OPINION: What if everything we believe about education is a lie?

The Hechinger Report

Education policy over the last half century has mostly been predicated on the assumption that schooling is a singular mechanism for reducing poverty and advancing equity at scale. He also taught civics at Democracy Prep Public Schools, a network of high-performing charter schools based in Harlem, New York. Fordham Institute.

Education 123
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PROOF POINTS: 5 Questions for Daniel Koretz

The Hechinger Report

Because those scores were then used to evaluate educators and decide which schools to shut down, testing has changed how math and reading are taught in classrooms and reduced or even eliminated topics that aren’t tested — from civics and science to art and music. There were two camps.

Civics 119