February 17, 2022
New Report Reviews Impact of Asset and Action-Based Approaches to Civic Learning for Minoritized Youth
First published on the Connected Learning Alliance blog.
In their 2018 report, Let's Go There, Cathy Cohen, Joseph Kahne and Jessica Marshall argue for the importance of "Lived Civics," an approach to civic education that is centered on "attention to race, identity, and the lived experience of youth." They review research evidence that youth of color are less likely to have civic learning experiences in school. Even when they do, they experience a "disconnect between civic ideals they learn in school and the social and political realities of their lives compared to wealthy white youth" (Cohen et al., p. 5). They also review evidence that youth of color realize a wide range of positive social, emotional and academic outcomes when they do have civic experiences that recognize their lived experience and include critical understandings of race, ethnicity, and power.
Asset and Action-Based Approaches to Civic Learning: A Review of Frameworks, Evidence and Approaches takes inspiration from this earlier report. It reviews civic learning approaches and outcomes that align with a Lived Civics orientation, as well as related research theories and frameworks. The report recognizes how experiences of contributing to communities, and movements for racial and social justice, can have profound and wide-ranging influences on life outcomes for youth [...]
