Charting K-12 Civic Learning

Charting K-12 Civic Learning

Landscape of Civics Education in 2025

As we near the 250th anniversary of the United States, we are reminded that maintaining our democracy involves constant vigilance and adaptation, along with sustained commitment to educate future generations to participate as active citizens. The formation of the Forum on Democracy and Education (FDE) comes at a time of resurgent concern about the state of civic knowledge and political practice in our country. Our analysis offers a comprehensive overview of civics education (i.e. who is doing what, where, and to what effect?) to inform the Forum’s work and to serve others who work on civics education and the development of civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions. The authors take full responsibility for errors of omission – what have we left out? – and commission – where have we misunderstood or mischaracterized the various initiatives included. We welcome input to include in future versions of this report, which we anticipate will begin undergoing revision and refinement almost immediately! Click the link icon below to submit content.

What is civics education?

Policy Landscape

There is no single common civic education framework for U.S. students. Each state - and within them, each local education agency - influence what civics education means for their students.Click on the following buttons to learn more about civics course requirements, innovative state civics requirements, and how states assess civic literacy.

Civics Test Requirements

Innovative State Requirements

Civics Course Requirements

Curricula and Publishers

In 2024, the entire market (all subject areas) was valued at $4.73 billion with segments including core curriculum, supplemental/intervention content, assessment, professional development, and edtech platforms.

• Civics education is a small portion of the total market value for largest education companies.
• We highlight civics-specific curricula that provide resources such as primary sources and lessons and teaching strategies to foster civic dispositions among students.

Project Citizen

Educating for American Democracy Roadmap

iCivics Education

Civics-Specific Curricula

Programs, Centers & Institutes

A wide range of programs centers, and institutes conduct research and provide materials and programs to support civics education. A few are highlighted below.

Center for Civic Education

Annenberg Classroom

Generation Citizen

Alternative Text: embeded YouTube video from Generation Citizen, "Welcome to Generation Citizen!"

Alternative Text: embeded YouTube video from Annenberg Classroom, "Balancing State and Federal Power"

Alternative Text: embeded YouTube video from Center for Civic Education, "60 Second Civics."

Funders and Philanthropy

Philanthropic and governmental organizations operate at the national level to provide financial support to programs, centers, and institutes seeking to strengthen civics education, as described in the previous sections. Funding provided by these organizations ensures high-quality civics education is available broadly. These large organizations fund research on policy, teaching and pedagogy, and curricular effectiveness. Without these funding partners, the research, programming and resources provided by these organizations might not otherwise be possible.

Notable Philanthropic Organizations

Notable Government Organizations

• U.S. Department of Education
• Bureau of Indian Affairs
• Veterans Affairs
• National Science Foundation
• National Endowment for the Humanities

• The Lynde & Harry Bradley Foundation
• The Joyce Foundation
• The Carnegie Corporation of NY
• The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
• The Charles F. Kettering Foundation

To stay connected with our work and discover how you might contribute, visit our website linked below. You can explore the the complete Landscape Analysis Report in more detail with appendices that include policy, curriculum, centers, programs, institutes, and funders by clicking the research tab at the top of the page.

Generation Citizen

• Student project at Brown University (turned into an independent non-proft)
• serves more than 25,000 students a year in more than 150 schools across 8 states
• offers project-based learning & professional support to teachers & school districts
• advocate for legislation, prioritizing equitable civics education
• fosters collaboration through youth leadership development

To learn more click the following link.

Alternative Text: Interactive map highlighting states that require a USCIS-aligned Civics Test

• develops high-quality instructional materials
• provides professional learning for teachers
• advocates for more vital civic education in the US and emerging democracies
• conducts research on their products and best practices
• provides an Educator network in all 50 states

To explore the Center, click the following link:

Annenberg Classroom

Provides free resources for teachers and students including:

• Over 65 videos
• award-winning games
• complete books
• interactive timelines
• a complete curriculum on the U.S. Constitution
• lesson plans
• glossary & Constitution guide

To further explore resources, click the following link.

Civic or Civics?

Civic education denotes strategies for engaging the worlds of business, government, media, philanthropy, and the schools in a set of principles or rules for healthy democracy. Civics education is the teaching and learning of those principles in formal classroom settings. These definitions come from Michael Feuer's (2023) book, Can Schools Save Democracy? Civic Education and the Common Good. We also hold fast to the belief that education is a bulwark of preserving and defending our democracy as noted by George Washington in his final public appearance as president on December 7, 1796, while addressing Congress.

A primary object should be the education of our youth in the science of government. In a republic, what species of knowledge can be equally important? And what duty more pressing than communicating it to those who are to be the future guardians of the liberties of the country.

Project Citizen

• discussion-forward curriculum
• real-world applications of civic knowledge
• 6-step process
• culminating portfolio on how to address an issue via public policy

To explore more, follow this link.

iCivics Education

• civics education resources for students, teachers, administrators, and families
• research shows iCivics
• uses playful learning,
• haseffective pedagogy,
• is designed by teachers for teachers,
• is aligned to state standards, and
• has confirmed efficacy

To learn more about iCivics Education click the following link.

The Roadmap

• Provides guidance that shifts content and instruction from breadth to depth.
• offers an inquiry framework
• weaves history and civics

7 Themes

5 Deisgn Challenges

• Civic Participation
• Our Changing Landscapes
• We the People
• A New Government & Constitution
• Institutional & Social Transformation
• A People in the World
• Contemporary Debates & Possibilities

• Motivating Agency, Sustaining the Republic
• America's Plural Yet Shared Story
• Simultaneously Celebrating & Critiquing Compromise
• Civic Honesty, Reflective Patriotism
• Balancing the Concrete & the Abstract

To learn more, visit the website at this link.

Innovative State Civics Requirements

• Delaware recently incorporated civics into the curriculum for grades 4 and 7, with added assessment items in the state testing for those years.
• Rhode Island requires a project in either middle school or high school, while Massachusetts requires both.
• New Hampshire requires one semester of civics in both middle school and high school.
• Nebraska offers a choice of how high school students can demonstrate civic understanding: a test, a project, or attending a public meeting and writing a reflection.

States with Required Civics Course for High School Graduation