On March 15, Ottoson Middle School eighth grade students had the opportunity to practice democracy in an authentic learning experience. On Civics Day, the young people were able to talk to local experts and advance their understanding of a topic related to their Civics Action Project, something they have been working on throughout the year.
In 2018, the state of Massachusetts passed a law requiring that Civics be taught in all public schools. Additionally, the law specifies that “Each public school serving students in the eighth grade and each public high school shall provide not less than 1 student-led, non-partisan civics project for each student;...:” and “Civics projects may be individual, small group or class wide, and designed to promote a student's ability to: (i) analyze complex issues; (ii) consider differing points of view; (iii) reason, make logical arguments and support claims using valid evidence; (iv) engage in civil discourse with those who hold opposing positions; and (v) demonstrate an understanding of the connections between federal, state and local policies, including issues that may impact the student's school or community.”
K-12 Social Studies Director Kaitlin Moran says that the Civics Action Project process began with the students developing a better understanding of themselves and the things they value. Brainstorming topics came next, and the young people then started to identify observable, local community problem areas that could be changed. Each eighth grade social studies class voted on a topic that it wanted to pursue, some reaching consensus on one and others splitting 50-50 between two areas.
In March it was time for the students to advance their understanding of the topics further and this meant that they needed to make contact with experts. Ms. Moran and the OMS Civics team of Eric Bakke, Todd Sundstrom, Noah Cabral, Mary Kate Mezzetti, and Nicki Hoctor realized that it would be ideal to bring individuals who worked in each area into the school and provide the students with the opportunity to meet them and ask questions. Bringing the community partners to the students for a morning meeting was also a great way to respect their time as it meant fewer emails going out to them for responses.
On Civics Day, the entire eighth grade gathered in the gym where they heard from federal and state legislators who serve Arlington. Representative Katherine Clark greeted the young people via a short video, in which she emphasized how even at their age they can be a force for change, and answered some questions they had posed to her. She was followed by State Representative and Arlington High School alum Sean Garballey, who was present to talk about how he got involved in politics and share information about some of the bills he has co-sponsored during his terms in office.
Each student then attended the student-facilitated panel presentation with local experts in the area that corresponded to their Civics Action Project: Climate, Mental Health, Arlington Public Schools Issues, Women’s Issues and state legislation, Affordable Housing, Elderly Assistance, Anti-racism, Disability Accessibility, or Food Insecurity. The 26 individuals on the panels came from the Arlington Public Schools, the state legislature, the School Committee, Arlington Town Government, and local nonprofits. Time was then provided for a debrief during which the students talked about what they had learned and came up with questions to ask the panelists in the following Workshops. The last session was another debrief, where the young people sat in a circle and shared their thoughts about the experience they had and examined the successes, challenges and learnings from the day.
Each attendee had a packet that was completed as the morning progressed. These packets, graded the following day, provided a structured way to take notes on who they were hearing from, what they were learning, and the thinking that resulted from their participation.
Civics Day was a tremendous success. Ms. Moran reports that staff and panelists found the students “...engaged, thoughtful, insightful, and excited” and that the organizers and the OMS administration team members “...were THRILLED with how the day went.” Ideas of how to refine this event in the future have been collected, and every panelist said they would “...love to continue to be involved in the following years.” Since March 15, the students “...have felt more capable of knowing the directions and steps they could take in making changes and refining their hopes for advocacy.”
Ms. Moran also has this to say: “We will definitely be making this an annual event…Part of creating an engaged community member is providing students a safe space to experience democracy and democratic skills (conversation, debate, action planning, collaboration, etc) and with days like Civics Day we move closer to realizing the final part of the Arlington Public Schools vision, helping students be empowered to shape their own futures and contribute to a better world.”