Democratic Knowledge Project
Overview
The Democratic Knowledge Project (DKP) is a K-16 civic education provider based at Harvard University’s Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics, both directed by Dr. Danielle Allen. In close partnership with educators, DKP has co-designed an open-source, year-long 8th-grade civics curriculum, “Civic Engagement in Our Democracy.” During the 2019-2020 school year, the DKP piloted this curriculum and a year-long professional development seminar, “Educating for Democracy,” (in partnership with Project Zero at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education) with 15 teachers from 8 districts in Massachusetts.
Principal Investigator:
Dr. Danielle Allen, Harvard University’s Edmond J. Safra Center for EthicsYear of Funding:
2019-2023
Democratic Knowledge Project: Eighth Grade Civics
The Democratic Knowledge Project (DKP) is a K-16 civic education provider based at Harvard University’s Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics, both directed by Dr. Danielle Allen. In close partnership with educators, the DKP has co-designed an open-source, year-long 8th-grade civics curriculum, “Civic Engagement in Our Democracy.” During the 2019-2020 school year, the DKP piloted this curriculum and a year-long professional development seminar, “Educating for Democracy,” (in partnership with Project Zero at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education) with 15 teachers from 8 districts in Massachusetts.
During the 2020-2021 school year, the DKP team piloted revised versions of the curriculum and professional development seminar with a group of approximately 30 8th grade educators, both returning and new piloting teachers, from 13 districts in Massachusetts. This included a second design-based research study of student learning, teacher implementation, and professional development. Findings from the implementation and research study generated another round of curriculum and professional development redesign for wider implementation in the 2021-2022 school year.
