Cardinal Direction
What's really happening in the Mountain State? Cardinal Direction brings you in-depth conversations on the policies affecting West Virginia, from the economy and education to healthcare and infrastructure. Produced by the Cardinal Institute for WV Policy.
Cardinal Direction
The Frontline Crisis, Teacher Training
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In the final episode of Cardinal Direction’s civics mini-series, host Jessica Dobrinsky sits down with Tiffany Hoben to unpack a problem hiding in plain sight: teachers are expected to deliver strong civics instruction even when many never received deep content training themselves. They explore the difference between teacher prep and effective professional development, why knowledge should come before “action civics,” and how civics, history, economics, and geography work best when taught together. The conversation also tackles a harder reality in West Virginia classrooms: without basic expectations for civility and discipline, it is nearly impossible to build the habits of civil discourse that healthy civic life requires.