Building a Stronger Democracy, One State at a Time
CivXNow is a force multiplier for K–12 civic education policy with active State Policy Task Force members in 41 states. We provide local advocates and coalitions with the tools necessary to champion evidence-based policies.
From Vision to Action
Founded with the goal of driving lasting policy changes, CivXNow's State Policy Task Force is an essential resource for grassroots advocacy. We support this movement by:
Fostering collaboration among advocates across state lines;
Offering access to vital resources and expertise for effective policymaking; and
Convening state partners for timely technical assistance.
Investing in the Future
Since its inception in 2018, thanks to the longstanding support of the Carnegie Corporation, the CivXNow Coalition has flourished. Carnegie’s early and continuous investments made possible the nationwide impact detailed in their report, “Connecting Civic Education and a Healthy Democracy,” released last month.
In addition to underwriting the work of the CivXNow Policy team, Carnegie’s support enables annual regrants for state coalition initiatives totaling $275,000 in 15 geographic and politically diverse states. Our goal? Substantial policy advancements in civic education.
Success Stories
CivXNow’s approach, as detailed in the Carnegie report, is demonstrably effective. Carnegie Democracy Program Officer Andrew Geraghty wrote, “There is no one-size-fits-all approach to civic learning, and states are truly laboratories of change. Conservative, progressive, urban, rural, and otherwise diverse states have taken varied policy approaches to bolster civic learning, and they are all helping us move toward a common goal: a stronger democracy.”
Since 2021, 23 states enacted more than 30 measures to strengthen K–12 civic education, including:
New Hampshire: A bipartisan 2023 law mandates a semester of civics for middle schoolers and dedicated instructional time in elementary schools.
Minnesota: A civics course became mandatory for high school juniors and seniors as part of the 2023 education package.
Massachusetts: The state’s nation-leading annual investment in civic education increased to $2.5 million for Fiscal Year 2024.
Other course mandates: Middle school civics course requirements were adopted in Indiana and New Jersey, while high school requirements were established in Montana, Oregon, and Rhode Island.
Resourcing and community commitments: Utah funded pilot experiential civic learning programs in districts, and Georgia created a permanent civic education commission.
Building a Brighter Future
CivXNow recognizes the importance of patience and persistence in policy advocacy. We leverage strategic state partnerships to accelerate impactful change. This spring, we're tracking 141 civic education-related bills in 35 states, 100 aligned with the CivXNow State Policy Menu.
We heed Carnegie’s call for “...state policies and investments (to) ensure high-quality civic education for all students in the United States.” These policies will “equip young people with the tools to think critically, to engage in constructive debate, and to discover their agency is critical to reducing polarization and strengthening American democracy.”
Registered voters with civic learning experiences have a significantly more positive perception of 19 of 21 civic terms, according to findings released last month by Philanthropy for Civic Engagement (PACE) in their second Civic Language Perceptions Project. Those with civics courses in middle school, high school, college, and/or as an adult in a community are more positive about, in part:
Community (10.6% higher than those without civic learning experiences),
Civility (+10.4%),
Civic engagement +(8.9%), and
The Constitution (+5.6%).
As we strive to strengthen and sustain our constitutional democracy, broad support for these terms is essential to its bedrock, civic participation. Once more, those with civic learning experiences were more likely to participate, including:
Discussing politics and community issues with neighbors (+21.0%),
Volunteering (+18.3%),
Donating to political, social, or charitable causes (+17.3%), and
Voting (+13.2%).
Unfortunately, civic learning opportunities are far from universal.
While two-thirds (66.6%) of survey participants took a high school civics course, only one-quarter reported a middle school (25.7%) or college course (26.1%).
Only 18.8% experienced both a middle school and high school civics course, and a mere 9.0% a civics course at the previous two levels plus college.
Access to civic learning opportunities was inequitable across race and ethnicity: 16.9% of white respondents reported no or were uncertain about civic learning opportunities versus 19.1% of BIPOC respondents.
As we return from Spring Break, here are some requisite articles that cover a range of topics, including resources, legislative efforts, and conversations about civic education.
CivXNow’s Shawn Healy, iCivics’ Louise Dubé, and the National Constitution Center’s Julie Silverbrook discuss what the country can learn about the need for civics from George Washington in this piece from George Washington's Mount Vernon.
Loreen Cox and Karen Nussle discuss how the civic attribute of cross-partisan work can benefit everyone during this election cycle in this piece in The 74 Million.
The Alaska Beacon has a story about progress on civic education in the country’s northernmost state.
Legislators in Kentucky are nearing legislation that would enhance civic education following the state’s C-rating in the Civic Health Assessment, reports The Bottom Line.
Coalition Member Spotlight
During an election year marked by division, a collaborative of organizations swims upstream to bridge and heal divides. This collective work is led by the Listen First Project, the backbone organization for the 500+ member Listen First Coalition.
CivXNow and Listen First frequently collaborate and share many members who participate in both efforts, sharing missions around ensuring K–12 youth engage in meaningful civic learning and develop skills in social cohesion.
The Listen First Coalition just finished its 7th annual National Week of Conversation, a celebration of events and activities in communities nationwide that build bridges across differences.
Interested in learning about Listen First, the coalition, or the National Week of Conversation? Contact their Director of Coalition Engagement, Karissa Raskin, at karissa@listenfirstproject.org.
New Members
CivXNow continues to grow, now officially standing at 335 member organizations! The latest additions are:
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 atCivXNow@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.
