Academics

Civic Engagement

Every year, Burke students experience a year-long, integrated civics, equity, and leadership curriculum – organized around a different theme in each grade in partnership with community-based nonprofits, ranging from the The Ocean Conservancy (11th grade), Mikva Challenge (10th grade), and Capital Area Food Bank (9th grade).

The Civic Engagement program also supports:
  • an annual Civic Engagement Fair to connect middle and high school students with service opportunities
  • the student-led Service Club, which runs individual projects and the school's Little Free Pantry
  • out-of-school volunteer opportunities, including at Asawana Farms in Maryland
  • student participation in local and national conferences

Asawana Farms by Edmund Burke School on

  • High School Partners

    Aswana Farms
    Blacks in Marine Science
    Blacks of the Chesapeake Foundation
    Capital Area Food Bank
    Food Justice DMV
    Konterra Life
    LearnServe Intl.
    Mikva Challenge
    Serve DC
    Special Olympics DC
    The Ocean Conservancy

  • Middle School Partners

    Camp Wabanna
    Food & Friends
    Martha’s Table
    Serve DC
    Special Olympics DC
    UDC - Community Garden

Youniss and Yates (2003)

"... it has been demonstrated that youthful activism is a strong predictor of lifetime involvement with outcomes including likelihood of voting and membership in voluntary organizations [...] Although one cannot artificially create historical crises or social movements, policy makers can design programs of service that help youth experience political agency and instill a sense of social obligation."

Middle School Curriculum

List of 3 items.

  • 6th Grade - Citizenship at the Margins


    Trip: New York City, NY 

    Students focus on what it means to be a citizen, past and present, and the identities & barriers that have forced some groups to exist at the margin vs. the center of American life. Students apply these questions to their comparative study of American identity starting with the first interactions of native communities to today.




  • 7th Grade - Sustainable Pathways


    Trip: Chesapeake Bay, MD 

    Across the curriculum, students imagine what a more sustainable future would look like and examine how environmental issues impact some communities differently than others. Additionally, students will analyze how culture & policies influence how different communities engage in a variety of sustainable practices in order to thrive.

  • 8th Grade - Social Change & the American Civil Rights Movement


    Trip: Selma, Birmingham & Montgomery, AL 

    Students learn about the cultural, literary, historical and political lives of citizens of the DC area and the southern United States through an interdisciplinary program in history, music, English, values & ethics, and visual arts that explores the Black Freedom Struggle & Liberation. This curriculum culminates with a 4-day trip to the Deep South. 


High School Curriculum

List of 4 items.

  • 9th Grade - Food Justice in Washington, DC


    Service Partners: Capital Area Food Bank & Food Justice DMV 

    Through a critical lens, 9th graders explore Food Justice in Washington, DC by engaging in direct service, learning, advocacy, and brainstorming equitable solutions to address food insecurity in the DMV. Students also lead a schoolwide food drive for immigrant communities impacted by food insecurity, and participate in a day-long retreat on leadership, equity, and inclusion.

  • 10th Grade - Action Civics


    Service Partner: Mikva Challenge Project Soapbox

    In 10th grade, each student selects an issue that matters to them, identifies a local nonprofit addressing that issue, and completes at least 10 hours of service related to the issue they are passionate about. Burke also hosts a schoolwide Civic Engagement Fair in the fall to assist students in connecting with organizations. In the Spring, students develop and write a "soapbox speech" about their issue. Advisory and grade-wide speech competitions determine who will represent Burke at Mikva Challenge's Citywide Soapbox Showcase.

  • 11th Grade - Environmentalism & Environmental Justice


    Service Partners: Blacks of the Chesapeake Foundation & The Ocean Conservancy

    In 11th grade, students engage in a year-long examination of environmentalism, conservation, & environmental justice and its impact on different communities. Students examine the root causes of why marginalized groups are disproportionately impacted by environmental concerns and policies. This curriculum culminates in May for their 4-day conference on Environmentalism & Environmental Justice, when students engage in workshops, direct service, and advocacy projects led by grassroots & federal environmental justice professionals.


  • 12th Grade - Senior Seminar Program


    The Senior Seminar program aims to strengthen research and writing skills in preparation for college level work by requiring seniors to write a sophisticated, substantial, analytical research paper. Student will:

    • research and analyze their individual topic from various viewpoints
    • frame a challenge or opportunity
    • conclude their paper with recommendations and plans for actions and policies.

    The program also gives seniors the opportunity to pursue a topic that interests them. To that end, each section is broadly organized around an area of social justice and global challenges and opportunities, within which students will choose their individual area of focus. The course is structured so that students both have coaching and guidance from the teacher and spend significant time doing independent research and writing.
Co-ed, progressive, college prep school in Washington, DC featuring a challenging curriculum in an inclusive environment for grades 6-12.
4101 Connecticut Ave NW Washington, DC 20008    |    Phone: 202-362-8882    |    Fax: 202-362-1914