Challenging Civic Education Inequities with School Participatory Budgeting

The role of schools in fostering lifelong democratic learning and civic engagement has been highlighted amidst increasing political polarization, nationalistic curricula, and educational inequities. These phenomena have laid bare the fragile state of democracy and the level of citizen care healthy democracies rely on. This predicament has schools and teachers reckoning with how to proceed in promoting and facilitating school-based activities to develop student knowledge, attitudes, skills, and practices necessary for full participation in democratic life. Numerous studies support the notion project-based, experiential civic learning provides students with authentic opportunities to engage in civic action and lay the groundwork for participatory readiness. Likewise, schools providing equitable opportunities for students to engage in deliberation and decision-making processes nurture a culture of civic engagement. Involving youth in democratic processes, whether in school or other spaces, can increase civic and political interests, knowledge, skills and social-emotional learning. In extension, students who engage in curricular and extracurricular civic activities tend to participate more as adults considering measures like civic duty, community involvement, political attentiveness, and political efficacy. One promising model of democratic and civic learning in schools is School Participatory Budgeting (School PB). Stemming from Participatory Budgeting, a democratic process of deliberation and decision-making over budget allocations that is currently implemented in over 11,000 cities around the world, School PB is a more recent phenomenon. School PB educates students to “learn democracy by doing” through an emancipatory process that builds stronger school communities, improves multidimensional relationships and amplifies student voice. The School PB process is typically organized in five steps: 1) students propose ideas to improve the school community; 2) students transform these ideas into viable proposals; 3) students present proposals to fellow students; 4) students vote for top proposals, and 5) winning projects are funded. At the outset, a ‘steering committee’ of students develops the framework of the process, communicates the process to the rest of the community, and serves as shepherds throughout the process. After the process, stakeholders conduct an evaluation and make recommendations for improvements for the next cycle. All stages of the process are led by the students themselves, with the support of their teachers. Typically, the SPB process takes several months, but shorter processes have been implemented. This presentation will discuss the main impacts of School PB as a pedagogical tool and a civic engagement tool that encourages youth to see themselves as part of democratic policy and decision-making processes. Research findings have shown School PB also nurtures critical thinking, decision-making, relationships, self-advocacy, and public speaking skills. Additionally, teachers and school administrators observe enhanced classroom learning and heightened school cohesion.