The Op-ed titled, "Saving democracy and solving big problems require an upgrade of civic education", by iCivics' Executive Director, Louise Dubé, was originally published on October 18, 2020.

Read the introduction below and the full Op-ed on The Boston Globe.

Young people are losing faith in democracy as a system of government. How do we move forward?

Civic education is an important part of the answer. This summer, pollster Frank Luntz conducted a survey of more than 1,000 Americans in which he asked both Democrats and Republicans what they felt could heal this country’s divides. Among seven solutions, including “less money in politics” and ranked-choice voting, civic education was the number one choice overall — for both conservatives and liberals.

This backs up what academic reports have shown for decades. Civic education, when done well, produces young people who are more likely to vote, work on community issues, and become socially responsible, and who feel more comfortable speaking publicly and interacting with elected officials.

The converse is also true. When young people are not taught how our form of constitutional democracy works, they disengage, they do not vote, and they never realize their power as civic participants.

Continue reading the full Op-ed on The Boston Globe.