What role does education play in shaping democracy, and which schools foster greater civic engagement — public or private? 

This is an age-old debate. Public-school advocates argue that government-operated schools promote civic values such as political tolerance, participation, and community engagement because their open and inclusive nature inherently supports democratic values. 

On the other hand, supporters of private schools contend that private schools are community-driven institutions that empower parents and foster student agency — leading to confident, self-governing citizens.

What if the debate itself is too narrowly focused? 

Denisha Allen, senior research fellow at the American Federation for Children and founder of Black Minds Matter, argues that the key factor isn’t whether a school is public or private, but whether parents can choose their child’s school. 

“Civic engagement requires, well, engagement,” she wrote for The 74. “When parents can choose their child’s school, they become more invested in their communities.” This culture of involvement trickles down to their children, who witness and experience the benefits of their parents’ community engagement.

But what does this really look like? And how does educational freedom influence civic engagement? 

We spoke with two school founders from Allen’s Black Minds Matter network to learn more.

Why civic engagement is critical in a democracy

By definition, a democracy is a self-governing society. Without the “self-governing” part — i.e., civic engagement — America would cease to be a democracy. 

While visiting the United States, French philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville was amazed by how easily Americans formed “associations” — what we now call communities, organizations, or coalitions. Whenever a problem arose, Americans would unite to work toward a solution. 

Tocqueville, from a politically unstable France, found this revolutionary. He noted that no political power could manage the countless small tasks Americans handled through these associations. 

Civic engagement — the willingness to participate in society and care about outcomes — is essential for democracy. Tocqueville warned that without it, America would descend into barbarism. 

Now, 200 years later, civic engagement is indeed on the decline. According to a recent Wall Street Journal article and NORC poll, Americans’ value of community engagement has significantly waned over the past 25 years, with a notable drop since 2019. 

It’s a trend we need to reverse. 

Less involvement weakens communities, erodes trust in institutions, and makes problem-solving harder. It creates a vacuum that drives people to look for solutions from institutions outside their local communities — institutions that are too far removed to be truly responsive or democratic.

Civic engagement is a natural product of feeling like you belong

When Xavier applied to T.H.R.I.V.E. Christian Academy before his junior year, his transcript was nearly blank. Each day of the previous school year, his mom had dropped him off at a private military school, and he sat in the gym all day. 

The issue? The all-boys school required short haircuts, and Xavier refused to comply. Barred from class, he dragged out the power struggle all year. “In my mind, I’m thinking, ‘You would have been great for the Montgomery Bus Boycott, but this didn’t work to your benefit,’” said Dr. Monica S. Hall, founder and principal of T.H.R.I.V.E. Christian Academy, a private school near Atlanta, Georgia.

What followed hardly belongs in a typical case study. 

Hall accepted Xavier — “I loved that it seemed like a challenge,” she said — and then expelled him at the end of his first week. 

After five days of increasingly aggressive behavior, jarring interactions with other students, and many of Hall’s (self-described) best speeches, Xavier’s aggression escalated to physical contact with another student.

“I took a chance on you,” Hall told him on his way out. “I hope you land somewhere where someone else is willing to give you another chance.” 

He stomped out of the school. “He was yelling things like, ‘I don’t need this school! I don’t need anybody!’” she recalled. 

Hall thought that was the end of it, but her words stuck with Xavier. Over the next year, he tried to find another school or employer to take a chance on him. It didn’t happen. 

The following summer, he reapplied for admission. When she didn’t respond, he enlisted his classmates — the ones he’d only spent five days with the year before — to plead his case. 

“He’s got the kids advocating for him,” said Hall. “He was in my building for only a short time, but it struck me that this is a leader with the ability to mobilize young people.” In just five days, he’d made such a strong impression on his classmates that they were actively pushing for his return to the school.

Finally, Hall told the other students that if Xavier wanted to come back, he could put on a uniform and come ask her himself. 

He showed up the next day, and Hall decided to give him another chance. 

In his senior year, Xavier not only completed his coursework but also caught up on everything he had missed as a junior. He treated his classmates with respect, and he set a goal to become the first person in his family to graduate high school. It became a group effort. His classmates and teachers rallied around him, often staying late to help him with assignments. 

What changed?

Xavier wanted to be at T.H.R.I.V.E. He was determined to graduate and found a place where he felt accepted, thanks to Hall’s willingness to give him another chance. This sense of belonging and the opportunity to prove his commitment motivated him to fully engage with the resources in his school community.

And he did it. He graduated. 

“You hear about first-generation graduates,” said Hall. “It’s cute in stories. It’s good for fundraisers, but to be in a space where people walk in with that kind of hopelessness — and then to see how a culturally responsive community can ignite hope. He literally delivered hope to his family the day he walked across the stage.”

“It was like he gave us an opportunity to be Good Samaritans just as much as we gave him a chance to be a Good Samaritan,” she continued. “I like mutually beneficial relationships, and I think education should be that way as the standard — not by happenstance.”

Schools are shaping character, like it or not

The T.H.R.I.V.E. acronym stands for truth, humility, respect, integrity, victory, and excellence. Hall uses these pillars to round out education at her school. 

“There should be educational opportunities for people to contribute in ways that may not be academic,” she said. “I give out Samaritan awards. I give out pillar awards, and a lot of times I give them to the kids that would never hit a stage if it was only based on academics.” 

Ian Rowe, a senior fellow at American Enterprise Institute, is the CEO and co-founder of Vertex Partnership Academies, a public charter high school in the Bronx that weaves the cardinal virtues of classical philosophy — courage, justice, temperance, and wisdom — throughout its curriculum. 

Both school founders are strong proponents of values-based education as a way to empower young people to believe in themselves and their ability to engage in their communities. 

Rowe, an educator for over a decade, explained that values-based education is more common in schools of choice because traditional schools often feel constrained. Serving large populations, these schools tend to eschew teaching values in case they offend parents or students with differing beliefs.

“That’s a false presumption,” he said of schools that claim they don’t teach values. “Any institution that is engaging kids every single day is, by definition, a moral formation organization. You are shaping character, whether you like it or not, whether you’re intentional about it or not.”

Rowe founded Vertex to help young people escape from two “metanarratives,” as he calls them, that have a tendency to make them feel powerless. The cardinal virtues are his main tools to push back against powerlessness in his students. 

One narrative, “blame the system,” contends that America’s systems prevent success due to uncontrollable factors like gender or race. The other, “blame the victim,” claims the United States offers opportunities and any failure is due to not taking advantage of them.

“Both narratives are half-truths,” said Rowe. “But they’re two half-truths that add up to a lie in the sense of a young person doesn’t feel like they’ve got any shot.” 

The metanarratives are dangerous because they do carry some truth. Ascribing to them disempowers young people, teaching them that their contributions in society are pointless. 

To combat these narratives and teach students to question them, Rowe phrased the cardinal virtues as “I” statements that students and teachers memorize. For example, for courage: “I reject victimhood and boldly persevere, even in times of uncertainty and struggle.” 

Rowe isn’t ignoring his students’ real-life challenges. He’s helping them push past the disempowering belief that their actions can’t make a difference.

“There are systemic barriers such as lack of school choice,” Rowe said. “There are structural issues that we as a society have to continue to work to address. However, there is also a component of human flourishing, which depends on you and your own effort and you leaning in.”

Communities are made up of individuals

Hall is fiercely observant of her students. “If you listen, you’ll know who’s the weak link, who needs help, and who’s solid — all those things,” she said. “I eat lunch with my students. It keeps me in the know.” 

It helps her treat them as individuals, each with specific needs and interests. Other schools divide students based on their skill levels, but Hall believes doing so locks students in paths of success or failure.

Instead, she puts students at all levels in classes together. Then she strategically pairs them so that they can grow together. For example, if she notices that a strong academic student and a student with an IEP both like basketball, she might put them at the same table and encourage them to work together. Often the students will connect and inspire each other to work harder. 

She encourages competition between classes, but within each class, students work as teammates in the contests. It creates a sense of community, eagerness to contribute, and feelings of belonging. 

At Vertex, students have the freedom to shape their own future. Rather than simply following the conventional path that pushes everyone toward college, they can choose between two equally respected and challenging options: college readiness or career development. Rowe and his team guide students to select the path that best matches their individual strengths and passions.

“It’s not only about choice of school, it’s about choice within school,” Rowe said. In the career pathway, students get real-world experience doing internships in the community with Vertex partners, including Google, Microsoft, and the local hospital system. 

“For a lot of students, you have to demystify these things,” said Rowe. They’ve just no idea what it could mean to go work in a particular area.”

Students need more than just facts poured into them. They need more than just math and reading. The ability to articulate your passions and choose a fulfilling path is a skill that can be learned. 

“We are designed to help our students develop this sense of agency that they can lead a self-determined life of meaning and purpose,” said Rowe. 

“School choice is really a game changer,” said Hall. “You find the right pocket, the right space for your child, and it has the capacity to impact generations.”

Black Minds Matter is supported by Stand Together Trust, which provides funding and strategic capabilities to innovators, scholars, and social entrepreneurs to develop new and better ways to tackle America’s biggest problems.

Learn more about Stand Together’s education efforts and explore ways you can partner with us.