E39 Professor Beth Rubin

It was an honour speaking with Professor Beth Rubin, Professor of Education and Social Studies Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is one of the leading scholars studying how young people develop civic understanding and identity, and her work has greatly informed our own youth civic campaigns. Our conversation began with Professor Rubin’s leadership in the Civically Engaged Districts Project, which partners with public school districts in New Jersey to embed student-led inquiry and civic voice in classrooms. We explored how schools can treat young people as “citizens of the now” by transforming them from passive recipients of civic education into active co-creators through Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR). We then transitioned to her scholarship that has directly influenced our Vote16 work, particularly “It’s Going to Go Beyond These Walls: Toward a More Expansive Vision of Civic Learning.” We explored her idea of cultivating bottom-up civic learning through “critical ecosystems of civic learning.” Professor Rubin explained how civic learning is inherently affective and relational, yet often suppressed in the name of neutrality. We discussed how recognizing the classroom as a “figured world,” where power, identity, and knowledge are socially and historically situated, can actually help educators avoid reinforcing dominant narratives and existing inequalities. To conclude, we touched on the challenges facing civic education today, from rising polarization and disinformation to growing political disillusionment, and how educators can better prepare students for meaningful civic participation. Stay until the end to hear Professor Rubin share which of the places she has studied and taught has the best food scene!