Years of political violence and protests against injustice have revived interest in teaching civics in schools. The problem? Civic education-as it currently exists-privileges systems, not students. It promotes incremental change within a broken democracy rather than responding to the youth-led movements that call for the abolition of inequitable social structures. What will it take to prepare young people for the just future they are fighting for?
Civics for the World to Come offers educators a framework for designing the critical civic education that our students deserve. Synthesizing perspectives on democratic life from critical race theory, ethnic studies, Afrofuturism, and critical literacy, the book presents key practices for cultivating youth civic agency grounded in equity and justice. The authors explore five world-building civic skills (Inquiry, Storytelling, Imagination, Networking, and Advocacy) and introduce readers to real learning communities where students and educators are transforming themselves and society.
Author Biography:
Nicole Mirra is Associate Professor of Urban Teacher Education in the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. She previously taught high school English Language Arts in Brooklyn, New York and Los Angeles, California. Her research explores the intersections of critical literacy and civic engagement with youth and teachers across classroom, community, and digital learning environments. Nicole is the recipient of the Arthur Applebee Award for Excellence in Research on Literacy (Literacy Research Association, 2021); the Divergent Book Award for Excellence in 21st Century Literacies Research (Initiative for 21st Century Literacies Research, 2020); the David H. Russell Research Award for Distinguished Research in the Teaching of English (National Council of Teachers of English, 2019), and the National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship (2018). She is the author of Civics for the World to Come: Committing to Democracy in Every Classroom (W. W. Norton, 2023); Educating for Empathy: Literacy Learning and Civic Engagement (Teachers College Press, 2018); and a co-author (with Antero Garcia and Ernest Morrell) of Doing Youth Participatory Action Research: Transforming Inquiry with Researchers, Educators, and Students (Routledge, 2015). Antero Garcia is an Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University. Prior to completing his PhD, Antero was an English teacher at a public high school in South Central Los Angeles. His research explores the possibilities of speculative imagination and healing in educational research. Based on his research, Antero co-designed the Critical Design and Gaming School—a public high school in Los Angeles. Antero is the recipient of the Arthur Applebee Award for Excellence in Research on Literacy (with Nicole Mirra), Literacy Research Association, 2021; Early Career Achievement Award, Literacy Research Association, 2018; Jan Hawkins Award for Early Career Contributions to Humanistic Research and Scholarship in Learning Technologies, AERA, 2018; National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2015. He has authored or edited more than a dozen books about the possibilities of literacies, play, and civics in transforming schooling in America, including Civics for the World to Come: Committing to Democracy in Every Classroom (W. W. Notron, 2023); Everyday Advocacy: Teachers Who Change the Literacy Narrative (W. W. Norton, 2020); and a co-author (with Nicole Mirra and Ernest Morrell) of Doing Youth Participatory Action Research: Transforming Inquiry with Researchers, Educators, and Students (Routledge, 2015).
