Lindsey Cormack, author of How to Raise a Citizen and Why It’s Up to You
What if raising a good citizen was actually something you could do — starting today, without being a government expert?
That’s the message from my conversation with Lindsey Cormack, author of How to Raise a Citizen and Why It’s Up to You. Lindsey is a political science professor at Stevens Institute of Technology, and she’s done the research: no state in America is doing civics education well enough. The decline has been steady since the 1950s, and if it’s not on the test, it’s not being taught.
But here’s what I loved about talking with her: she’s not doom and gloom. She sees hope in kids who want to belong, who want to matter, who want to make things better. She just wants adults to meet them there.
Her advice for parents? You don’t need to be a civics expert. You just need to model what it looks like to care. Vote. Show up. Have the conversation. And if you’re frustrated with government? Write an op-ed. She’s right — and as a former newspaper reporter, that one made me very happy.
This is one of my favorite conversations we’ve had on the show. Lindsey is sharp, warm, and deeply committed to the next generation of citizens.