Equitable K-12 Civic Learning
A robust civic education for all youth, particularly in K-12 schools, is vital to the health of our democracy. When civic education works well, it is an important pathway to civic engagement and political participation, and it carries additional developmental and academic benefits. Most American students do receive some kind of instruction related to civics in schools. But K-12 civics varies greatly across the country, standards are uneven, and high-quality programs often only reach certain communities of more privileged students.
A good K-12 civic education must give students a comprehensive working knowledge of our systems of government, awareness of various ways in which citizens participate in civic life, media literacy skills, and the ability to think critically and take informed action about matters that are important in our communities and society. Our civic education research and partnerships are aimed at the understanding and supporting equitable implementation of effective civic learning across the country.
Growing Voters
NAEP Scores: A Call to Action
EAD Roadmap
Current Initiatives
Teacher Leaders Task Force
CIRCLE convened and launched a Task Force on Teacher Leadership (TLTF) to support educators’ ability to learn about and implement the Educating for American Democracy Roadmap (EAD).
TFDA Alliance
CIRCLE serves as coordinator of the Teaching for Democracy Alliance (TFDA), which provides educators with tools to strengthen student learning about elections and voting.
Democracy Schools
CIRCLE's longstanding partnership with educators in Illinois has helped implement and evaluate curricula, civic learning initiatives, and professional development for civics teachers in the state.
Major Reports
CIRCLE Growing Voters
The 2022 CIRCLE Growing Voters report has major findings about young people's civic learning experiences in K-12 schools, and provides recommendations for teachers, administrators, and other key stakeholders in educational ecosystems to teach for democracy.
Educating for American Democracy Roadmap
CIRCLE Director Kei-Kawashima-Ginsberg served as principal investigator and pedagogy co-chair of this groundbreaking 2021 document that aims to reshape civic education in the United States and ensure it reaches all youth.
The Republic is (Still) At Risk—and Civics Is Part of the Solution
Co-written by CIRCLE's current and former directors, this paper outlines the state of K-12 civics and makes the case for civic education as one of the keys to repairing the fabric of our democracy.
Latest Research
Participatory Budgeting in Schools Helps Build Student Voice and Civic Skills
Youth Who Develop their Voice in High School Are More Likely to Vote
Supporting K-12 Administrators is Key to Growing Voters
Themes and Areas of Research
No young person is born with knowledge of how to vote, or with an innate understanding of how they can contribute to democracy. Civic education is key to youth growing as voters and developing as engaged community members. Our research has shown that young people who recalled having high-quality civic education experiences in school—such as simulations and discussions of current political issues—were more likely to vote, to form political opinions, and to know campaign issues.
Civic education that explicitly teaches about elections and voting is especially important, and can be especially lacking in many schools. As we discovered during the work of our Commission on Youth Voting and Civic Knowledge, we found that a significant percentage of teachers feel that they can’t discuss anything that might be interpreted as “political,” including voting. But teaching about elections can be done in a non-partisan way, and we highly encourage bringing non-partisan voting education into classrooms in order to create a culture of voting in our schools. We promote this work through the Teaching for Democracy Alliance.
Read more about:
- Strong civic education as a vital component of Growing Voters
- Civic education and young girls' leadership
- The link between high school civics and voting
- The findings and recommendations of our commission on Youth Voting and Civic Knowledge
- How changes in civic education laws affected voter turnout in 2012
- How schools can enhance civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions
Laws and standards requiring or encouraging comprehensive civic education improve practice, yet such standards can be extremely uneven across the country. Some states have focused on a single course or high-stakes civics test that serves as a graduation requirement, while others either have no such requirement, or use the USCIS Citizenship Test (a multiple-choice test from a 100-item list). States also vary in whether and how they teach about political parties and ideologies. Research shows that teaching students about core principles on which political parties stand, and exploring what young people believe and value in politics, does not mold or alter young people’s ideology in either direction. Students from all communities should have these important learning opportunities.
Educational standards should mandate and support high-quality civics instruction that incorporates proven practices including debate about controversial political issues, exploration of alternative perspectives, service learning or other forms of experiential learning, and simulations of democratic processes. Educators must receive appropriate support; teachers need resources (time, funding to purchase curriculum, budget for field work); preparation (e.g., training in best service-learning practices); school-community connection; and importantly, protection from backlash to teach about elections and political issues.
Well-designed laws, combined with well-articulated learning standards and implementation plans, can help teachers understand the goal of civic education and how to prepare students for civic life while providing sufficient resources and institutional support to do so. Laws and standards are especially important in rural areas where school districts tend to be small and farther away from service providers, and where social studies teachers tend to be isolated from peers who could share resources and provide support. Laws and standards are equally important in districts that struggle with budget deficits, because additional funding can provide teachers with training, as well as in large districts where they may create positions to manage tasks, such as finding community partners that can serve as service-learning sites, at a larger scale.
Read more about:
- How to transform civics for the 21st century
- How state civic standards mandate that students learn about political ideology
- Implementation of the C3 (College, Career, and Citizenship) Framework
- Our 2013 survey of civics teachers in America
- CIRCLE's support of civic education reforms in Florida, Hawaii, and Tennessee
- The state of civic education laws and standards in 2012
- The civic mission of schools and the proven practices of civic education
Facts and knowledge about politics and civic life are best learned by doing, and an effective civic education must give students the real-world civic information and skills that they will need to participate in civic life and opportunities to learn as they practice them. Many civic skills, like team-building, deliberation, collaboration, critical thinking, and communication are also valuable to a student's academic and professional development and they are valued in today's workforce.
Many of these skills can be learned and practiced through pedagogical approaches like action civics, in which students select, research, undertake, and reflect on a civic initiative in their community. Discussions and projects centered on issues they feel passionate about help students understand the connections between the things that matter to them and the political processes that shapes the world around them. Our research has helped make the case for action civics, CIRCLE is a founding member of the National Action Civics Collaborative.
One other civic skill of increasing importance is media literacy: the ability for young people to access, analyze, evaluate, create, and act using all forms of communication. As the news and information ecosystem becomes more complex and harder to navigate, it is imperative for young people to learn how to understand and assess what they see in the media—and to create media of their own in order to participate in and influence conversations on politics and civic life. Our research has found that teachers understand the importance of teaching media literacy but many need support to properly do so.
Read more about:
Literature Review: History and Civic Education
CIRCLE has been studying K-12 civic education in the United States for two decades through scholarly work, evaluations, and through partnerships work with educators and practitioners in the field. Based on our experiences, our own research, and that of other scholars and partners, we have articulated some guiding principles for an equitable, inclusive 21st century history and civics education and assembled some of the literature that informs our framework.
Take Action to Support Equitable K-12 Civic Learning
Ensure Every Student Gets a Strong Civic Education
Civic education in America must undergo a profound transformation so that it meets the needs of the country's diverse 21st century student body and gives all young people the tools and knowledge they need to solve problems, engage in our democracy, and participate in civic life. We're focused on providing research and tools to help make that happen; here's how you can help:Take Action to Support Equitable K-12 Civic Learning