US teenage students showing a level of civic engagement not seen in years

New York

IN Bridgette Francis' Advanced Placement comparative government class at the College of Staten Island High School for International Studies, there was palpable excitement over a recent project - on the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta).

In the hallways of Middle School 447 in Brooklyn, talk of gay rights and President Donald Trump's executive order on immigration has replaced chatter about "the Kardashians or Beyoncé, or somebody's new sneakers", said Leslie Hughes, a seventh grade English teacher.