A bipartisan majority of Americans see civic education as the most meaningful solution to strengthen our country, democracy, and national common identity.
Political and civic behaviors encompass a wide range of actions. They include engagement in deliberative discussions, volunteering, and attending public meetings, and other activities related to civic life. Civic action and behaviors are an important and necessary dimension for holistic and comprehensive civic learning.
Whether intentionally or not, schools and other educational settings and programs develop character traits, dispositions, virtues, and values. These qualities lay the foundation for the health of democracy and civil society. Civic dispositions and values are an important and necessary dimension for holistic and comprehensive civic learning.
Civic knowledge starts with an understanding of the structure of government and the processes of lawmaking and policy-making, but a broader, deeper knowledge of history, politics, economics, and other disciplines is necessary to comprehend the wide range of issues that citizens face. Civic knowledge and skills are an important and necessary dimension for holistic and comprehensive civic learning.
Key takeaways from the January 2019 Civic Learning Impact and Measurement Convening and concrete next steps for the civic education field to explore to deepen move civic learning and its impact.
This is the moment to rebuild the nation’s civic strength. We need to invest in civic education. The CivxNow federal policy agenda stipulates that change at the local level, linked to commitment to equity, is the key lever for better civic education, and that the federal government can activate and support this change by using our eight recommendations to restore civic education for civic strength.
The path for ensuring youth are more prepared and engaged in civic life can be understood through the factors illustrated in the System Map which was created in partnership with Tufts University after a nearly year-long research process involving over 7,200 respondents.
The CivxNow Coalition unites the civic learning community in a nationwide movement to improve and strengthen state-level policies and practices in civic education. To strengthen the quality of K–12 civic education, the CivxNow Coalition urges state and local education policymakers to focus on the policy goals in our State Policy Menu.
A guide to the CivxNow Policy Menu of recommendations for advocates, educators, and policymakers.
Learn about the key findings from the CivxNow K-12 Civic Education System Map which was created in partnership with Tufts University after a nearly year-long research process involving over 7,200 respondents.