From representation in the classroom to the quality of education during the pandemic, the Kentucky Student Voice Team (KSVT)’s research team has produced a number of student-led reports, providing valuable quantitative and qualitative data alike about schooling in our Commonwealth. 

On March 12, 2025, just in time for Civic Learning Week, the team published their latest research report. The 24 page report entitled “Beyond the Ballot: The State of Civic Education in Kentucky” analyzes challenges surrounding civic education, provides recommendations and compiles data the team collected for over a year.

“We really felt civic education specifically is very important right now in this climate with how we're seeing students accessing information with the more digital age,” said Chase Colvin, a junior at duPont Manual High School and Research Coordinator at KSVT.

One of the main ideas the report aims to get across is how civics is infused into many aspects of daily life. From interactions with digital media, to registering to vote, to life skills like paying taxes, it is crucial that students receive adequate civic education. But, as Colvin describes, there are many challenges to the effectiveness of civic education currently.

“We also thought with this recent wave of censorship of information itself, it really can limit the amount of civic education a student is receiving,” he explained.  

Another challenge noted in the report were the inequities in the quality of civic education students across Kentucky receive. The report found that there were disparities between schools, for example urban students may be receiving more civic education than rural students. In fact, nearly half of the students surveyed believed that “students in other schools receive more academic opportunities than students in my school.”

In addition to regional inequities, the report also found disparities existed within the same school building. Students taking higher level courses like AP and IB felt they received more civic education than peers not enrolled in those classes.

“Our analysis indicates significant disparities in the quality of civic education students receive across Kentucky, both between and within schools,” the report reads, “From an equity standpoint, it is essential that all students—not just those enrolled in AP courses or involved in Student Council—have access to high-quality civic education during school hours.”

The data collection process was long and multifaceted for KSVT’s research team. The project began with the six Rose Revival Forums KSVT held throughout last school year. Colvin notes that while these forums did not focus exclusively on the issue of civic education, they helped to lay the groundwork for the project. 

“A lot of the conversations that came from that were around civic education and kind of promoted this idea that it's not all equal in every place,” Colvin explained, “you could see the divide in the opportunities and the resources those places were receiving.”

In addition to the forums, the team also created a survey and received 2,300 respondents and conducted an additional 43 interviews to gather even more qualitative data. There were some challenges in the process though. Most of the data collected came from the “urban triangle” of Kentucky, the region including Louisville, Lexington and Northern Kentucky. Additionally, the data oversampled more high achieving students.

“It just wasn't enough data to really get the perspective of all students in Kentucky,” Colvin said. 

Even so, the report was still able to make a highly effective case for the importance of civic education. “In their optimal state, school-based civic learning experiences equip young people to act as civic participants within their schools, communities, and the broader world,” the report reads.

The report advocates for civic education that extends beyond simple lessons about government systems. The authors use a three-pronged framework to define quality civic education: Capacities, Connections and Commitments. “Capacities” involve teaching students about the function of government, preparing them to vote, develop ideas and debate about societal issues. “Connections” is focused on helping students understand their own identities and cultures as well as exploring the cultures of others. And finally, “commitments” is all about providing real world opportunities and skills to help students thrive post-high school.

The report maintains that Kentucky’s current system of civic education is not effectively providing students all three aspects. “The current graduation requirement—a standalone civics test—fails to adequately prepare or assess students’ civic readiness,” it states.

However, it does not leave readers without some hope for the future, concluding with a list of recommendations for how civic education can be better in the Commonwealth. Some of the recommendations include, a required year-long civic course, more training for teachers especially in the area of media literacy, and encouraging partnerships between schools and community stakeholders to connect classroom learning to the real world.

From knowledge of politics to paying bills, civics is a fundamental part of life and it should be a fundamental part of education as well. “We really think civic education is crucial for that,” Colvin said.

This piece is part of Beyond the Ballot: Student stories of civic engagement, a collaborative journalistic package by KSVT’s storytelling team. This series aims to tell the complex stories of how students in our Commonwealth are engaging with civics inside and outside of the classroom.