Philosophy

The Boys State program embraces a “learn by doing” approach in the teaching of government and political processes. The “learn by doing” educational approach assumes that hands-on involvement and practice leads to an increased and nuanced understanding of how and why things work. More formally called experiential learning, research on the effectiveness of the “learn by doing” approach can be traced to educational philosophers John Dewey, Jean Piaget, and David Kolb, and its roots reach as far back as Aristotle.

By teaching students how to do government and the importance of the democratic process, Boys Staters learn the importance of being an active participant in society early on. The “learn by doing” approach is effective, and most Boys State graduates report that their experience in the program prepared them well for government and politics classes in their senior year of high school and beyond.