Class Acts: ‘Democracy in Action’ teaches lessons in citizenship

An informed and motivated electorate is an effective electorate. At Los Angeles County’s Glendora Unified School District, students learn that lesson in the fifth grade, and high school students are their teachers.

For the past six years, the district has sponsored Democracy in Action, a civic education program that helps elementary students learn about and participate in the democratic process. The program has become so successful that it is now emulated by other districts nationwide and was honored with a Golden Bell award at CSBA’s Annual Education Conference and Trade Show in San Diego last year.

“The goal of DIA is to familiarize elementary students with democracy and the voting process so that they will be more likely to become active and informed voters in their communities,” says Melissa Germann, the program’s leader and co-writer of the curriculum.

“These students not only learn why it is important to vote but actually participate in a mock election timed to coincide with a real election, which research shows reinforces lifelong voting,” Germann adds.

Here’s how it works:

A panel of teachers selects a group of high-achieving high school seniors and, in four to five sessions, trains them to teach the fifth-graders about voting and elections. The student-instructors learn how to present a series of four 45-minute lessons on democracy and citizenship, rights and law, representation and elections, and registering and voting. Next, the fifth-grade students register to vote and then—on their own time—cast their votes using real voting machines in private booths. The mock election parallels a real adult election. Results are tallied and discussed, and a reception is held to honor the student-instructors and classroom teachers.

“We’re very proud of the fact that the program involves all the kids in the election,” Germann says. “When you have real elections where only 30 percent of the electorate shows up, that’s a problem. Across the board, 18- to 24-year-olds have the lowest voter turnout. That’s why we [reach out to] kids at a young age.”

The student-instructors stand to gain a great deal from the experience. Not only do they become better informed about the political process themselves, but the experience provides them with “a way to get their feet wet in teaching,” Germann says. In fact, several former student-instructors have gone into the teaching profession, and some are now employed by Glendora USD.

Schools keep parents in the process by sending program information home. Then the family sits down to discuss the “voter guide,” and the adults’ participation continues when they staff the polls at the mock election.

“After each go-around, we give out a student, parent and classroom teacher evaluation,” Germann says. “Almost all the feedback from the parents is very positive. They are excited to see their child so interested” in the voting process.

“And the kids don’t always vote the way their parents vote,” Germann laughs.

The curriculum is structured to mesh well with content standards that teachers must adhere to.

“Classroom teachers have a lot of content standards to get through,” Germann says. “We work hard to get those standards immersed into the DIA curriculum.”

The program receives support from the local PTA and funding from the nonpartisan, nonprofit Arsalyn Program of the Ludwick Family Foundation.

“We’ve also developed partnerships with local government agencies,” adds Germann. “And local politicians will usually send out their assistants to present awards to the student-instructors at the reception. Actually, a lot of the senior students eventually go on to volunteer for political candidates” as a result of their engagement.

Germann sees the benefits of the program as twofold.

“The fifth-graders actually get to participate; they go through the process of registering and voting. It’s experiential. They can draw on that when they turn 18.

“The second prong is the impact [the curriculum] has on the senior students. They get their feet wet. You just can’t replace that experience. So it’s mutually beneficial for both groups,” Germann says.

“That’s why it works. You get them ‘out of the book.’ ”

—Marsha Boutelle