Back in September, we released a report entitled Civic Health and Unemployment: Can Engagement Strengthen the Economy? along with National Conference on Citizenship and other partners. It was based on an analysis of all 50 states and 50 major metro areas and found that their levels of civic engagement before the recession strongly predicted how well they have weathered the economic crisis.

Now former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and former Senator and Governor Bob Graham (D-FL) have made the study the focus of a joint op-ed in USA Today, entitled “Jobs and Civics Go Hand in Hand.”

Both of these leaders are dedicating extraordinary attention to civic education and civic renewal:

• O’Connor co-chairs the Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools, founded iCivics to produce computer games for civic education, and speaks tirelessly about civic education–for instance, at a recent interactive session with Chicago youth. CIRCLE is evaluating a new iCivics curriculum.
• Graham, who taught civics in a Miami high school while he was a state legislator, wrote America, the Owner’s Manual: Making Government Work for You as an alternative primer on civics and has made the Bob Graham Center at University of Florida into a leader on civic education at the k-12 and college levels. CIRCLE is also evaluating the Bob Graham Center.

— Peter Levine

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