CERL and the Center for Civic Education Present We the People: National Symposium on Civic Education Research Proceedings

The Civic Education Research Lab (CERL) and the Center for Civic Education invited civic education leaders—more than 160 educators, policymakers, researchers, nonprofit leaders, and advocates—from across the nation for a pivotal gathering at the intersection of research, practice, and policy. The symposium was grounded in the work of the James Madison Legacy Project Expansion (JMLPE), which updated the We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution curriculum and strengthened teacher professional learning to better serve all students.

The JMLPE evaluation found that the curriculum significantly improved student outcomes, including gains in civic knowledge, increased civic engagement, and stronger political efficacy. Building on this foundation, the symposium put research in conversation with practice by examining what high-quality civic education looks like in classrooms and how to expand access to meaningful civic learning.

Session Summaries

1. Overview
2. James Madison Legacy Project Expansion
3. Civic Education for All Students
4. Why Civic Education Matters Now
5. Learning Democracy by Doing Democracy: A We the People Hearing
6. Students with Disabilities Study
7. Promising Practices in Civic Education for Students with Disabilities
8. English Learners Study
9. Promising Practices in Civic Education for English Learners
10. Breakthroughs in Civic Education Research
11. Civics that Sticks: The Power of Experiential Civic Learning
12. What Drives Civic Learning? The School and the Family in Conversation
13. Leading With Evidence: Why Civic Education Can’t Afford Guesswork
14. That Just Happened: Lesson Demonstration and Debrief
15. Civic Roundtables
16. It’s Elementary: Reclaiming the Civic Mission through Literacy Integration
17. What Drives Civic Learning? K-12 and the Academy in Conversation
18. What Drives Civic Learning? Curriculum and Professional Learning in Conversation
19. Who Governs the Algorithm: Civic Education, AI & Democracy, and AI is here!
20. Research: What We Know
21. Research: What We Must Do
22. Practice: What We Must Remember

JMLPE: Student Research

JMLPE: Teacher Research

We the People: Supporting Students with Disabilities and English Learners