Politics with Paul

Approachable, nonpartisan, and nonideological analysis of various political topics by nonpartisan political analyst, writer, researcher, and speaker Paul Rader.

Politics with Paul #53: Education Policy's Impact on Civic Engagement w/ Shaka Mitchell

E54 • Aug 12, 2025 • 64 mins

Shaka Mitchell joins the podcast today to discuss how we can change education policy to positively improve civic engagement among both students and parents. Shaka is a senior fellow with the American Federation for Children, a professor of constitutional law at Belmont University, and an attorney. How does how we teach our kids (and adults) about the political process affect how invested people are in politics? Where are the areas most in need of improvement? How can parents better facilitate civic engagement in students? How do we use education to reconnect citizens to the political process. Tune in to hear Shaka's insights on these questions and much more!

Key Points

The way we teach civics and government has a profound impact on political engagement, with a shift from teaching "civics" that involves the individual to teaching "government" that focuses on institutions contributing to political disengagement.
Many parents and community members feel schools are unresponsive to their needs, leading to a cycle of disengagement and apathy that impacts broader civic participation.
Localizing political engagement and focusing on community-level issues can help reconnect citizens to the political process, fostering a more active and informed electorate.

Shaka's links:

Shaka's SubStack: https://shakamitchell.substack.com/
TED talk "Can Helicopter Parents Save Our Struggling Schools?": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XR-9C8xEwuo

My links:

Buy my book on Amazon (ebook and paperback): https://www.amazon.com/Why-Independents-Rarely-Win-Elections-ebook/dp/B09K8PYM5J/
Download my FREE 5-day educational email course: https://detoxifyamericanpolitics.com/
My website: https://paulrader.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulRaderWrites
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulrader352/
Medium: https://paulrader-42650.medium.com/
Email: [email protected]
Matchmaker FM profile for booking me on your podcast: https://www.matchmaker.fm/podcast-guest/paul-rader-329e65

Speakers

Paul Rader

Host • 35%

Shaka Mitchell

Guest • 65%

Chapters

0:00	Intro: Shaka Mitchell, Political Engagement and Education Policy
2:08	Why Shaka Studies Education Policy's Effect on Engagement
5:32	Shaka's Work with AFC, Young People's Political Engagement
8:59	Political Engagement Through Professor/Lawyer's Lens
12:53	Are College Students Skeptical of Political Content?
16:16	Biggest Issues with Nation's Schools Regarding Political Engagement
21:04	Balancing Protecting Students with Challenging Their Views
28:21	Could a Civics Bee Enhance Political Engagement?
31:41	Parental Impact on Students' Civic Engagement
37:19	Improving Adult Civic Engagement with Continuing Education Policy
41:52	Impact of Citizen Distrust of Government on Civic Education Policy
47:27	How Do We Reconnect Citizens with the Political Process?
52:34	Will Improving Civic Education Policy Decrease Our Polarization?
59:16	Today's Random Question: Cool Places to Grow Up
1:02:10	Closing, Shaka's Media, My Media

Transcript

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