This year, the DemocracyReady NY youth cohort focused on the intersection of civic participation and rising trends in technology. 

How will NY educators, administrators, and other school decision makers adapt to advancements in technology to support students in learning about the upcoming election cycle, identifying mis- and dis- information online, using Ai constructively, and navigating digital activism? 

Did you know all NY students have a right under the state constitution to an education that prepares them for engaged civic lives? Civic readiness is an important purpose of public education and a priority in New York State. Learn about how our schools can fulfill their vital civic mission. DemocracyReady NY will offer a series of exciting free virtual events and resources during New York Civic Learning Week (CLW)  2025. 

The task of equipping students to navigate and thrive in the real world requires a new skill set. That’s what media literacy offers. When we take seriously the notion that a central purpose of schooling is to prepare future generations to exercise their civic responsibilities, then, in a digital world, media literacy must be a high priority in all schools. We provide this media literacy education outcomes framework as a response to that need.

Readying young people for their civic responsibilities in a democracy is an essential role of schools in the United States. Yet, over the past half-century, for a variety of reasons, civic learning has been reduced to a small part of the curriculum. One of the obstacles to meaningful progress in improving civic education has been the anemic state of civic assessment. In this report, we aim to stimulate discussion and action on overcoming these problems.

Find lesson plans, teaching tools, events, and recent news from the DemocracyReady NY Coalition.