League of Women Voters Event on November 12

The results of a state-wide study of Civic Education in the public schools of Maryland will be presented by the League of Women Voters on November 12, at 4: 30pm at the Talbot County Free Library in Easton.

In 2019 the Maryland State Department of Education initiated a new curriculum framework for Social Studies. Each county is developing ways individual schools will implement the new approaches. To study the extent of civic education, League members researched 13 of Maryland’s 24 school systems and followed up with interviews with local school districts’ Social Science department heads and classroom teachers.

Members of the Mid-Shore League of Women Voters, comprised of Caroline, Dorchester and Talbot counties, met with six school staff members who supplied curriculum information and gave interviews. At the November 12 meeting, League members will share their findings and invite discussion from the community, especially parents, public school administrators and teachers, and Board of Education members.

Civic education for participation in public life by our young future voters is especially timely in today’s political climate, the Mid-Shore League co-convener Pat Comella observed . She hopes that this will be a good opportunity for communities to become involved in supporting civic study in school and participation in local civic events; and is looking forward to the conversation .

Putting it in a historical perspective, Comella said that the 100th anniversary of the League of Women Voters of the United States will be celebrated next year. The organization was established following the passage of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote and thus serve as partners in framing public policy. To have an informed and voting populace was deemed essential to the health of democracy and is a foundational principle of the League.