America has long charged school systems with delivering basic civics education to our children before they reach voting age.

But Stevens political science professor Lindsey Cormack recently had a realization, borne out by nationwide teacher interviews, curricular and test score analyses conducted by her and a team of Stevens students: Basic messages about how democracy works simply aren’t being delivered.

“Democracy is an active, ongoing project that requires participation. Yet many children are not even being taught its basics,” she explains. “Fewer hours are dedicated to civics education than ever.”.”

To help parents navigate, she recently created a new road map: How to Raise a Citizen (And Why It’s Up to You to Do It), published by Jossey-Bass this past August. Here are four of its key takeaways:

1. Be Willing To Do The Work.

“In today’s world, shielding children from politics does more harm than good,” notes Cormack. She argues parents should embrace, rather than avoid, difficult conversations about politics — and be willing to learn more alongside their children. This helps children develop critical-thinking skills and become more effective citizens informed about their world, capable of engaging in discussion and change-making activities.

2. Don’t Try To Raise A Partisan.

“Understanding government, rather than pushing partisan viewpoints, is the way to go,” says Cormack. By focusing on a broad political education rather than partisan ideas, parents equip their children to develop their own informed opinions and agency. (Recent research suggests it’s not clear parents can successfully convince children to hold the same partisan identities they do, anyway.)

3. Focus On The Positive.

Highlighting only negative aspects of politics can deter children from dreaming about futures in public service. Cormack suggests balancing the conversation. “We need to present politics as a noble, albeit challenging, field where significant societal contributions can be made,” she says, encouraging parents to discuss the positive impacts of political engagement and government. Over-focusing on bad actors or federal politicians dissuades children from recognizing the good and necessary work at smaller, more-local levels of government.

4. Teach Your Teen How To Register And How To Vote.

Voting is our most fundamental expression of political engagement, yet in every type of election, 18-to-24-year-olds are least likely to participate. (Sometimes the gap is 20% or more compared with other age groups.) Parents want their own children to be as powerful as possible — and that means teaching them to register; change registrations when they move; become familiar with polling sites; and keep track of electoral calendars.

– Paul Karr