A conference at Teachers College on Thursday, March 28 will explore the vital importance of civic education in confronting hatred and threats to democracy in the United States and France.

At “Civic Education in the U.S. and France:  Confronting Hatred and Threats to Democracy,” from 3:30 to 8 p.m. in Cowin Auditorium, educators and legal experts from France and the United States will discuss how to improve civic education and better prepare our youth to be effective and engaged civic participants, capable of safeguarding our democratic institutions against the dangers of hatred and racism.

Amid the current, sharp rise in racial and anti-Semitic incidents and tensions, countering the destructive forces that threaten democracies has seldom been more urgent.

Recent polls indicate that only 30 percent of youth in America consider democracy to be essential. Civic education is essential to changing this and creating a new generation of citizens whose values incorporate tolerance of each other and respect for our democratic institutions. Yet civic education has been neglected on both sides of the Atlantic.

At this important conference, experts in education and law will explore the essential elements of a civic education curriculum for high school students within the larger context of citizenship, identity.

“By comparing how schools deal with hatred and threats to democracy on both sides of the Atlantic, new ideas and solutions can emerge,” said event organizers.

The event schedule includes:

• 3:30 p.m. – 5 p.m., opening remarks by Eric Bayer, Consul Général Adjoint, French Consulate in New York, followed by a screening of "Les français, c'est les autres," with subtitles, a documentary about stereotypes, identity and prejudice in Paris schools
• 5:15 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., remarks by Henry Levin, Professor of Economics and Education at Teachers College and Past President of the Comparative and International Education Society; followed by a discussion of civic education by internationally known legal scholars, Professors Michael Rebell, Professor of Law and Educational Practice at Teachers College and Columbia Law School and founding director of the Center for Educational Equity at Teachers College, a co-sponsor of the event; and Patrick Weil, Senior Research Scholar in Law at Yale Law School and a senior research fellow at the French National Research Center at the Université Panthéon-Sorbonne in Paris. They will assess how schools can better prepare young people to be effective civic participants, capable of stewarding their nations toward a greater realization of democratic values and safeguarding democracy against current threats. This discussion will be moderated by Martine Trink Rubenstein, President of LICRA-US (International League against Racism and anti-Semitism, co-sponsor of the event), former journalist at Le Figaro, and former European Director of the Trilateral Commission.
• 6:45 p.m.-8 p.m., high school teachers and students from low-income neighborhoods in New York City and outside Paris will discuss how schools confront racism, prejudice, discrimination, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and other forms of hatred. TC Alumna Mika Kinoshita and Samia Essabaa (visiting with 10 of her students from Paris), will discuss their efforts to improve civic education in the classroom and report on the two-day joint conversations held between their high school students on issues of identity, citizenship, and belonging.
• French education expert Fabrice Jaumont, PhD, author of The Bilingual Revolution, will discuss and compare the impact of dual- and heritage-language programs on mutual understanding, integration, equity, and justice in France and the United States. Current and former New York City high school students will share their perspectives. This discussion will be moderated by historian Samuel E. Abrams Director of the National Center for the Study of Privatization in Education at Teachers College.

The conference was made possible by a Teachers College Vice President's Grant for Diversity and Community Initiatives. It was co-sponsored by the International League against Racism and anti-Semitism (LICRA - US), Center for Educational Equity at Teachers College, Columbia University, and the Vice President's Office for Diversity & Community Affairs at Teachers College. It was supported by Columbia University's Alliance Partnership, the European Institute, Maison Française, and the American Association of Teachers of French-NY Metropolitan Chapter.

Registration is required. Click here to register.

For disability-related accommodations, contact OASID: oasid@tc.edu; (212) 678-3689 or (646) 755-3144 video phone. For more information, contact the Conference Administrator Harriet Jackson.