It’s midnight in American politics. As the presidential election approaches, a large majority Voters are disappointed with the state of our democracy. The word “fascism” is becoming increasingly common in our news feeds. Historians and political scientists speculate about the potential for civil unrest or even war. These are dark times.

As civic education scholars and former high school teachers, we think hard about how we can help students understand democracy in crisis, which will remain a pressing issue no matter which candidate prevails. What should we teach young people on November 6 and beyond?

On one count at least, we know what’s going to happen next. With each election cycle, like clockwork, much of the sad state of democratic life is blamed on the lack of time devoted to schools, especially civics education. public officials He laments dismal statistics about Americans’ modest knowledge of the basic mechanisms of government and demands more open education About the structure and function of democratic institutions.

The logic is that if students had a better grasp of the procedural workings of our political systems, this knowledge could be translated into concrete actions to sustain democracy. But this logic is flawed. A recent study found that 18 states have a policy requiring students to take or pass a civics test to graduate. did not increase youth voter turnout.

Civics knowledge is important. But the crisis we face is not fundamentally an information problem. This is a soul problem. As John Dewey reminded us more than a century ago, democracy is not merely a set of rules to be followed, but rather a form of “common life”; It embodies our determination to build a world in relationship with each other. And more and more evidence shows that this commitment is breaking down.

The dilemmas facing American education are numerous. It’s not just the effects of the pandemic and social media that are contributing to the national crisis in youth mental health. Surveys It showed that young people aged 12 to 17 were (rightfully) pessimistic about the state of the country and disconnected from classroom education that did not accept a world on fire.

Our own research It showed that young people feel deep skepticism about a country that does not use the political tools they learn in school to address issues that plague their present and future, such as gun violence, climate disaster, genocide and racism.

This deeper democratic crisis does not absolve schools of their responsibility to teach civics. Rather, it reinforces the urgent need to do so; but in a very different way.

Rather than framing civic education as a discrete set of realities, we need to approach it as a constant exploration of what it means to chart a collective path, even when there are profound differences between identities and experiences. The most pressing challenges of our time remind us of the words of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. about the “inevitable web of reciprocity” in which we live.

This vision of civic education requires moving beyond educational practices that remain inadequate in this unstable period of American democracy. There are hopeful signs that can guide us right now. Latest reports Education for American Democracy And National Academy of EducationFor example, offer resources to schools and teachers to help them center young people’s civic lives. But we need more.

Rather than repaving the well-worn paths of civic education that we have walked for so long, it is time for a radical overhaul. Here are the three steps you need to take now.

1. Stop framing civic education as the work of a single class or lesson.

By segregating civics education into social studies classes, we have essentially allowed teachers in all other disciplines to get off the hook and let the collective purpose of education go out of focus. The crisis we face is too great for social studies teachers to handle alone. It’s time to expand civic education All topic areas—to show how each topic relates to current issues. As we explained before Our article for classroom teachers, Each The educator is a civilian educator.

2. Reconsider the heavy emphasis on discussion and debate as primary forms of civil discourse offered in grades.

Given today’s vindictive climate of political discourse, debate needs to be a skill that should be taught only after we have learned to engage in storytelling, reflection, and collaborative dialogue with people different from ourselves.

3. Challenge policies that do not fully embrace the reciprocity of the student communities we serve and educate.

Current policies that ban books, dehumanize transgender students, and dismantle diversity initiatives all represent a neglect of civic education. given UNWith the civil nature of political debate now commonplace at the highest levels of government, schools must take the lead in resisting these divisive policies.

Although midnight is a period of deep darkness, it is also the beginning of a new day. If we can demonstrate the will to understand this, this moment can be a turning point towards building a stronger democratic future together in schools.