Strengthen Funding for Civic Education

Challenge

Civic education is drastically underfunded in the United States.

Significant public and private investments in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) subjects are a good example of the difference these kinds of investments can make. Currently, federal funding for STEM is about $50 per student. By comparison, students receive just about 50 cents for civic education. Well-funded and well-resourced policies are crucial to support teachers and students in implementing any policy improvements.

Solution

Strengthen funding for civic education. Be sure all new policies include companion resources for implementation to ensure compliance with new mandates and deliver results equitably and at scale.

State Policy Options

Trust Fund: Create a separate fund to be administered by the state department of education for districts or providers to cover a variety of implementation needs. Permit the fund to include revenue from the general fund, line-item appropriations, or other funds authorized by the legislature.
Fund for Scaling Up: Include enough funding that each school can scale up new state mandates. All school districts should be resourced enough to offer universal access to high-quality civic learning.
Set Priority Areas: Be specific about funding usage for priority areas. For example, target specific areas of need, such as teacher professional development, experiential civic learning programming/experiences, or agency staff.

Example

In 2018, Massachusetts enacted new civic learning requirements and established a Civics Trust Fund. The trust fund was created to support civic education as a priority for school districts across the state and key provisions in the law, including professional development to support teaching civics effectively and the opportunity for middle and high school students to participate in civics-based projects.