Last week, President Trump took the oath of officeand was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States. This peaceful transfer of power, particularly between presidents representing our two primary political parties, is a hallmark of our constitutional democracy. We celebrate this transition and the advent of the 119th Congress earlier this month, with all of our elected leaders “bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support [the U.S.] Constitution.”
Amidst the bevy of executive orders, proclamations, and confirmation hearings since Inauguration Day, civic education remains the best way to sustain and strengthen our democracy. This must be a civic education for the 21st century—one that is relevant, meaningful, and engaging for each new generation, and includes an explicit focus on the nation’s foundational documents—including the Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, and Bill of Rights—and the democratic institutions and processes they established. Civic education fosters a deep connection to our country and cultivates in youth a strong sense of community, empowering them to work collaboratively with others to solve problems together.
However, on the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in civics, only 22% of 8th graders tested proficient or above in understanding how this country’s constitutional democracy is supposed to work and how to apply that knowledge.
These results are lamentably predictable as civics consists of only a one-semester course in high school for most K–12 students.
Just 5 states require a stand-alone civics course in middle school, and elementary schools spend less than 30 minutes per day on social studies.
Students from rural areas, students of color, and students from low-income families often encounter fewer civic learning opportunities in their schools.
Moreover, the federal government contributes to the marginalization of civics, investing less than 50 cents per K–12 student. As both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue turn to the tough task of governing, we encourage President Trump and members of Congress to invest in K–12 civic education for current and future generations. This includes new funding for states, local education agencies, institutions of higher education, and nonprofit organizations to launch robust local civic education initiatives, building on and expanding recent progress in states. This investment will provide students with the civic knowledge and skills necessary to navigate emerging technology, social media, and disinformation threats that undermine the ability to participate successfully as informed citizens of our constitutional democracy.
U.S. Supreme Court Justice and iCivics founder Sandra Day O’Connor was right that “the practice of democracy is not passed down through the gene pool.” As plans are underway for the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence next July, we call on President Trump and Congress to make a generational investment in our students’ civic development, ensuring they learn and value our founding principles and the institutions undergirding them.
Yours in civics,
Shawn Healy
Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy, iCivics
Research Roundup
During this month’s Research & Best Practices brown bag, the CivxNow community welcomed the following researchers to give brief TED Talk-style presentations on their organizations’ research, its impact on our understanding of civic learning as a field, and key takeaways and recommendations:
Beth Ratway of AIR presented a summary of the Social Studies Curriculum Review Landscape, including an overview of the current social studies landscape and need for high-quality instructional materials.
Mia Charity of Close Up Foundation presented on America in One Room: The Youth Vote. They partnered with various organizations on a series of national Deliberative Polls®, summarizing the key takeaways from gathering the youth of America “in one room.”
On behalf of the America250 Commission, in order to ensure a coordinated national effort, we are surveying educational and community partners to aggregate available resources and activities aligned with the semiquincentennial celebration on and leading up to July 4, 2026. Please complete this survey no later than February 28, 2025 to make the Commission aware of your A250 efforts. Thank you in advance for your timely attention to this important endeavor!
Civic Learning Week 2025
Civic Learning Week (March 10–14, 2025) brings together educators, policymakers, and private and public sector leaders to energize the movement for civic education as a nationwide priority. Get ready to celebrate by using our marketing toolkit and planning an activity. Those who submit an event will be recognized on the Civic Learning Week website.
Submit your Civic Learning Week event to be listed as a champion on the Partners page. To support planning, we've curated a toolkit for organizations to communicate their participation.
CivxNow is proud to have one of the nation’s largest and most successful youth development organizations as an active member of our coalition. Since 1936, YMCA Youth and Government has offered students across the country the opportunity to serve their schools, communities, states, and nation through model government, civic engagement, advocacy, leadership and character development, service-learning, and other opportunities to amplify youth voice and strengthen youth civic health.
As one of the nation’s oldest and largest youth civics education programs, Youth and Government has provided hundreds of thousands of young people with the skills, training, and relationships needed to become life-long engaged citizens and community members. Interested in finding ways to partner? Contact Angie Castilleja at Angie.Castilleja@ymca.net.
Civic Education in the News
It’s been cold in much of the country over the past month. Warm up with these hot takes on civics:
Democracy Prep’s Natasha Trivers and Rashid Duroseau write in The 74 about how civic education can help students navigate the modern world.
iCivics’ Emma Humphries spoke withChalkbeatabout why Inauguration Day is and should be a teaching moment.
We remain deeply appreciative of member efforts and all that we accomplish together. Our goal is to aggregate and activate large networks of support to expand and re-imagine civic education as a force for civic strength. To our members, thank you for your partnership.
If your organization is interested in joining CivxNow or in learning more, please contact us at CivxNow@icivics.org.
Our Mission
CivxNow is a coalition of partners from diverse viewpoints working to create a culture shift that elevates civic education and engagement as a national priority in order to protect and strengthen America’s constitutional democracy. This includes building a shared commitment to ensure that all young people are prepared to assume their rights and responsibilities to participate in civic life and address the issues facing students, their families, and communities in our increasingly dynamic, polarized, and digital society.
To achieve this goal, CivxNow advocates for bipartisan federal and state legislation that supports implementation of state and local policies that reimagine and deliver relevant, inclusive, and engaging K–12 civic learning, both in- and out-of-school.
A Team Effort
The CivxNow team produces this newsletter each month.
We are grateful for the energy, time, and guidance of the CivxNow Advisory Council and to many, many others who support individual projects.
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