One of the first priorities is to protect and reinvigorate civic education in public schools — particularly those serving the most diverse and historically marginalized populations. Amid systematic attacks on public education, basic and sound civic education is no longer a guarantee, and local leaders must be held accountable to ensure access to strong curricula. Out-of-school time civic education and participatory engagement programs need to be designed and run all over the country. Young people need to rally around the idea of representative democracy. I’ve said before, the entire youth civic ecosystem must be reformed — a project that is decades of work in the making.

Source: New York Times March 13, 2026 12:41 UTC