CIRCLE in Action
We're focused on the connections between research and practice: on making sure that our work helps to clarify practical questions for educators, communities, and policymakers and has an impact on more equitable youth opportunity and engagement. We strive to ensure that our research is timely and relevant to a broad range of audiences, and we work with local and national partners on numerous campaigns and initiatives to strengthen various aspects of youth civic education and engagement. We believe collaboration is necessary for substantive change to occur and that research informed by the experiences and knowledge of youth and practitioners is most practical.
Explore what we're up to!
Updates and Announcements
Student Reporting Labs Webinar
On June 22 at 4:00 p.m., join our Director of Impact Abby Kiesa, who will be a featured speaker at a webinar held by PBS Newshour's Student Reporting Labs. Entitled "Tell Your Story: Cover #Election2020 with SRL’s Toolkit," the session will discuss how student journalists can cover the election.
Free Course for Teachers
Want to prepare your students for civic participation now and in the 2020 elections? Join CIRCLE for a free online course, co-led by the Civic Engagement Research Group, on teaching about informed and equitable voting. The course will run from June 15 to July 26; register by June 3!
Our Common Purpose Report
CIRCLE Director Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg recently served as a member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences' Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship. That commission's report, "Our Common Purpose," details a series of proposals aimed at reinvigorating civic life.
Latest Research
What are we working on? Check out the most recent CIRCLE data and analysis on youth participation in civic life.
The Potential Impact of Youth of Color in Key 2020 Elections
Poll: Young People Believe they Can Lead Change in Unprecedented Election Cycle
Guardians of Democracy: Civic Educator Credential Project
In the Media
There should be a vibrant, data-informed public conversation about youth civic education and engagement: what's working, what's not, and why it's important. Our research, which appears frequently in major media outlets, helps to drive that conversation.
Quoted:
We’re seeing so many young people, even the kind of young people who you don’t necessarily expect to be participating in protests, the kids that might live in smaller towns or the kids that might not be considered really progressive per se. Even if the young people may not feel thrilled with the presidential candidates, either one of them maybe, but I think they will find plenty of reasons to vote – especially with the rise of protest.
—Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg, Director of CIRCLE, in 'It was time to take charge': the Black youth leading the George Floyd protests