Mariah Kornbluh, Amanda Davis, Alyssa Hadley Dunn and Kristina Brezicha
This blog post is based on the Evidence & Policy article, ‘Exploring the role of evidence-based educational resources and brokering in the wake of political trauma’.
On 6th January 2021, thousands of people descended upon the US Capitol to disrupt the counting of electoral votes in the US presidential election. Televised acts of physical violence were broadcast across the nation and many children were watching. Within hours of the attack, educators were ‘floundering’, trying to figure out if and how they would discuss what happened with their students the next day. Take for example, a Social Studies Subject Coordinator in Florida:
Kids come into school looking for answers. What does that mean? I’m like, ‘alright, what do we got?’ Because teachers were going to come to me, and I feel it was important that as a district person, we provide support. My superintendent said, ‘we’re not mentioning it.’ I was like, ‘We gotta do something, we gotta do something. If we just put out a statement. What is, what is the role of the Vice President? And why did we do that on January sixth?’ It was a teachable moment.
Exposure to televised acts of violence (known as political trauma) can impact children’s mental and physical well-being. Teachers can play a critical role in helping mitigate political trauma. Yet, they cannot do this work alone! They need access to quality educational resources informed by research evidence. Helping bridge this gap, researchers have stressed the valuable role of brokers (individuals and/or organisations) who can connect research directly to needed decision-makers. In the context of civics education, these brokers would ideally connect educators to materials grounded in research-informed best practices that support student engagement with and making sense of politically traumatising events. In our recently published Evidence & Policy article, we detail the questions we asked teachers across the United States through surveys: 1) what resources did you use to support your students after the 6th January US Capitol Insurrection, 2) what role (if any) did research evidence play in the development of such materials and 3) who were key brokers in connecting you to such information?
Teachers reported using a range of resources when discussing the 6th January with their students, including news outlets, social media, educational non-profits and their peers. However, most of these sources reviewed the events of January 6th rather than helping students critically unpack the event and its implications. Brokering occurred through organisations sharing information via media (television, social media) and educational non-profits. For instance, one researcher developed a Facebook Group, ‘Teaching on Days After’, which provides educators with research-based resources (lesson plans, educational materials) and supports resource sharing between teachers. When educational resources were identified by teachers that supported an exploration of the Capitol Insurrection, they were backed by research. These resources included: Teaching on Days After, Learning for Justice and Facing History and Ourselves.
Perhaps due to the gap in resources, many teachers indicated anxiety about discussing the Capitol Insurrection. Some even actively sought out sources that reflected perspectives from ‘both sides’. Such hesitancy is concerning. If ever there was a time to condemn a political act of violence, the 6th January, in which insurrectionists attempted to violently obstruct the will of the American people by breaking the democratic norm of a peaceful transition to power, certainly meets the criterion. Furthermore, students from underrepresented backgrounds are often seeking recognition and allyship from their teachers when such acts of violence occur.
Our study explored the role brokers can play in helping teachers engage in enriching conversations with their students that challenge direct attacks on democracy. Specifically, research-practice partnerships, where brokers work directly with schools, districts and regional offices through professional learning communities, may be helpful in providing educators with resources and guidance to navigate challenging discussions in the classroom.
Image credit: Photo by Redd F on Unsplash
Mariah Kornbluh, University of Oregon, USA
Amanda Davis, University of South Carolina, USA
Alyssa Hadley Dunn, University of Connecticut, USA
Kristina Brezicha, Georgia State University, USA
Read the original research in Evidence & Policy:
Kornbluh, M. Davis, A. Dunn, A.H. and Brezicha, K. (2024). Exploring the role of evidence-based educational resources and brokering in the wake of political trauma. Evidence & Policy, DOI: 10.1332/17442648Y2024D000000026.
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