As a Washington state legislator, I always looked forward to stacks of letters from local high school students whose teachers tasked them with writing to a lawmaker expressing their concerns on an issue. I took extra care in replying to these letters, not only because I valued their perspectives on a range of issues but also because I knew this was almost surely the first interaction any of these students would have with an elected official. I wanted them to know that I was paying attention to their concerns—and that the democratic process could work for them.
I knew the value of demonstrating this lesson to young people because it had been so convincingly demonstrated to me in my own youth. One of the civic experiences that formed my confidence for later public service was participation in the American Legion Department of Washington’s Evergreen Boys State program. I got to spend a week with 300 fellow rising high school seniors who came together on the Central Washington University campus to simulate a state government and hear from elected officials. My peers elected me as chair of the “Federalist” Party and then as Speaker of the House. It was one of the most memorable and inspiring weeks of my life. Later, when I served in the real state legislature, I got to go back to speak at Boys State every year.
Now, a new report from scholars and civic education leaders examines the role of experiential learning in the teaching of civics. A project of an informal network called the Council on Civic Strength, the 11-member task force co-chaired by Danielle Allen of Harvard University and Elizabeth Clay Roy of Generation Citizen produced a helpful “Portrait of the Field,” as they call it, clearly and carefully explaining the benefits of learning about America’s governing institutions and practices through hands-on and interactive experiences. These would include the experience I had in the Boys State program and the correspondence I had with high school students, as well as issue debates, summer and after-school programs like the YMCA’s Youth in Government or the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Civics Bee, and structured meetings using parliamentary procedure, both in and out of school.As a Washington state legislator, I always looked forward to stacks of letters from local high school students whose teachers tasked them with writing to a lawmaker expressing their concerns on an issue. I took extra care in replying to these letters, not only because I valued their perspectives on a range of issues but also because I knew this was almost surely the first interaction any of these students would have with an elected official. I wanted them to know that I was paying attention to their concerns—and that the democratic process could work for them.
I knew the value of demonstrating this lesson to young people because it had been so convincingly demonstrated to me in my own youth. One of the civic experiences that formed my confidence for later public service was participation in the American Legion Department of Washington’s Evergreen Boys State program. I got to spend a week with 300 fellow rising high school seniors who came together on the Central Washington University campus to simulate a state government and hear from elected officials. My peers elected me as chair of the “Federalist” Party and then as Speaker of the House. It was one of the most memorable and inspiring weeks of my life. Later, when I served in the real state legislature, I got to go back to speak at Boys State every year.
Now, a new report from scholars and civic education leaders examines the role of experiential learning in the teaching of civics. A project of an informal network called the Council on Civic Strength, the 11-member task force co-chaired by Danielle Allen of Harvard University and Elizabeth Clay Roy of Generation Citizen produced a helpful “Portrait of the Field,” as they call it, clearly and carefully explaining the benefits of learning about America’s governing institutions and practices through hands-on and interactive experiences. These would include the experience I had in the Boys State program and the correspondence I had with high school students, as well as issue debates, summer and after-school programs like the YMCA’s Youth in Government or the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Civics Bee, and structured meetings using parliamentary procedure, both in and out of school.
Why should we pay attention to this report? Perhaps most notably, it brings together the best thinking from leaders who at first glance seem to represent differing agendas within the civics field. They include representatives of youth engagement groups, an organization that provides classroom resources to K-12 civics and history teachers, and academic scholars from new “civic thought” programs in public universities. If there has sometimes been tension between proponents of education for civic engagement and education for civic knowledge, the Task Force on the Value of Experiential Civic Learning shows that civic engagement and civic knowledge need not be at odds; rather, they are mutually reinforcing.
The task force does an impressive job of arguing concurrently for the “knowledge, skills, dispositions, and virtues” that make up a comprehensive civic education while emphasizing the role that experiential learning can play in conveying each of these components. Rather than siloing civic experiences from the teaching of civic knowledge and foundational principles, the report makes the case for linking knowledge and experience. After all, the task force declares, the reason we pursue civic knowledge is “to support lives as responsible and effective citizens and civic participants.”
The task force presents the report as a “companion” to the Educating for American Democracy Roadmap, a framework to guide civic education throughout the states while focusing on deliberating on questions rather than prescribing specific standards or curricula. The task force also claims that the report is the first of its kind—that is, the first to offer a definition of the role experiential learning can play in civic education. The definition is this: “Education that delivers civic knowledge, civic skills, and civic dispositions and virtues that support participation in our constitutional democracy AND that is carried out by actively practicing democracy (for instance, by choice-making, decision-making, community problem-solving, negotiation, and dispute resolution), whether through real or simulated civic action.”
The task force rightly argues that student learning, not issue advocacy, is the proper purpose of this kind of education. When students are writing letters to elected officials, engaging in public forums, taking part in government simulations, or participating in debates, they begin to learn habits and skills of civic processes, allowing them to better “understand their roles and responsibilities as citizens.”
According to the report, students gain knowledge including “foundational democratic principles, the rights and responsibilities of citizens, America’s constitutional structure, and America’s role in the world.” Students also learn skills like effective communication, civil disagreement, structuring agendas, running meetings, and negotiation. This promotes virtues like respect for people across differences, “reflective patriotism,” “civic self-confidence,” civility, and courage.
The task force’s work draws inspiration from a survey of 31 school, community-based, and online civics programs. Their report acknowledges the importance of Junior ROTC, speech and debate programs, and student government programs in shaping student understanding of civic life. But the report is also clear that civic experiences, and the lessons that go with them, are not confined to course requirements or extracurricular activities associated with school. They can also take place in the community, through Scouting, Model UN, or the Boys State and Girls State programs.
If “Experiential Civic Learning for American Democracy” is, as it claims, the first paper to offer a definition for experiential civic learning, it is hardly the first to emphasize the importance of civic involvement for teaching the principles, norms, and habits of constitutional democracy. In the 1830s, Alexis de Tocqueville emphasized the ways that Americans learned to govern, such as by building things together and deliberating together in their communities—engaging in policy discussions about an array of local and national matters, building schoolhouses, or forming associations to address problems like poverty. In these ways, civic learning through civic activity has long been a form of education for people of all ages.
The 250th anniversary of American independence in 2026 should be an occasion for major new investments in civic education—both in the teaching of constitutional principles and historical context for civic life, as well as in the exposure to the practice of civic life. Young Americans need to understand the political community of which they are part—and for which they will be responsible for throughout their lifetimes. We all need civic literacy in order to think about the country, its ideals, and its future. We need civic capabilities like listening, negotiation, argumentation, and facilitation to engage effectively with our fellow citizens. And we need civic virtues like service, civility, and civic friendship to build and maintain trust with one another.
Coupled with well-formed courses of civic instruction rooted in constitutional principles and foundational American documents, experiential learning for America’s rising generations can help us to secure the future of our republic. Educators, civil society leaders, philanthropists, parents, and others who care about the preparation of citizens ought to read the fine work of the Task Force on the Value of Experiential Civic Learning and consider how they might do their part to encourage thoughtfulness, civility, and civic ambition in their respective corners of the country.
Why should we pay attention to this report? Perhaps most notably, it brings together the best thinking from leaders who at first glance seem to represent differing agendas within the civics field. They include representatives of youth engagement groups, an organization that provides classroom resources to K-12 civics and history teachers, and academic scholars from new “civic thought” programs in public universities. If there has sometimes been tension between proponents of education for civic engagement and education for civic knowledge, the Task Force on the Value of Experiential Civic Learning shows that civic engagement and civic knowledge need not be at odds; rather, they are mutually reinforcing.
The task force does an impressive job of arguing concurrently for the “knowledge, skills, dispositions, and virtues” that make up a comprehensive civic education while emphasizing the role that experiential learning can play in conveying each of these components. Rather than siloing civic experiences from the teaching of civic knowledge and foundational principles, the report makes the case for linking knowledge and experience. After all, the task force declares, the reason we pursue civic knowledge is “to support lives as responsible and effective citizens and civic participants.”
The task force presents the report as a “companion” to the Educating for American Democracy Roadmap, a framework to guide civic education throughout the states while focusing on deliberating on questions rather than prescribing specific standards or curricula. The task force also claims that the report is the first of its kind—that is, the first to offer a definition of the role experiential learning can play in civic education. The definition is this: “Education that delivers civic knowledge, civic skills, and civic dispositions and virtues that support participation in our constitutional democracy AND that is carried out by actively practicing democracy (for instance, by choice-making, decision-making, community problem-solving, negotiation, and dispute resolution), whether through real or simulated civic action.”
The task force rightly argues that student learning, not issue advocacy, is the proper purpose of this kind of education. When students are writing letters to elected officials, engaging in public forums, taking part in government simulations, or participating in debates, they begin to learn habits and skills of civic processes, allowing them to better “understand their roles and responsibilities as citizens.”
According to the report, students gain knowledge including “foundational democratic principles, the rights and responsibilities of citizens, America’s constitutional structure, and America’s role in the world.” Students also learn skills like effective communication, civil disagreement, structuring agendas, running meetings, and negotiation. This promotes virtues like respect for people across differences, “reflective patriotism,” “civic self-confidence,” civility, and courage.
The task force’s work draws inspiration from a survey of 31 school, community-based, and online civics programs. Their report acknowledges the importance of Junior ROTC, speech and debate programs, and student government programs in shaping student understanding of civic life. But the report is also clear that civic experiences, and the lessons that go with them, are not confined to course requirements or extracurricular activities associated with school. They can also take place in the community, through Scouting, Model UN, or the Boys State and Girls State programs.
If “Experiential Civic Learning for American Democracy” is, as it claims, the first paper to offer a definition for experiential civic learning, it is hardly the first to emphasize the importance of civic involvement for teaching the principles, norms, and habits of constitutional democracy. In the 1830s, Alexis de Tocqueville emphasized the ways that Americans learned to govern, such as by building things together and deliberating together in their communities—engaging in policy discussions about an array of local and national matters, building schoolhouses, or forming associations to address problems like poverty. In these ways, civic learning through civic activity has long been a form of education for people of all ages.
The 250th anniversary of American independence in 2026 should be an occasion for major new investments in civic education—both in the teaching of constitutional principles and historical context for civic life, as well as in the exposure to the practice of civic life. Young Americans need to understand the political community of which they are part—and for which they will be responsible throughout their lifetimes. We all need civic literacy in order to think about the country, its ideals, and its future. We need civic capabilities like listening, negotiation, argumentation, and facilitation to engage effectively with our fellow citizens. And we need civic virtues like service, civility, and civic friendship to build and maintain trust with one another.
Coupled with well-formed courses of civic instruction rooted in constitutional principles and foundational American documents, experiential learning for America’s rising generations can help us to secure the future of our republic. Educators, civil society leaders, philanthropists, parents, and others who care about the preparation of citizens ought to read the fine work of the Task Force on the Value of Experiential Civic Learning and consider how they might do their part to encourage thoughtfulness, civility, and civic ambition in their respective corners of the country.
Hans Zeiger is president of the Jack Miller Center for Teaching America’s Founding Principles and History (www.jackmillercenter.org).
