Civic Education Works
Research confirms that students who receive a comprehensive and high-quality civic education are more likely to be informed and actively engaged citizens and voters.
Independent research confirms our resources produce clear and tangible benefits to students—even after controlling for gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Even more promising: more than half the students that play our games in school play them again at home on their own time.
iCivics materials improve students’ civic knowledge, civic attitudes, and core literacy skills. Students are challenged to learn and engage with the material, and have fun in the process. New evidence is pointing to the power of matching iCivics games with authentic civic engagement experiences.
Key Findings
In the 51st annual Phi Delta Kappa poll of public attitudes on education (2019):
- 97% of Americans said civics should be taught;
- 81% of teachers say students should be required to take a civics class
- Parents (78%), all adults (79%), and teachers (85%) say schools should teach values as well as factual information
- 87–97% of all adults say public school classes on values should cover honesty, civility, respect for authority, and acceptance of people of different religions
- 81% say patriotism should be included
These findings mirror those of The Democracy Project report (2018) that found the most popular (89% support) initiative tested as a way to bolster democracy was to ensure that schools make civic education a bigger part of curriculum. This high level of support remained true across all age, gender, racial, political, socioeconomic, and geographic demographics.
Research Roundup
Prior Months’ Research Roundups:
Separate Reports Reveal Civics’ Growing Prioritization, Challenges to its Continued Proliferation
Civic learning is a growing priority for some school districts, but a dearth of systemic supports inhibits universal student access to these opportunities throughout their K–12 trajectory. This is the principal conclusion of researchers Lisa Chu and AK Keskin in separate reports published this summer by the Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE).
In A Mile Wide, an Inch Deep, Chu and Keskin find that civics is embedded in a required academic class in 90% of school districts, but taught as a standalone subject in only 38%. Similarly, while 68% of districts offer civics-related extracurriculars and 61% provide optional community service opportunities, only 23% require community service. Just 35% of districts offer experiential civic learning opportunities, and only 13% require them.
One factor limiting further access to high-quality civic learning opportunities across districts is a dearth of professional learning opportunities that go beyond state standards and foundational civic knowledge. Only 31% of districts provide professional learning focused on civic skill development, 27% on assessing civic learning, 24% on how to implement high-quality instructional materials, and a mere 13% on how to incorporate controversial issues into class instruction.
CRPE’s subsequent report, From Support to Priority, reveals growing prioritization of civic education by school boards and districts alike, especially when it’s embedded within districtwide commitments like graduate portraits and K–12 learning plans. Superintendents interviewed for the study found more traction for civic education when it’s embedded in the local community and less support when it touches on contentious issues.
In order to further incentivize civic learning beyond a single course, states can continue adopting civic seals demonstrating student excellence and resourcing implementation at the district level. Chu and Keskin also call for civic learning advocates to better connect investments in civic learning with improved literacy outcomes, school climate, and career readiness.
Interview conducted by the Philanthropy Roundtable in conjunction with the CivXNow Policy Summit (2021)
Interview conducted in conjunction with the CivXNow Policy Summit (2021)
What states can learn from the passage of an act to promote and enhance civic engagement (2020)
Interview with Michael A. Rebell regarding civic readiness in New York (2020)
Multiple developments in Florida promise to continue the state’s leadership in providing K-12 civic learning (2020)
Video from Democracy at a Crossroads Summit (2019)
CivxNow documentary showing Chicago’s George Washington High School’s transformation driven by the civic investment of teachers, students, parents, and community members (2019)
Report by the California Task Force on K-12 Civic Learning (2014)
