Teaching Civics in the Digital Age: The Use of Traditional and Innovative Pedagogies

The civic education of high need students often is shortchanged, contributing to a “civic empowerment gap.” This study examines differences in the pedagogies for digital citizenship employed by teachers of high need students and non-high need students. Are there differences in the pedagogies, activities, and digital media use skills teachers of high need and non-high need students employ in the classroom? Data on 700 middle and high school teachers nationwide are employed. The study finds that teachers of high need students are less likely to incorporate digital technology into the civics classroom. The disparities in the use of technology in the classroom are apparent for accessing information as well as civics-related activities. The inequities in civic education that contribute to the civic empowerment gap are growing in the digital age. Students in high need schools are not receiving civics instruction that keeps pace with the augmented requirements of engaged citizenship.