A Renewed Commitment to American Civics: State-Led Initiatives Gain Momentum
Research Roundup: Students’ Civics Scores Affirm Sunshine State’s Policies
Coalition Member Spotlight: Former Members of Congress
On the Road with CivxNow
Civic Learning in the News
New Members
A Renewed Commitment to American Civics: State-Led Initiatives Gain Momentum
A notable trend is emerging across the U.S. as state legislatures increased their focus on strengthening civic education this Spring legislative session. Since 2021, 26 states have adopted 42 policies aligned with the CivxNow State Policy Menu, our framework for strengthening civic learning. The momentum continues this year, with 45 states considering 198 bills related to K–12 civic education. Of these, 145 (73%) are aligned with the policy menu, signaling a bipartisan consensus that civic education is a priority in states.
Recent Legislative Successes in Civic Education
Several states recently enacted significant legislation to reinforce the importance of civics:
Utah: Governor Cox signed H.B. 381 into law, which he described as one of the most important bills of the session. The legislation amends high school graduation requirements to include a year-long course on American constitutional government and citizenship.
Missouri: Demonstrating a consistent commitment, the Missouri legislature renewed its $500,000 appropriation for professional development in civics and patriotism for the third consecutive year.
Louisiana: An initiative championed by State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley will create a special “Freedom Seal” for graduating students’ diplomas. The seal is designed to incentivize and recognize achievement in learning U.S. history and understanding the political process.
Alabama: A new appropriation of $1,500,000 will develop an online course in U.S. history, government, and/or civics. This resource will be available to all pre-K–12 teachers to support instruction aligned with the Alabama Course of Study.
Pending Legislation and Budgetary Considerations
As of the writing of this newsletter, important work continues through the legislative and budgetary process in Massachusetts, Michigan, and Ohio.
Upcoming Policy and Educational Events
Our focus now turns to building momentum and support for the next session with several key fall events in Colorado and Ohio. Additionally, the Missouri Civic Learning Coalition and the Missouri Historical Society will host a civic education event focused on pluralism on September 30 at the Missouri History Museum in St. Louis. In Kansas, CivxNow will co-sponsor a youth-centered civic summit at Washburn University on November 4 and 5, led by the Kansas Volunteer Commission and friends at the Dole Institute.
Research Roundup:Students' Civics Scores Affirm Sunshine State's Policies
Middle schoolers’ performance on Florida’s End-of-Course Assessment (EOC) in Civics improved from its inception in 2015 through 2019, dipped during the pandemic, and has partly recovered in the years since. With the passage of the landmark Sandra Day O’Connor Civic Learning Act in 2010, the Sunshine State is a bellwether for students’ civic development. The O’Connor Act requires a semester-long middle school civics class coupled with a high-stakes EOC assessment tied to student promotion and school grades.
Chart 1: Mean Student Scores on Florida End-of-Course Civics Assessment, 2015–2019
Mean student scores meandered in a narrow range from 2015 (404; see Chart 1) through 2024 (405), peaking in 2019 (408). Each of these scores lands within the passing range (394–412), and about two-thirds of students meet this passing threshold, which peaked once more in 2018 and 2019 at 71% (see Chart 2).
Chart 2: Percentage of Students Passing Florida End-of-Course Civics Assessment, 2015–2024
A passing score in Florida is equivalent to a basic score on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The NAEP Civics Assessment was administered to 8th graders in 2018 and 2022, allowing for direct comparisons. In 2018, 73% of students nationally scored at a basic level or above on NAEP Civics, slightly higher than Florida’s 71%. In 2022, 69% of students nationally and in Florida scored basic or above.
Raising the bar to proficiency, Florida students outperformed the national average in both years:
25% demonstrated proficiency or above in 2018 versus 24% nationally; and
24% met this mark in 2022 versus 22% nationally.
In a study of the 2014 and 2018 NAEP Assessments reviewed previously in this newsletter, Florida’s predicted range of student scores was completely above the national average, a status shared by only six other states. The company was even more exclusive in 2018, with only Illinois, New Jersey, and Virginia joining Florida with projected scores safely above the national average. Moreover, Florida’s mean predicted score rose by 14% from 2014 to 2018, coinciding with the implementation of the O’Connor Act and the administration of the Civics EOC.
Taken together, these collective results affirm Florida’s strong commitment to students’ civic development through the O’Connor Act and continued state investment, a stand-alone middle school course, and EOC assessment specifically. It also affirms the longstanding support provided to teachers, schools, and districts by our Florida affiliate, the Lou Frey Institute. By prioritizing civic learning, Florida’s students show evidence of stronger civic knowledge and skills, which translate into informed, effective, and lifelong participation in our constitutional democracy.
Coalition Member Spotlight: Former Members of Congress
Fueled in large part by concerns over polarization, more and more people have lost faith in the nation’s legislative branch, wondering whether the institution is broken.
One group that highlights it needn’t be is CivxNow partner, the Association of Former Members of Congress (FMC). FMC is a bipartisan, nonprofit, voluntary alliance of former United States Senators and Representatives, advocating for representative democracy at home and abroad. The group frequently draws former members from both parties for its award-winningCongress to Campus program, where participants demonstrate how individuals of different backgrounds and experiences can unite around thorny social and political issues.
To date, this program has been implemented in 183 campuses in 43 states and 7 countries. Additionally, FMC frequently engages its members from both parties to speak out about why civic learning and investing in young people is so important to the future of our nation’s constitutional democracy, including past activities during Civic Learning Week.
The Institute for American Civics at the University of Tennessee’s Baker School hosted 125 teachers from 36 Tennessee counties at the Tennessee Civics Academy in Knoxville from June 23–25.
They were joined by student leaders, capstone students, partners, and Baker School leaders. iCivics Chief Policy and Advocacy Officer Shawn Healy led a plenary session on “The State of Civic Education,” and also moderated a panel of educator leaders on “Teaching and Inspiring Understanding of the Branches of Government.”
MO Civic Learning Coalition Leadership Summit
On June 16, members of the Missouri Civic Learning Coalition gathered in Columbia for a leadership retreat. The retreat, led by Lisa Boudreau, iCivics Director of State Policy and the coalition's founder, primarily focused on the leadership transition to Brian Keller, a civics teacher in the Webster Groves School District who will serve as the new head facilitator. The team also dedicated time to planning their upcoming civics summit, a collaborative effort with the Missouri History Museum in St. Louis, scheduled for September 30. This year, the coalition successfully advocated for the third consecutive year of state budget funding for civic educator professional development.
CA California Educator Convening
On June 25, educators across the country gathered in San Diego, CA for an inspiring convening focused on deepening civic education and engagement in classrooms at every level.
With a dynamic lineup of breakout sessions, the event brought together passionate teachers, thought leaders, and advocates to explore innovative strategies and share best practices for strengthening civic learning. The energy throughout the day reflected a shared commitment to empower students as engaged and informed participants in our democracy. With fresh ideas and renewed purpose, educators left San Diego ready to bring transformative civic learning back to their schools and communities.
DESE’s 2025 Massachusetts Civics Project Showcase
One of the finest celebrations of civic learning in Massachusetts, and the progress made since the passage of the 2018 civics law, are the Student Civics Project Showcases recently held in four regions of the state.
These events offer selected students from 8th grade and high school an opportunity to share the research and action they have taken to address a significant issue in their community. A group of “community advisors,” adults with expertise on a range of issues, listen to brief presentations by the teams of students, ask questions, and offer feedback.
For students, this public presentation of their work makes the project experience all the more real, and community advisors inevitably come away inspired by their work and enthusiasm. To see all the advocacy efforts of so many years and of so many educators, legislators, and citizens culminating in these events celebrating student engagement is a dream come true.
Civic Learning in the News
Civic education continues to shape how students engage with the world. Here are some noteworthy civics news items this month:
This op-ed in the Tallahassee Democrat extols the virtues of civics and how Florida’s students would benefit from more civic education after the state’s inaugural participation in the National Civics Bee.
The Massachusetts Civics Project Showcaseswere exhibited in four locations in Massachusetts. These are part of the state’s Act to Promote and Enhance Civic Engagement, approved in 2018.
New Members
CivxNow continues to grow, now officially standing at more than 390 member organizations! The latest addition is:
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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