Civic Parenting

In this episode, Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, speaks with John Holbein of the University of Virginia and co-author of Making Young Voters: Converting Civic Attitudes into Civic Action. His research examines a striking gap between young people’s intention to participate and their ability to follow through and cast a ballot. As families p...

In this episode, Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, speaks with Kelly Siegel-Stechler of Harvard University’s Safra Center for Ethics about civic formation: how children develop a sense of agency, belonging, and responsibility to others, and the important role parents play in that process. They explore how everyday family experiences, from ma...

In this episode, Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, and Civic Parenting co-host Lindsey Cormack, discuss how families can make civic learning part of everyday life, learning together with curiosity and humility, while helping children build civic know-how, ask questions, en...

In this episode, Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, and Lindsey Cormack sit down with Aralee Dorough, Nina Lynn, and Lisa Maxwell, three women with deep personal ties to Schoolhouse Rock! who are working to preserve, celebrate, and extend the legacy of this beloved educational series. Together, they explore what...

In this episode, Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, sits down with Adam, Kelsey, and 7-year-old Dominic Varahachaikol to explore how one family has woven civic learning into everyday life, demonstrating what it means to be civic parents. From discovering the National Constitution Center through Civic Quest, the Center's interac...

In this episode, we explore the many ways civic learning happens, how to make it fun, social, surprising, and even funny. We explore how a game night, a family road trip, and even dinner table conversations all become opportunities to engage in big ideas together, and how we can create spaces and moments for children to discover a civic life of their own. Ben Sheehan, author of OMG WTF Does the Co...

In this episode, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and author Beverly Gage joins Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer, to discuss her recently published book, This Land Is Your Land: A Road Trip Through U.S. History, and the enduring tradition of the great American road trip. Together, they explore how family travel can bring 250 years of American history to life, connecting childr...

In this special episode of Civic Parenting, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, honorary co-chair of the National Constitution Center, and his co-author and former law clerk Janie Nitze join Julie Silverbrook to discuss their new children’s book, Heroes of 1776: The Story of the Declaration of Independence. The book introduces readers to both familiar figures such as Thomas Jefferson, Geor...

In this episode, we explore how families can cultivate civic hope, optimism, and resilience at a moment when many parents and children are navigating narratives of distrust, division, and social isolation. Ashley Berner, director of the Johns Hopkins University's Institute for Education Policy and an associate professor of education, joins Julie Silverbrook, Lindsey Cormack, and Sarah Vacchiano to...

 In this inaugural episode, Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer of the National Constitution Center, Lindsey Cormack, author of How to Raise a Citizen, and Sarah Vacchiano of CivicEQ introduce civic parenting as a longstanding tradition rooted in the nation’s founding and explore what it looks like in practice today. Through personal stories and lived examples, they reflect on ho...

What does it mean to raise citizens in a constitutional democracy? Civic Parenting is a special 10-episode series hosted by Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer of the National Constitution Center, joined by Lindsey Cormack, author of How to Raise a Citizen, and Sarah Vacchiano of CivicEQ. Each episode explores how those habits take shape in real life. From reading and storytellin...