WGBH wanted to test a novel civics curriculum meant to improve civic participation and citizenship through experiential learning.

Simply teaching civics concepts and content does not, in itself, translate into civic participation. In addition, simply teaching the structures of our government leaves out the ways that government structures play out in people’s lived experiences. For many youth, traditional civics curriculum can be a deterrent to civic efficacy, because it feels false or unreal since it is often starkly disconnected from their day-to-day realities.

WGBH sought to address this problem by iteratively developing and testing Youth Stand Up, a digital 6-12th grade civic action program curriculum that centers critical relevance, uses case studies of near-peer civic leaders to inspire students, and teaches students necessary civic skills (e.g., problem solving, participatory skills) while providing them with the opportunity to practice these skills through experiential learning.

NORC is leading the formative and summative evaluation of the Youth Stand Up curriculum, working closely with WGBH to refine the curriculum.

In response to this gap, education leaders and policymakers, including Massachusetts through its 2018 legislation, have worked to shift civics education. The law mandates that public schools prepare students for citizenship duties and requires eighth graders to complete projects that demonstrate understanding of civic engagement and community service.

In partnership with the Boston University Wheelock School of Education, WGBH is developing and iteratively refining a critically relevant civic action program while adopting three key pedagogical approaches: Multiple Perspectives, Community-Based Learning, and Student-Led Experiential Learning. 

In doing so, WGBH hopes to build a civic action unit that supports the development of a critically relevant civics classroom and thus increases the civic identity and efficacy of diverse 6-12th grade students, especially those from marginalized communities. While recognizing the availability of educational resources, the components of the curriculum, Youth Stand Up, are digital resources housed on PBS LearningMedia, and thus free, as well as integrated with Google Classroom and other classroom management platforms. 

Researchers from NORC will gather feedback and data from the classroom regarding Youth Stand Up. Using an iterative, design-based approach, we will address the following research questions:

• What components of teacher guides and teacher professional development are needed to support teachers in effectively implementing Youth Stand Up?
• What civics issues are relevant and important to middle and highschool students across the country? How do these differ within and between regions, or within and between cultural communities?
• What changes should be made to Youth Stand Up materials to support students’ use and interests?