Prioritizing civic engagement in public schools

As we approach the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026, we are called to a national reckoning. We must ask ourselves: Have we built the systems — specifically our public schools — that truly allow every young person to realize the aspirations described by our founders?

In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson performed a radical act of editing that redefined the American experiment. Influenced by the Enlightenment, he deliberately replaced John Locke’s triad of “life, liberty, and property” with the “pursuit of happiness.” This was not a move toward shallow hedonism; it was a shift toward a more Aristotelian take on happiness —a moral quest for human flourishing, virtue and self-improvement. Jefferson and our country’s founders understood that while property is a material possession, the pursuit of a well-lived life is a civic right and a spiritual journey.

As an educator and leader, I believe the way forward lies in a fundamental redesign of our schools. Our current “factory model” is a relic of a different age, built for compliance and standardized outputs rather than the flourishing of the human spirit. If we are to honor our founding ideals as we lean into 2026, we must reclaim public education as the primary incubator of democracy.

For too long, the narrative of school success has been narrowed to test score compliance, arguably resulting in student apathy and cynicism toward society as a whole. True education must focus on the “whole child” — integrating academic, social, emotional and physical development into a single goal. In my work, I have called this the “Unlimited You.” It is a commitment to fostering an environment where students don’t just learn history; they learn to make it.

This shift requires us to move from “aimlessness” — the fragmented, top-down and ever-changing school reforms that exhaust our teachers — to “systemness.” In a true system, every part of the organization is aligned toward the North Star of human flourishing, making school experiences relevant and meaningful to every student.

Democracy is not a spectator sport, yet we often treat students as passive recipients of information. To protect the public good, our schools must become laboratories of democratic practice. As I have advocated in EdSource, civic engagement must be the “New North Star.” It should not be relegated to a single semester; it must be the culture of the entire district.

Implementing democratic practice means giving students “power with” rather than “power over.” When we treat students as “copilots” in their learning, we see a radical transformation. Through Performance Task Assessments (PTAs), students exercise their agency as civic actors, solving real-world problems that affect their families and neighborhoods, and quite possibly the larger society.

Crucially, civic engagement catalyzes academic and career success. When students investigate homelessness, for example, they develop valuable research skills. When they organize a campaign for safer crosswalks, they learn project management. When they testify at a city council meeting, they master persuasive writing and public speaking. More profoundly, they gain voice, agency and purpose doing these tasks. A student who successfully advocates for change discovers they can genuinely shape the world, transforming their approach to all future coursework and career aspirations. Civic vitality and economic mobility are inseparable.

We cannot expect students to develop agency if we deny it to our teachers. There is an “iron law” in school redesign: Students only become agents of change when their teachers are trusted as designers and mentors.

In the Anaheim Union High School District, we prioritized the “emotional quotient” (EQ) of our system. We invested in the “genuine connection” between the adult and the child. This is where technology like artificial intelligence can be harnessed to uplift the human development of students. AI should never replace the teacher; it should automate the administrative burdens to clear a path for the human bond. By leveraging AI to scaffold complex projects, we create the “psychological legroom” for all teachers to become ”5C coaches” — focusing on critical thinking, communication, collaboration, creativity, and compassion.

Public schools are the bedrock of our democratic infrastructure. When we move toward relationship-centered learning and community-school models, we are co-authoring a “values network” with families and local allied partners. It is a collaborative environment where schools are more broadly defined and curated by the greater community, and serve as the foundational framework for relationship-centered learning and integrated systems of support.

Jefferson’s decision to prioritize happiness over property was a promise that fulfillment should be accessible to all, regardless of background. As we prepare to celebrate 250 years of this pursuit, we must redesign our schools to ensure that promise is kept. By prioritizing student voice, agency and civic virtue, we aren’t just improving graduation rates; we are mending the promise of democracy for the next 250 years.

Our task is to build systems where student stories are known by name and where the pursuit of happiness is not a distant dream, but a lived reality in every classroom. This is the most important work of our time.

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Michael Matsuda served as superintendent for the Anaheim Union High School District for over 11 years. He has co-authored a new book, along with Barnett Berry and Michael Fullan, “The Future of Public Education” (Corwin Press), which is coming out in February.

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