Jason Giersch among experts quoted in ‘How civics education could stage a comeback in NC’

Jason Giersch, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration, was among experts quoted in the article, ‘How civics education could stage a comeback in NC,’ from Carolina Public Press.

With intentional investment from policymakers, schools and teachers, civics education could help build the next generation of engaged and active citizens in North Carolina. The North Carolina legislature is considering a bill that would require civics exams for all public high school students, with questions taken from the official naturalization test immigrants must pass to become United States citizens.

Giersch’s research at UNC Charlotte focuses on education policy, specifically school choice, high-stakes testing, segregation, and teacher quality. He has found a correlation between testing and youth voter turnout, but notes that tests are limited in what they can actually measure. 

“It’s not just about knowing the facts, but it’s about adopting behaviors and sort of adopting a mindset of what it means to be a citizen and how to participate in democracy, and it’s really hard to capture that in tests,” said Giersch.

Read the full article via Carolina Public Press and WFAE.

The article is the third featured in Civics Unlearned, a three-part investigative series exploring the state of civics education in North Carolina. Giersch was also quoted in the first article of the series, NC lags in civic engagement. Gaps in civics learning part of the problem., as well as the second article, Amid other teaching priorities and political tensions, NC civics lessons not being absorbed.