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This episode is not about the pledge of allegiance, but ben james, who reported the episode, sent us that record. And you know, that question, should we teach our children to revere the nation, or to get involved and make it better? I think ye. For a lot of us, school may be the first place we hear much about the idea of citizenship. A when you were growing up, chenge, what kind of messages did you hear about chool and why it was important?

In most American schools, children *hear about* democracy, but don’t get to *practice* it. What would a more engaged brand of civics education look like?

Story reported by Ben James, with host John Biewen and collaborator Chenjerai Kumanyika. Interviews with Arielle Jennings, Hilary Moss, and Nikole Hannah-Jones.

The series editor is Loretta Williams. Music by the Summer Street Brass Band, Algiers, John Erik Kaada, Eric Neveux, and Lucas Biewen. Music consulting and production help from Joe Augustine of Narrative Music.

Photo: Stephen Buckley, Jelicity Mercado, Bella Goncalves, and Angelica Pareja, eighth-grade students at Pyne Arts Magnet School in Lowell, Massachusetts, with their award at Civics Day in Boston, December 2019.