The CivXNow state policy scan and interactive map have been updated! The scan serves as a tool for state policy makers to advocate for policy change in civic education at the state level. It also helps identify policy barriers and suggests a menu of ideas to overcome these barriers with new policies and investments.
The framework for our assessment of civic education in states consists of key elements of high-quality civic education identified by CivXNow. We believe that each of these elements should be present for high-quality civic education to be implemented at scale.
High School
Most states mandate civics during high school through a stand-alone course requirement, but others only require civics instruction to fulfill state standards. As of August 2023, 40 states, including D.C., require a standalone high school civics course—six states for a full year and 34 for a half year. Only Alaska, Delaware, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maine, Nebraska, New Mexico, Rhode Island, and Vermont have no high school stand-alone course requirements. During the 2023 legislative session,Minnesota passed a new law that will require credit for a course in government and citizenship in either 11th or 12th grade starting in the 2024–2025 school year.
Middle School
Only nine states currently require a stand-alone middle school civics course. This summer, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu signed a bipartisan bill entitled More Time on Civics, requiring a semester of civics in middle school starting in July 2024.
Media Literacy Standards
Thirty-five states now include information literacy in their learning standards. This is up from 17 states in 2021. California Assembly Bill 873, which is currently on the Governor’s desk for signature, will require the Instructional Quality Commission to consider incorporating the Model Library Standards into the next revision of the English Language Arts/English Language Development (ELA/ELD) curriculum framework after January 1, 2024, and to also consider incorporating media literacy content at each grade level. The bill would require the commission to consider incorporating media literacy content into the mathematics, science, and history-social science curriculum frameworks when those frameworks are next revised after January 1, 2024.
Assessment and Accountability
Twenty-nine states have a civics assessment, with the U.S. Naturalization exam standing as the most frequently used instrument. Several states, including Delaware, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, and Mississippi, all have state-designed exams. In Florida, it’s a high-stakes test. In Maine, the state reported that a civic action project is required in course standards. In Massachusetts, an 8th-grade civics assessment is being field-tested in 2023. Additionally, all students are offered a student-led civics project once in 8th grade and once in high school.
Civic Seals
Civics seals are on students' graduation diplomas and recognized in 12 states, including Arizona, Connecticut, Hawaii, Nevada, and Pennsylvania. In the coming school year, teachers from across the Commonwealth ofKentucky will pilot the new Kentucky Civic Seal. In a January 2022 report, Breaking New Ground with California’s State Seal of Civic Engagement: Lessons from Year 1, authors review the efforts of seven early adopters and provide recommendations for educators interested in rolling out the seal program in other California districts.
Service Learning
In 2023, 26 states and D.C. provide credit for completing service learning projects, up from 24 states in 2021. Some states require service learning at the district level only. In Florida, schools may provide credit, and the state encourages district requirements as a part of the Bright Futures scholarships. Students are also encouraged to volunteer.
All of the policy scan data information is on our website and has been verified by the State Department of Education. This policy scan is iterative, so we intend to update it on an annual basis. If you have new data, or corrections, please report them to our State Policy Director, Lisa Boudreau.
Research Roundup
Earlier this month, the American Educational Research Association (AERA) published findings from a study conducted by Penn State professors Jilli Jung and Maithreyi Gopalan on the impact of state-mandated civics exams drawn from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services naturalization test.
Specifically, was voter turnout higher among the 18–24 age group cohort in the 2020 presidential election within the 18 states that required administration of the test as a condition of high school graduation? Jung and Gopalan found the test had no impact on turnout generally and slightly negative effects on turnout among young Black voters.
While previous research revealed a positive relationship between the citizenship test and students’ civic knowledge, this knowledge may not translate to the voting booth. The test questions themselves may be divorced from the issues and candidates in a given election. Other scholars have identified relationships with more experiential forms of civic learning and voting, building the skills and dispositions necessary for habitual participation in this vital democratic ritual. Policy makers seeking to strengthen youth voter turnout should look instead to ease youth voting access, allowing preregistration as early as 16, for example, and designating instructional time for K–12 educators to move beyond rote memorization and offer applied civic learning opportunities like mock elections.
On the Road
This month, our team traveled from Grand Rapids to Virginia to Washington, D.C., meeting with CivXNow coalition members and discussing our favorite topic: civic learning for all! A shout-out to our colleagues at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, George Washington’s Mount Vernon, and the White House Historical Association for hosting us at these great events.
2023 NETA Conference & CPB Public Media Thought Leader Forum
Panelists at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s Thought Leaders Forum in Grand Rapids, Michigan, inspired ideas for public media to strengthen democracy and civil society.
Order of panelists from left to right: John Bridgeland, CEO of More Perfect; Jeff Polet, Director of the Ford Leadership Forum; Ellen Zwarensteyn, Executive Director of the Michigan Center for Civic Education; Shawn Healy, iCivics Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy; and Seeta Pai, Executive Director of Education at WGBH Boston.
Constitution Day at George Washington's Mount Vernon
Constitutional scholar Linda Monk interviews George Washington and James Madison about the Constitution with students from Alice Deal Middle School in attendance as part of iCivics’ and George Washington’s Mount Vernon Constitution Day event.
WHHA Presidential Sites Summit: Inspiring Civic Education Through History
During the White House Historical Association’s Presidential Sites Summit, panelists discussed the state of civics education in the United States and how history can be used to inspire students to engage more in civics. Subject matter experts shared how different organizations and sites are creating resources, programming, and initiatives to reach students of all ages.
Order of panelists from left to right: John Bridgeland of More Perfect, Julia Kaufman of RAND, iCivics Senior Director of Partnerships, Julie Silverbrook (moderator), Joni Albrecht of the John Marshall Center for Constitutional History & Civics, and Jay Barth of the Clinton Library.
Member Spotlight
As we celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month, we want to recognize the contributions of one of our coalition’s newest partners, UnidosUS.
Formerly known as the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), UnidosUS is the largest national Latino civil rights and advocacy organization in the country. Representing the fastest-growing population of students in our nation’s schools, Unidos’ research, advocacy, and network engagement go beyond elevating students’ math and reading scores; they know that full participation in our nation’s democracy demands knowledge of accurate and truthful history and comprehensive civic learning experiences.
The September CivXNow Coalition meeting was a great touchpoint for partners to hear about the many collective efforts underway in the coalition including:
The National Civic Learning Week (CLW) Advisory Group shared principles for engaging the coalition in CLW this year and invited feedback on the marketing kit.
An Educator Advocate Project representative highlighted the benefits of joining this group of nearly 20 organizations partnering to empower educators to advocate for civic learning.
Our newest AI Working Group, formed in partnership with the Listen First Coalition, invited input on what tangible products from the group’s work would benefit coalition members.
New Members
The CivXNow Coalition continues to grow, now standing at more than 315 member organizations! The latest additions include:
The Coalition remains 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 reimagine civic education as a force for civic strength. To our Coalition members, thank you for your partnership.
If your organization is interested in joining the CivXNow Coalition 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.
