ABSTRACT
On the question of whether education policies can be effective tools for encouraging youth civic engagement and activism in schools, Beth Rubin and I agree on many important points, which is not surprising since I have learned a great deal from her work. We agree that the most important way to improve civic education would be to enhance the general climate of our schools for both teachers and students. If the government provided all young people with equitable, respectful, and inclusive schools in which they not only learned academic material but also contributed their ideas and values, our students would develop into more confident, committed, and responsible citizens.
