Civics for Life Quarterly, Issue 3

Our democracy and society depend on civic education—a vital tool that gives Americans the knowledge, skills, and values necessary for being well-informed citizens and actively taking part in our democratic system. While there have been significant efforts to improve civic knowledge among K–12 students and educators, it’s important not to forget about adults who missed…

Civics 101

Boost your democracy IQ! Whether you never had civics in school or simply want to brush up, Civics 101 is here for you! While we are all encouraged by the increased call for K-12 civics education across the nation, we also do not want to neglect those adults, now out of school, who themselves want…

New Evidence on Trickle-Down and Trickle-Up Influences in Civic Education and Engagement

Families play a big role in shaping political identities, but the details of how this happens are less clear. The O’Connor Institute’s premier policy brief uses K-12, birth, and voting records for over 580,000 students to investigate this question. The findings are significant and will be of great interest to policymakers, educators, and families.

How to Engage in Civil Discourse

Civil discourse is an active pursuit: participants should be actively respectful, open, friendly, and generous. Good faith is communicated not only through words but also facial expressions and body language. Disagreement is a natural and healthy part of conversation; you can and should disagree without being disagreeable. How can I engage in civil discourse?One need…

Civics Education

Our educational resources are developed to explain more than just fasts. Understanding the “why” of civics drives our content. We believe in lifelong learning and hope that you find our information enriching and beneficial.

Civil Discourse

Without civil discourse, a vibrant and productive civil society cannot exist; a representative democracy presupposes that its members can discuss challenging issues with the goal of resolving them.

Civic Engagement

A democracy’s success depends upon active participation by its citizens in civic activities, such as voting, volunteering in community groups, or helping with campaigns or causes important to you.

Art’s Role in Civil Society, with Jed Perl

In his book Authority and Freedom: A Defense of the Arts, Jed Perl argues that “authority and freedom are the lifeblood of the arts.” Are they also the lifeblood of civil society—and especially democratic society? View our discussion below on the relationship between art and society, the artist’s role in society, and whether art and…

The Future of the Court

The Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States was formed by President Joe Biden’s Executive Order 14023 in April 2021. The Commission’s purpose was to provide an analysis of the principal arguments in the contemporary public debate for and against reforming the Supreme Court, including an appraisal of the merits and legality…

Camp O’Connor USA

Camp O’Connor USA is a free, merit-based civics summer program for middle school students with a mission to educate, encourage and inspire the next generation of leaders. Participants in our civics camp gain a deeper, experiential understanding of our nation’s democracy, branches of government, and the duties and responsibilities of citizenship. Camp O’Connor Phoenix will…