Safe/Brave Spaces: Engaging Future Citizens through School Libraries

Although schools have not routinely taught civics since the 1970s, a burgeoning movement to incorporate such studies into the curriculum is taking shape around the country. This movement opens doors for school librarians to engage students in new and innovative ways, bringing a diversity of future citizens safe (and brave) spaces where they have a voice, listen to each other, and share interests, concerns, and decision-making. If school librarians seize this important moment, they will create new opportunities for teaching the kind of critical thinking skills they have embraced for years. Undoubtedly, school libraries are well positioned to become critical actors in the kind of civic learning promoted by Levine and Kawashima-Ginsberg, just as they have traditionally prepared students to succeed in college and careers. But they must incorporate that 3rd “C”—citizenship, to ensure that tomorrow’s adults take an active role in the collective life of their communities and country, and not just their own individual pursuits. School libraries can make a marked difference in the civic mission of schools by reimagining learning spaces, convening civil public forums, fostering civic literacy, and building civic partnerships.Contract permits posting on repository. Negotiated for this