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Abstract

High-quality civic learning opportunities remain the exception, rather than the norm, in public schools across the country. The health and future of the American democracy is dependent on all its public schools to foster democratic classrooms and prepare informed citizens—a reality far from realized in this third decade of the 21st century. Through an inductive analysis of in-depth interviews, this article makes visible how educators conceptualize civic teaching and learning in the political moment of the year 2020. Because of the known link between teachers’ conceptualizations, instructional visions, and their practice, it is necessary when engaged in any district change effort to first understand how teachers understand the existing phenomenon—in this case, civic teaching and learning. In shedding light on teachers’ contemporary conceptualizations of civic teaching and learning, this article contributes to the necessary and timely conversation on how to support civic teaching, even in politically contentious times, so that all students can experience high-quality civic learning on a routine basis.

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