Brett Levy is an associate professor in the Department of Educational Theory and Practice at the University at Albany, State University of New York. His research and writing examine how educational programs can support informed civic engagement among diverse youth, emphasizing the potential of classroom discussions and inquiry-based learning experiences.
After studying history at Princeton and teaching middle school in California, Levy completed his doctoral work in education at the University of Michigan. His research has been supported by the Spencer Foundation, the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, and the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. He has been awarded the Exemplary Dissertation Award from the National Council for the Social Studies and the Outstanding College Educator Memorial Award from the New York State Council for the Social Studies.
Currently, Levy hosts the popular podcast Education for Sustainable Democracy, sharing ideas and research-based practices about civic education with listeners around the world.
Through the Youth Civic Connections Project, Levy works with teachers to facilitate productive online political discussions among diverse youth from different political environments, studying the outcomes of these experiences. During this fellowship, he will expand this project to multiple states and develop a flexible curriculum that can be adapted in schools nationwide.
The title of Levy’s project is “How Can Education Bridge Political Divides?: Reducing Political Polarization through the Youth Civic Connections Project.” The Youth Civic Connections Project aims to foster and understand the development of political open-mindedness and engagement among diverse high school students from different political environments. Toward these ends, the project will work with teachers in three states to generate and enact interactive civics curricula that involve the exploration of multiple perspectives across these contexts — and then analyze students’ learning from these experiences.
May 2024
