CIVIC EDUCATION:

A Key to Trust in Government

By Katherine Barrett and Richard Greene, CSG senior fellows

 Foreword
From The Council of State Governments’ Executive Director
People generally don’t trust what they do not understand, In addition to being essential to the protection of democracy,
and the same can be said of government in the United however, civic education also contributes to the building of
States. A 2015 study conducted by the Pew Research Center skills students need to be successful in the 21st century work-
showed that Americans have a near all-time low level of place. A 2015 analysis conducted by the Campaign for the
trust in the federal government, with only 19 percent of Civic Mission of Schools found that civic education in any
respondents agreeing that they trust the federal government form increased skills related to understanding the perspec-
all or most of the time, and a 2016 Gallup poll indicated 37 tives of others, cooperation in groups and concern for other
percent of Americans surveyed had little trust or confidence countries.
in their states.
I am pleased to share this new report from The Council of
Pair this with the fact that only 36 percent of adults surveyed State Governments on civic education. It serves as a contin-
by the Annenberg Public Policy Center in 2014 could name uation of conversations that began several years ago among
all three branches of government, with 35 percent of partici- CSG’s leadership as they wrestled with the role of the states
pants unable to name any branch of government. in our federal system under the CSG Focus on Federalism
initiative. The co-chairs of that effort—CSG 2013 national
The most recent results from the National Assessment of chair, Alaska state Sen. Gary Stevens, and 2014 CSG nation-
Educational Progress showed that only 23 percent of eighth al chair, Tennessee Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris—
graders tested as “proficient” in civics. Of the eight subject guided CSG down the broad path of advancing civility in
areas tested, only U.S. history fared worse, with 18 percent of government and advocating for increased civic education in
eighth graders demonstrating proficiency. the states.
Civic education stands at the core of what it takes to equip The knowledge and skills obtained through civic education
citizens with the knowledge and willingness to become com- are critical to participating in the democratic system. The
munity, state and national leaders. Without such civic funda- choice to invest—or not to invest—in civic education has a
mentals, the youth of today may not vote or run for public significant impact on our states and economies, but perhaps
office tomorrow, and the future participation of citizens in more important is the impact such an investment has on the
America’s grand democratic experiment is at risk. future civic engagement of the next generation of Americans
Public schools serve an important role in helping young peo- and those most vulnerable to having their voices lost within
ple gain the skills and knowledge they need to participate the political process.
in civic activities. Despite its importance, the quality of civic David Adkins
education in many states is declining. Part of this decline
can be attributed to increases in standardized testing, which
tends to emphasize science, technology, engineering and
mathematics—or STEM—subjects, which are regarded as
key to preparing students for college and career. Executive Director/CEO

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 “
The public’s sense that government isn’t serving them efficiently
and effectively is particularly strong when it comes to their under-
standing of the federal government. But that’s little solace to those
working in state governments, which are similarly targets of wide-
Civics education is important because it’s the only
spread mistrust. According to a September 2016 Gallup poll, some way the vast majority of the people know how our
37 percent of Americans surveyed had little trust or confidence in government works.”
their states.1
–Ted McConnell, executive director, Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools
There are a number of reasons why this is true, including the kind
of vicious electioneering that fills the television airwaves, and the
growth of various movements dedicated to attacking, rather than
• Randall Reid, director of performance initiatives at the Inter-
improving, the very existence of government.
national City/County Management Association: “Becoming a
But one more factor that is particularly troublesome, given the better civic creature helps you understand the place you’re in.” 3
fact that it can be resolved, has been the decline in civic education;
• Ted McConnell, executive director of the Campaign for the
particularly that which focuses on the states and localities. How,
Civic Mission of Schools: “Civics education is important be-
indeed, can anyone trust a powerful entity that they don’t under-
cause it’s the only way the vast majority of people know how
stand? It’s a basic element of human nature that ignorance leads
our government works. It has cross benefits in that it helps de-
inexorably to mistrust.
velop skills like critical thinking that are essential to workplace
The experts agree: competency.”4

• Gerald Wright, professor and chair of the Department of Polit-

ical Science at Indiana University: “Students are overly cynical
now. To be effective citizens they need to understand how the
system operates, and there is too much of a tendency just to The state of the art
say ‘Aw, they’re all corrupt.’ And they won’t participate and it Despite its importance, the quality of civic education in America,
takes them out of the game and then it leaves the space open in many states, is abysmal. Although there have been a number
for those who want to get in the game for their own self-inter- of initiatives to bolster the field, the most recent results from the
est.”2

Where America’s Students Stand in Civic Education

Known as the Nation’s Report Card, the National Assessment of Education Progress provides the only nationally
representative assessment of American students’ knowledge and understanding of a variety of subjects in grades
4, 8 and 12.

Percentage of 8th graders scoring at or above proficient on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, 2014

18% 27% 23%

U.S. History Geography Civics

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational
Progress (NAEP), various years, 1994–2014, U.S. History, Geography and Civics Assessments.

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“
“Presidents are visible and big international and national events
make the front page of the newspaper,” said Tom Carsey, professor
of political science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel
I’m communicating (to my students) how critical Hill. “But if you explain to students and their parents that most
the state government is in determining who gets to of their daily lives are shaped by policies at the state and local
be in a profession…” level, then that becomes more relevant and exciting.” He said that
making the connection to the impact of state and local government
–Nebraska state Sen. Sue Crawford and political science professor
on students’ lives is easy, given a K-12 or college setting and the fact
that students likely get to school on state or local roads and that
their parents pay state and local taxes.12
National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP, show only
23 percent of eighth graders attaining “proficient” status in civics. “States have enormous power,” said Indiana University’s Wright.
Of eight subject areas, only U.S. history showed worse results—with “They control so much of our day-to-day lives—health care, educa-
18 percent of eighth graders showing proficiency.5 tion, welfare, licensing of all the professions . . . Most of the things
that affect our lives are the result of state law, not federal law.” But,
In 2014, the Annenberg Public Policy Center released a survey that he said, students don’t get the news about state government and
tells a particularly gloomy tale of the state of knowledge about politics.13
government in the United States. Of the 1,416 respondents, only
36 percent could name all three branches of government and 35 At the university level, most colleges have an intro to American
percent were unable to name any branch of government.6 government class as part of the course menu. But just as in K-12,
texts for these courses are focused on the national government.
At least 40 states have a requirement for a course in American

What should civic

government or civics.7 The remaining 10 have no requirements for
any civic education. But even the states with a requirement don’t
guarantee that young people are getting the necessary background
they should be. Requirements for coursework have minimal impact
unless they are accompanied by strong teacher development, rigor-
education include?
ous standards, active learning and a broad-based civic curriculum. Obviously, there is no good one-size-fits-all formula for a complete
and thorough civic education program in K-12 or higher education.
One of the significant problems in civic education today is that the But experts cite at least four common elements that should be in-
attention to state and local government has been squeezed. Most cluded in order for the curriculum to be complete and to help foster
civics/political science courses in K-12 schools and colleges are fo- a better understanding of and trust in government.
cused on the federal government—not state and local government,
said Dick Simpson, professor of political science at the University • An overview of the broad role of state and local governments;
of Illinois at Chicago.8 They are also focused on government struc-
• The role of state and local governments as they relate to the
ture—the number of Supreme Court justices, the different branches
federal system;
of government, the two houses of Congress and so on. “You learn
about the federal government and not about things you can actually • Key aspects of state policymaking—outlining the importance
affect like the city council and your state legislature,” Simpson said. of budgets, state-local relations, and major areas of state
spending such as K-12 education, Medicaid, transportation,
In a 2013 survey of teachers, the Center for Information and Re-
corrections and higher education—and the role of the execu-
search on Civic Learning and Engagement, or CIRCLE, overseen
tive branch, legislature and the courts; and
by Peter Levine, associate dean of research at Tuft University’s
Jonathan Tisch College of Civic Life, found that 86 percent said the • (Perhaps most important) How state and local government
major emphasis or entire focus of the civics courses they taught was touches the lives of citizens, including students themselves.
the U.S. Constitution.9
Teenagers may tend to think that government is remote, that gov-
This hasn’t always been the case. Until the early 1970s, the vast ma- ernmental decision-making is carried out by a group of older adults
jority of public schools devoted a reasonable chunk of time to state they have never met making decisions that may or may not have a
and local government. But that has waned. California, for example, direct—or, at least, a perceived direct—impact on their lives. Sue
used to have a half a semester course in high school devoted to the Crawford, a political science professor and Nebraska state legisla-
study of state government. “But that went away a long time ago,” tor, makes a point of teaching her students how legislative decisions
said McConnell. may affect their careers and professional choices. “I’m communi-
cating how critical the state government is in determining who gets
A 2014 study of time prioritization in elementary school classrooms
to be in a profession, where the boundaries of the profession are,
noted that “research has consistently indicated that social studies
scope of practice fights,” she said.
receive the lowest priority.”10 In Illinois, as advocates of a required
high school civic education course were gathering data, they talked She said it’s important to engage students, particularly at the
to many teachers who said social studies in general—including civ- college level, and help them “in understanding what’s involved in
ics—were getting no more than 20 minutes of instruction a week.11 being in their (planned) profession. The state has a key role in (oc-
That averages out to four minutes a day, far less time than most cupational) requirements and licenses. That’s one piece that people
young people spend walking to and from classes. don’t know.”

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Why the squeeze? the Social Studies, the C3 framework is also supported by a number
of other organizations.15 It’s an integrated history-social studies
approach with high quality standards and an emphasis on the im-
Tufts’ Levine believes that in general civic education has been un-
portance of civics and social studies.16
dergoing a difficult period largely because of education reforms and
testing requirements that have tended to emphasize the component This framework recognizes the need to move toward a much more
parts of a science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, cur- active learning approach and a focus on civic engagement. The
riculum. Incentives for teachers are very heavily geared to teaching underlying notion is that simply learning how the government
STEM. Summer enrichment programs are generally STEM-based. works and how politics works is one step, but to make it interesting
So, as a result, just as music and art education have been placed on and memorable, you also need action. “Just a dry set of facts is not
the back burner, so has civics. sufficient,” said Simpson.17
Shawn Healy, a civic learning scholar at the Robert R. McCormick The Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools has identified a
Foundation in Illinois, pointed out that, notwithstanding the trends group of practices that can improve the civic understanding of
toward math and science, there will always be a battle over how the young people. This includes student-centered participatory class-
hours in a limited school day are allocated. He recalled that there room activities rather than reading and memorizing information
was considerable opposition to the 2015 civic education require- from a textbook, participation and discussion about student govern-
ment in Illinois among rural schools that saw new civic require- ment, and involvement in community or political projects such as
ments as a potential barrier to agricultural studies that farm-related working through the city council and neighborhood organizations
organizations wanted to see in the classroom. “In lots of rural parts to turn a vacant lot into a neighborhood garden.18
of the state agricultural education is big and they came out strongly
against us,” said Healy. Just as civics advocates worry about being Also recommended are the kinds of games and simulations that are
crowded out from a focus on science and math, advocates for a available through iCivics, which was founded by former Supreme
more agricultural focus worry about being crowded out by civic Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor in 2009 “to restore civic educa-
education.14 tion in our nation’s schools.”19
YouTube videos also show how games are used in the classroom, as
Hope for a change in a Pop-Up Game Show at the Griffin Middle School in Tallahas-
see, Florida.20
in momentum Project-based learning and action civics ensure that students get a
real laboratory experience of being able to attack a problem and
Although the status quo for civic education is still worrisome, there
effect change. There are many opportunities at the local level to
has been recognition over the last decade or so that civic education
practice the skills to do that, said Marshall Croddy, president of the
is of critical value. As a result, there has been a growing focus on
Constitutional Rights Foundation in California.21 So, for example,
increasing the attention paid to educating America’s young people
creating a class project aimed at persuading a city council to put up
in the ways their government works. But these shifts are coming
a stop sign at a busy intersection can be far more useful than study-
slowly and could take years or decades to lead to significant change.
ing a flow chart that shows the way public meetings can influence
At the top of the list of initiatives has been an effort to step up action and policy.
attention to social studies. This focus has been encouraged through
The emphasis in lower grades and high school is on simulations,
the Common Core State Standards initiative and through the
speakers and internships. “It has a more active component,” said
development of the C3 social studies framework, which includes
Simpson. It’s not just learning about how laws are passed in the
civics, economics, geography and history. Developed in 2013 by the
abstract sense. “If we can get a student interested in passing a law,
Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Council for
they’ll learn the rules of the legislative body.”22

Illinois Civic Education Bill

Signed into law by Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner in August 2015, House Bill 4025 mandated civic education as a
high school requirement for the state’s incoming freshmen students, beginning in the 2016-2017 school year.

Key provisions of the law include:

• A requirement for future Illinois high school students to complete a stand-alone, semester-long course in civics;
• A mandate for course content to include instruction on government institutions, current and contro-
versial issues discussions, service learning, and simulations of democratic processes; and
• An authorization for school districts to use private funding available for the purpose of providing civic
education.

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idea is to get K-12 students to undertake public service projects and
connect them with college students, faculty and public offices for
shared learning.25
As our media outlets become more diverse, a strong
background and understanding in our government With a great deal of competition for student time, one of the sticki-
est questions for legislators and other state decision makers is how
and public policy is all that more important.” to promote the adoption of civics as a core part of the curriculum.
– New York state Sen. Carl L. Marcellino, 2015 CSG national chair The question is also how to set standards that provide flexibility
and freedom to teachers while at the same time ensuring that the
topic is taken seriously throughout the school system.
Despite a growing emphasis on active learning, it is still rare.
In CIRCLE’s 2013 survey of teachers, only 13 percent included
community service in their civics curriculum and a smaller percent-
Some bright spots
age included participation in a political campaign or “nonpartisan Illinois was one of the states that most recently passed a require-
election-related activities.”23 ment to teach civics in high school. In August 2015, Gov. Bruce
Rauner signed HB 4025 (Public Act 99-0434) into law. Following
A 2015 effort by Campus Compact, a national coalition of 1,100
an amendment that affected timing, the requirement started to
college and universities, promotes more civic education and
apply to incoming first year high school students in the 2016-2017
engagement at the college level. University presidents attending a
school year. Notably, the law didn’t just require a civics course; it
meeting in Boston in 2015 signed a pledge to review the civic en-
embedded best practice elements, as well. “They have to engage in
gagement programs of their campuses and create civic action plans.
conversations on current and controversial issues in class, service
The Higher Learning Commission, which accredits colleges, also is
learning and simulation of democratic processes,” said the McCor-
reinforcing attention to civics as a priority.
mick Foundation’s Healy. “That’s written into the statute. That’s a
The idea of Campus Compact, said Andrew Seligsohn, its presi- huge win. That’s what I’m most proud about.”26
dent, is to facilitate higher education’s role in supporting a healthy
The new emphasis on civic education in Illinois came from a one-
democracy. It started many years ago with a commitment to pro-
two punch, said Healy. The number one recommendation of a legis-
moting volunteerism. In recent years, there’s been a much clearer
lative task force devoted to the civics topic was to pass a law requir-
intention to build the student experience beyond a service ethic to
ing a high school civics course. The second recommendation was to
a citizenship ethic. Otherwise, students don’t fully grasp how the
update state standards. “Over the course of a year, we worked with
issues they are interested in—helping the homeless, for example—
the (Illinois State) Board of Education to write new social study
connect to public policy.24
standards that are very civic-education friendly,” he said.27
There is also an effort to connect primary and secondary education
Adhering to strong social studies standards also has been a pivotal
in civics to college learning to create a coherent series of learning
part of New York’s approach. New York state education law
opportunities. “One of our strategic priorities is in partnerships with
requires instruction in citizenship and patriotism and the State
people involved in K-12 education to promote student learning and
Social Studies Learning Standards include an understanding of
civic success across the education continuum,” said Seligsohn. The
“the governmental systems of the United States and other nations;

Florida’s Justice Sandra Day

O’Connor Civics Education Act
Spurred by policy discussions led by former U.S. Sen. Bob Graham and former U.S. Rep. Louis Frey Jr.,
the Florida Legislature in 2010 passed House Bill 105, known as the Justice Sandra Day O’Connor Civics
Education Act.

Key provisions of the law require:

• The inclusion of civic education content in the reading portion of the language arts curriculum for all
grade levels;
• The completion by students of at least a one-semester civic education class in order to be promoted from
middle grades;
• The administration of a statewide end-of-course assessment in civic education at the middle school level;
• Instruction on the roles and responsibilities of the federal state and local governments; structures and
functions of the three branches of government; and the significance of historic documents such as the
Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution; and
• Inclusion of civic education end-of-course assessment data in determining school grades.

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 ESSA and Civic Education
www.ed.gov/essa

Signed into law by President Barack Obama in December 2015, the Every Student Succeeds Act, or ESSA,
reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and replaced No Child Left Behind. In addition to
reforming academic assessment, accountability and standards, ESSA also authorized new funding streams for
American history and civic education.
ESSA authorized federal funding for:
• Presidential and congressional academies for American history and civics to provide history and civics
teacher workshops and student education programs;
• Grants for local education agencies to develop, implement and strengthen programs that teach traditional
American history, civics, economics, geography or government education; and
• Grants that support innovation and research in teaching American history and civics.

American History and Civics Academies Grant Programs

innovation.ed.gov

Authorized by ESSA, the American History and Civics Academies Grant Program supports the establishment
of Presidential Academies for Teachers of American History and Civics to provide workshops and training for
both veteran and new teachers of American history and civics. The program also supports the establishment of
Congressional Academies for Students of American History and Civics for high school students to develop a
broader and deeper understanding of these subjects. For more information on applications and award schedules,
visit innovation.ed.gov.

the United States Constitution; the basic civic values of American Perhaps the state that has gone furthest in embracing civic edu-
constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights, and responsibilities cation is Florida. Its effort got off the ground with a 2007 meeting
of citizenship, including avenues of participation.”28 convened by former U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, who also served as
governor of Florida, and former U.S. Rep. Louis Frey. Together,
In addition, the New York state Board of Regents has required the they released a white paper, which made the case that the state’s
passage of a one-semester class, Participation in Government, for below-average voting participation and civic engagement could
high school graduation. This class has six units covering government be addressed through a greater focus on civic learning in schools.
structures, obligations of citizenship, voting, running for office, pub- A 2009 speech to a joint session of the state Legislature by former
lic policy and civic rights. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor helped to build
“Our state has always recognized the importance of having a enthusiasm and in 2010, the Justice Sandra Day O’Connor Civics
knowledgeable citizenry,” said New York state Sen. Carl L. Mar- Education Act (CHAPTER 2010-48 Committee Substitute for
cellino, chair of the Senate Education Committee and past chair of House Bill No. 105) was passed.30
The Council of State Governments. “Our Participation in Govern- The act required civics content to be integrated into English and
ment classes provide our seniors with the information and skills to language arts standards in every grade from kindergarten through
understand our local, state and national governments, and to make high school and includes a full-year course in seventh–grade. An
informed decisions. As our media outlets become more diverse, important feature of Florida’s approach is a rigorous seventh grade
a strong background and understanding in our government and test. A sample test can be found on the Florida Department of
public policy is all that more important.”29 Education website.

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The test was first given in 2013 and passing scores among test takers teacher professional development or evaluation is really needed.”36
have risen from 61 percent to 68 percent in the 2015-2016 school
year.31 In addition, the percentage of seventh graders in the highest At the federal level, for a long time programs in support of civics
performing category is increasing while the proportion of students received enthusiastic verbal support, but little financial support. The
in the lowest performing category is decreasing. “The evidence situation has brightened recently with the signing of the Every Stu-
points to a systematic improvement in teaching and student learn- dent Succeeds Act in 2015. The act authorizes a limited amount of
ing outcomes,” said Doug Dobson, executive director of the Lou grant funding for teacher development programs, as well as for ef-
Frey Institute of Politics and Government, a partner of the Florida forts to expand evidence-based practices, to innovate and to assess
Joint Center for Citizenship, or FJCC.32 The FJCC is funded by the what’s working.37 The availability of grants through the American
state Legislature to provide support for teachers and students in History & Civics Academics Grants Program was announced in the
implementing the Sandra Day O’Connor Act at the K-12 level.33 spring with applications due during the summer of 2016.38
Even with funding, getting teachers trained statewide is a challenge
Challenges and that requires multiple partnerships, creative thinking and consider-
able effort.

potential solutions When Florida’s program started in 2013, 3,000 teachers had to tran-
sition from teaching world history or geography in seventh grade
While there’s strong momentum for improving civics education, a to teaching civics. “Many were not well prepared to do that,” said
number of obstacles stand in the way. Dobson.

An absence of competent teachers In the first year, $400,000 was provided by the Legislature to get
civics education rolling. With these dollars and additional amounts
One of the biggest gaps in civics education is teacher training and in subsequent years, the Florida Joint Center for Citizenship and
development. While teacher education programs often include a the Lou Frey Institute of Politics and Government have worked in-
required course in American government and politics, these courses tensively to provide teacher preparation all around the state and to
are almost always focused on the national level.34 develop substantial website resources. This includes teacher content
and professional development materials that help teachers prepare
Nebraska state Sen. Sue Crawford noted that this basic American
the year-long curriculum for middle school civics.
government course is often “the only political science or govern-
ment course that people who teach get.” The federal/national focus The university also worked with Miami-Dade County Public
of this course reinforces the idea that only the federal government Schools to create “Civics in a Snap” resources for younger grades—
is important. “This is what our teachers are learning,” she said.35 ideas for integrating short 15 to 20 minute bites of civics into lesson
plans. A new student review website, developed with Escambia
Providing more training, however, requires resources, which are
County Schools in the western part of Florida, provides readings,
scarce. “The amount that has been spent for teacher professional
videos and other instructional videos and is heavily used by stu-
development has been minimal,” said Croddy. “Something at the
dents.39
state level which would provide funding either through the state
budget or the state education budget for support of that kind of

Tennessee Civics Portfolio Assessment

In 2012, the Tennessee General Assembly passed Public Chapter 1036, which required school districts to assess students in civics
at least once in grades four through eight, and at least once in grades nine through 12. Implementation of the law began in the
2012–2013 school year.

According to a February 2013 legislative brief by

the Tennessee Office of Research and Education
Accountability:
• The legislation represented the first time Tennessee
required an assessment for civics.
• The new civics assessments were to be developed
and implemented by school districts rather than by
vendors according to state-determined specifications,
and were required to be project-based—involving student-
driven projects that related to civics instruction but
reflected a real-world application.

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With an ongoing and very troubled Illinois budget situation, the civ- ers are not ideologues who sway the conversation. It is also import-
ic learning initiative in that state relied on the McCormick Founda- ant to help students learn how to discuss public issues with civility
tion and other private sources, which provided $1.4 million worth of and how to sort fact from fiction. In CIRCLE’s 2013 survey of
professional development for teachers to help them meet the new teachers, only 42 percent of respondents “practiced how to discuss
civic education requirement. public issues with civility on a regular basis,” and only 39 percent
knew how to find the resources they needed “to teach students how
These resources have helped the state develop a network of orga- to sort fact from fiction in a digital age.”43
nizations to provide teacher training and curriculum development.
Online courses prepare mentors to go into individual schools, pro- While intense partisanship may have cut off political dialogue in
vide presentations and otherwise help local programs develop. The some schools, it also underlines the need to have such discussions
Illinois program also has involved the CIRCLE initiative at Tufts in the first place. “What teachers do with respect to discussing
University to assess its workshops. politics is even more critical because of polarization,” said Healy.
“Research tells us that schools are some of the most heterogeneous
In addition, Illinois is working with the Golden Apples Scholars environments we ever will occupy. On top of that, you have trained
program to focus on recruiting teachers from disadvantaged popu- professionals with expertise in facilitating the conversations.”
lations and injecting civics into their summer training program. Chi-
cago-based universities with expertise in service learning also are Lack of accessible materials—including those in
working with K-12 teachers on the service learning aspect of this.40
the media
In Washington, the state Legislature found a way to enhance teach-
er training through a legislative scholars program. The five-day According to Indiana University’s Gerald Wright, for the public
summer workshop in Olympia provides information to teachers as a whole, access to non-partisan, up-to-date coverage of state
about the legislative process and how the Legislature and the courts government is diminishing. Not only has there been a big decrease
work with each other. According to the website description, the in the number of reporters covering statehouses, “legislators have
program gives teachers resources and ideas for their classroom told me that those who are doing the coverage are younger and less
teaching.41 experienced,” he said. “It used to be the prized beat—the person
who really understood the issues and the candidates would get a lot
Sharp political divisions of ink. Now it’s not considered a desirable beat.”44

The intensely partisan environment nationwide has led some Beyond information that can be garnered in the press, there’s an
teachers to avoid talking about political issues with their students. understandable logistical obstacle to providing textbooks about
While most teachers say they are supported by their principals or state governments. If you’re producing a textbook about the federal
other administrators in discussing controversial topics, in the 2013 government, there’s one, albeit complex and multifaceted, entity
CIRCLE survey of teachers, 25 percent said they believed that that you’re covering. If you write about states, you have 50 different
parents or other adults would object to political discussions in the sets of information for 50 different markets.
classroom.42 Crawford offers a suggestion: “We’ve talked about the creation
The key here is not to avoid controversial subjects but to make sure of some kind of supplement for that American government class.
presentations on controversial subjects are balanced and that teach-

Washington Legislative Scholar Program

Washington’s Legislative Scholar Program offers teachers of social studies, history,

government and civics from across the state an opportunity to learn first-hand
about the state legislative process and the ways in which the Legislature and the state
Supreme Court interact.

The interactive program equips teachers with valuable resources and ideas to teach
civics in their classrooms through:
• Meetings with legislators, state Supreme Court justices, lobbyists and other
policymakers;
• Training on how the three branches of government interact;
• Engagement with public and nonprofit civic education organizations;
• An interactive simulated committee hearing; and
• Development of curricula about state government.

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Instructors purchase the big fat textbook,” but they could also pur- Many legislative websites also offer pages designed to engage
chase one or two supplements focusing on (their) individual states.45 young people, explain how decisions are made and provide some
entertainment in the process. Iowa, for example, has a prominent
The public demand for transparency has made it easier to find tab on the main page of the Legislature’s website that offers “Re-
information about states online, but there is a great deal of varia- sources and Civics Education.”49
tion in how easy it is to find information on budgets, bills, hearings,
or easy-to-understand results measures or evaluations that focus Resources include short pieces on how a bill becomes a law and
on state performance. “States could go a long way toward making what legislators do, a few educational games, a map of the week and
it more interesting to study them if they made it easy to search and a good deal of information about visiting the Iowa Capitol, includ-
find bills under consideration, or to find budget data, not only this ing a virtual tour.
year, but in the past,” said Carsey.46
In Nebraska, a section of the website for students and teachers
At the end of this paper are some examples of states that stand out offers a history of the unicameral Legislature, information on
for the way they present information and the details they provide lawmaking, and a list of specific student-oriented programs.50 In
to the public about how government works. addition, there is a unicameral kids program designed for fourth
graders, information about the state’s Unicameral Youth Legisla-
The need for more assessment ture, a policy development exercise, and simulations of committee
hearings and floor debates.
One of the challenges for this field is developing mechanisms to
assess and evaluate the impact of civic initiatives. “I would love it if Many civic education organizations encourage legislators to visit
states would research what works,” said Tufts’ Peter Levine. K-12 classrooms or campuses that have civic courses so they can
speak, in first person, about how their government really works
Of course, this takes time and money. One aspect of assessment from their perspective. For example, the National Conference of
focuses specifically on students and the impact of classes on them. State Legislators provides resources on its website to help legisla-
In addition, it’s important to know what teaching methods work tors who are visiting classrooms.51 Unfortunately, the funding for
best and ultimately, how significant an impact these efforts have on that program has dwindled over time.52
building civic engagement down the road.
“If citizens can see an elected official in the flesh, (they can see)
Tennessee has made steps in this direction with a portfolio as- that they’re not corrupt and they’re not monsters,” said Wright.53
sessment, in which high school seniors demonstrate what they’ve Research in Florida shows the impact of visits by local or state offi-
learned through written and audio-visual materials. This includes cials. The greatest impact comes from participating in a community
documentation of community projects that civic courses may have service project. But even one visit from a local or state official has a
spawned. This effort is promising, but under-funded, Levine said. significant impact, based on test score data collected by the Florida
His group is heavily involved in assessment and is working with Joint Center for Citizenship.
states on figuring out better ways to measure progress. The Illinois North Carolina’s Carsey suggested that institutes that help train
program is using CIRCLE to assess its teacher development work- new legislators could also provide lectures to legislators about how
shops. Florida has entered into a research and evaluation partner- to communicate what they do to young people. “These are skills
ship with CIRCLE, using a student attitude and engagement survey that can be learned,” said Carsey. “A little bit of training might not
to measure short-term effects of civic instruction. Campus Compact just give legislators some tips but also a little more confidence.”54
is working with the Educational Testing Service to develop ways to
measure the impact of civic education at the post-secondary level. Another way to involve legislators is through civic action projects.
The Constitutional Rights Foundation showcases ways in which
In general, more time is needed before any longitudinal studies can young people have engaged in their communities. “What we found
determine the impact of current civic education initiatives on civic very helpful is to bring politicians and legislators and government
engagement in adulthood. officials into the process helping the students understand how to
make change in a positive, proactive way,” said Croddy. “We have
Civic education without the showcases and we invite politicians and legislators and work
with the groups, critique the approaches and offer suggestions.”

the teachers A collection of 53 civic action projects from the foundation is avail-
able on YouTube. These projects cover student work on such topics
Not all routes to improved civics are founded in the traditional as gentrification, body cameras for police, underage drinking and
teacher-student relationship. For example, a number of states and animal rights.55
local governments have budget simulation tools on their websites.
These have the potential to teach people of all ages how a budget is Students “are required to reach out to public officials,” said Croddy.
formed in a hands-on way. On California’s budget simulation web- “There’s a whole web of opportunities for young people to interact.
site, a headline asks: “How Will You Balance California’s Budget?”47 You can’t do high-quality civic action unless you interact with the
people who are charged with the public policy function. You learn
The opening text likely would resonate with legislators all over the through that process.”56
U.S. “What should California do to plan for long-term pension and
retiree health care costs? How much should be invested in pro-
grams that were cut during the recession? What can the state do to
make revenues more stable?”48

10
Additional Resources Campus Compact is a coalition of nearly 1,100 colleges and univer-
sities dedicated to campus-based civic engagement and to helping
colleges and universities educate students “for lives of citizenship.”
There are multiple organizations that are involved with civic edu-
http://compact.org/
cation and provide resources that are useful in promoting greater
knowledge and understanding of how government works at all Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engage-
levels. ment, or CIRCLE, is based at the Jonathan M. Tisch College of
Civic Life. It has focused on research into youth civic engagement,
Key national organizations and resources particularly with regard to young people who are “marginalized or
American Association of Colleges and Universities has several pub- disadvantaged in political life.”
lications on the civic education/engagement topic, including “Cru- http://civicyouth.org/
cible Moment: College Learning and Democracy’s Future,” by the
National Task Force on Civic Learning and Democratic Engage-
ment and “Student and Institutional Engagement in Political Life.” Center for Civic Education is dedicated to “promoting an enlight-
https://www.aacu.org/crucible ened and responsible citizenry” in the United States and other
https://www.aacu.org/diversitydemocracy/2015/fall countries. It also provides links to other organizations with an
emphasis on civic learning and citizenship.
http://www.civiced.org/resources/civic-education-links
The American Bar Association’s Division for Public Education
supports public understanding of law and its societal role, utilizing
classroom resources, holding special events and training teachers. Civics Renewal Network is a consortium of organizations “commit-
Work takes place through a network of law-related education coor- ted to strengthening civic life in the U.S.” by increasing the quality
dinators, established through state bar associations. of civic education in schools and by improving access to “no-cost
http://www.americanbar.org/groups/public_education.html learning materials.”
http://www.civicsrenewalnetwork.org/

American Legion Boys State and American Legion Auxiliary Girls

State provide programs “for teaching how government works while Close Up Foundation is a citizenship education organization that
developing leadership skills and an appreciation for the rights promotes informed participation in the democratic process through
of a citizen.” Their summer programs provide participants with varied programs, teacher training and experiential learning.
the chance to create and participate in a working government. http://www.closeup.org/
http://222.boysandgirlsstate.org/

Constitutional Sources Project, or ConSource, facilitates research

American Political Science Association provides resources on civic and encourages discussion about the U.S. Constitution, with at-
education and engagement. tention devoted to a document-rich history of how it was created,
http://www.apsanet.org/RESOURCES/For-Faculty/Civic-Educa- ratified and amended.
tion-amp-Engagement http://www.consource.org/

America’s Legislators Back to School program provides free mate- Constitutional Rights Foundation is dedicated to increasing under-
rials geared to all grade levels to support legislators who visit their standing of citizenship through “values expressed in our Consti-
state’s classrooms. tution and its Bill of Rights” and guiding young people toward
http://www.ncsl.org/legislators-staff/legislators/legisla- becoming “active and responsible participants in our society.” It
tors-back-to-school.aspx also provides information on its Civic Action Project and offers
links to useful research websites.
http://www.crfcap.org/
Annenberg Classroom: Best Civic Sites for Teachers provides its http://www.crf-usa.org/links/crf-links.html
own list of resources, including various sites that supply lesson plans,
access to historical documents and strategies to engage young people.
http://www.annenbergclassroom.org/page/best-civics-sites-for-teachers Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago provides curriculum and
teacher development programs nationwide to strengthen American
democracy through “hands-on learning about the Constitution.”
Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools is a coalition of 70 http://www.crfc.org/
organizations that are dedicated to improving civic learning in
U.S. schools. Their website has a section targeted to policymakers.
http://www.civicmissionofschools.org/

11
DoSomething.org provides a vehicle for young people to get National Center for State Courts’ website includes materials de-
involved in national campaigns “without needing money, an adult signed to educate teachers, students and the community about the
or a car.” Causes include such topics as bullying, animal cruelty and way courts work. It also provides a resource guide.
homelessness. http://www.ncsc.org/Education-and-Careers/Civics-Education.aspx
http://www.dosomething.org/ http://www.ncsc.org/Education-and-Careers/Civics-Education/Re-
source-Guide.aspx

Generation Citizen provides a semester-long “action civics” pro-

gram for classrooms, with students selecting an issue, taking action National Center for Learning & Civic Engagement is a part of the
and then reflecting on their experiences. At the end of the program, Education Commission on the States that is dedicated to “strength-
a Civics Day offers a chance for students to share what they’ve ening civic learning and engagement opportunities for students
done with other program participants, communities and public across the country.” It also provides a 50-state comparison of poli-
officials. cies relating to civic education.
http://www.generationcitizen.org http://www.ecs.org/initiatives/national-center-for-learning-civic-en-
gagement/
http://www.ecs.org/citizenship-education-policies/
Federal Judicial Center’s Teaching and Civic Outreach Resources
provides resources focusing on federal judicial history and famous
federal trials. National Constitution Center provides innovative and stan-
http://www.fjc.gov/history/home.nsf/page/teaching.html dards-based lesson plans, activities and other resources to build
a connection between curricula and the U.S. Constitution and to
bring history to life.
iCivics was founded by former Supreme Court Justice Sandra http://constitutioncenter.org/learn/educational-resources/
Day O’Connor in 2009 “to restore civic education in our nation’s
schools.” The website includes games and multiple other resources
for teachers. ProCon.org provides a nonpartisan platform and well-sourced
https://www.icivics.org/ research to aid in the discussion of controversial issues and evaluate
opposing views.
http://www.procon.org/
Joe Foss Institute supports the idea that education prepares
students not only for college and career, but also for citizenship.
Its civic education initiative promotes the idea that in order to Street Law is a nonpartisan nonprofit with decades of experience in
graduate from high school, students should be able to pass the U.S. developing classroom and community programs for young people
citizenship test. about law and government.
http://joefossinstitute.org/ http://www.streetlaw.org/en/home
http://civicseducationinitiative.org/

Teaching for Democracy Alliance is a national alliance that seeks

Junior Statesman Foundation and Junior State of America, a to bolster student understanding of elections and informed voting.
national organization with local chapters, provides afterschool and http://www.teachingfordemocracy.org
summer civic education and leadership programs for students.
http://jsa.org/
Selected state-based resources
MacArthur Research Network on Youth and Participatory Politics, Arizona State University’s Center for Civic Education and Leadership
or YPP, works through “research and targeted action projects, to http://ccel.asu.edu/teachers/index.shtml
support best practices around “youth engagement in participatory
politics.”
http://ypp.dmlcentral.net/ California YMCA Youth and Government Resources
http://calymca.org/programs/resource-portals

Mikva Challenge engages young people in “action civics, an authen-

tic and transformative learning process built on youth voice and Power of Democracy—a California organization that works to
youth expertise.” improve civic learning in that state.
http://www.mikvachallenge.org/ http://www.powerofdemocracy.org/

California Democracy School Civic Learning Initiative

12
http://www.lacoe.edu/CurriculumInstruction/HistorySocialScience/ Nevada Legislators Back to School Program
CaliforniaDemocracySchool.aspx http://www.leg.state.nv.us/Division/Research/nvlegbacktoschool-
prgm/index.html

Florida Joint Center for Citizenship

http://www.floridacitizen.org/ New Jersey Legislature’s teacher resources
http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/kids/teacherindex.asp

Illinois Civics Education Resource Site

http://www.illinoiscivics.org/ Vermont General Assembly Civic Education
http://legislature.vermont.gov/the-state-house/civic-education/

Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago, with student programs

focused on Chicago and Illinois. (Also listed above for its more Virginia General Assembly’s Capitol Classroom
nationally focused teacher and curriculum development programs). http://capclass.virginiageneralassembly.gov/Resources/Resources.
http://www.crfc.org/ html

University of Massachusetts Civic Initiative Washington state Legislature’s civic education pages
http://www.donahue.umassp.edu/business-groups/civic-initiative/ex- http://leg.wa.gov/CivicEd/pages/default.aspx
pertise-services/civic-education-research

Note: There are also many legislative fellowship programs that

New Hampshire Institute for Civics Education allow undergraduate students to assist legislators or legislative staff.
http://constitutionallyspeakingnh.org/nhice.php
One example of this type of program is the Georgia Legislative In-
tern Program, which takes 35 students each year from both public
and private universities in Georgia, providing first-hand experience
Teaching Civics’ civic education resources for Minnesota in the process of lawmaking.
http://teachingcivics.org/civic-resources/
http://www.legis.ga.gov/intern/en-US/default.aspx

Note: A number of national organizations have state-based affili-

ates, which are listed on the resource sections of their own websites. The National Conference of State Legislators provides a state-by-
state list of legislative internship programs.
http://www.ncsl.org/legislators-staff/legislative-staff/legisla-
Selected state legislature civics pages tive-staff-coordinating-committee/states-legislative-internship-pro-
Iowa grams-and-coordinators.aspx
https://www.legis.iowa.gov/resources Many states also have programs in which high school students take
on the role of legislators or other government leaders for a day. An
example is the long-standing Student Government Day in Massa-
Massachusetts State House Resources for Teachers and Kids chusetts, which annually offers 400 high school students a chance to
https://malegislature.gov/Engage/TeachersKids take on roles and “replicate activities of Senators, Representatives,
Supreme Court Justices or Constitutional Officers.”
https://malegislature.gov/Engage/EducationalOpportunities/Student-
Massachusetts Senate Office of Education and Civic Engagement’s GovernmentDay
Citizens’ Legislative Seminar
https://malegislature.gov/Engage/EducationalOpportunities/Citizens-
LegislativeSeminar Footnotes
1
Gallup. Trust in Government, 2016. http://www.gallup.com/
Montana poll/5392/trust-government.aspx
http://leg.mt.gov/css/For-the-Classroom/Civic-Ed-Resources.asp 2
Gerald Wright, interview by Barrett and Greene, April 13, 2016.
3
Randall Reid, interview by Barrett and Greene, July 7, 2016.
Nebraska Legislature’s page for students and teachers 4
Ted McConnell, interview by Barrett and Greene, June 28, 2016.
http://nebraskalegislature.gov/feature/teach.php
5
National Center for Education Statistics, The National Assessment

13
of Educational Progress, The Nation’s Report Card, 2014. http:// 19
A wide variety of civic resources are available from iCivics at
www.nationsreportcard.gov/#civics https://www.icivics.org/; other activities can be found in the resourc-
es section at the end of this paper.
6
Annenberg Public Policy Center. Americans Know Surprisingly
Little About Their Government, September 17, 2014. http://www. Civics Game Show, November 6, 2015, https://www.youtube.com/
20

annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org/americans-know-surprisingly-lit- watch?v=f3hiFfF16cs
tle-about-their-government-survey-finds/ 21
Marshall Croddy, interview by Barrett and Greene, July 11, 2016.
7
Surbhi Godsay, Whitney Henderson, Peter Levine and Josh Lit-
tenberg-Tobias, State Civic Education Requirements, The Center
22
Simpson interview.
for Education & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement, 23
A National Survey of Civics and U.S. Government Teachers, 3.
Jonathan Tisch School of Citizenship and Public Service, Tufts
University, updated October 19, 2012. http://civicyouth.org/wp-con- Andrew Seligsohn, president, Campus Compact, interview by
24

tent/uploads/2012/10/State-Civic-Ed-Requirements-Fact-Sheet-2012- Barrett and Greene, June 27, 2016.

Oct-19.pdf 25
Ibid.
8
Dick Simpson, interview by Barrett and Greene, April 5, 2016. 26
Healy interview.
9
Surbhi Godsay and Felicia M. Sullivan, A National Survey of
Civics and U.S. Government Teachers, The Center for Education &
27
Ibid.
Research on Civic Learning & Engagement, June 2014, 3. http://civ- Social Studies Standard 5 Civics, Citizenship, and Government,
28

icyouth.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/CIRCLE_FS2014_Teacher- Office of Curriculum and Instruction, New York State Education

Survey.pdf Department, http://www.p12.nysed.gov/ciai/socst/socstand/ssa5.html
10
Paul G. Fitchett, Tina L. Heafner, and Phillip VanFossen, An 29
Debbie Peck Kelleher, committee director, NYS Senate Educa-
Analysis of Time Prioritization for Social Studies in Elementary tion Committee e-mail message to Barrett & Greene, October 20,
School Classrooms, Journal of Curriculum and Instruction, Decem- 2016.
ber 2014. http://www.joci.ecu.edu/index.php/JoCI/article/viewFile/
v8n2p7/pdf 30
Stephen Masyada, director of the Florida Joint Center for Cit-
izenship, and Doug Dobson, executive director of The Lou Frey
11
Shawn Healy, civic learning scholar, Robert R. McCormick Foun- Institute of Politics and Government, interview with Barrett and
dation, interview by Barrett and Greene, July 7, 2016. Greene, September 15, 2016.
12
Tom Carsey, interview by Barrett and Greene, April 7, 2016. 31
Ibid.
13
Wright interview. 32
Dobson interview.
14
Healy interview. 33
Stephen Masyada, director of the Florida Joint Center for Citi-
15
A number of organizations have been supportive of the C3 zenship, email message to Barrett & Greene, September 19, 2016.
Framework including the American Bar Association, American 34
Levine interview.
Historical Association, Association of American Geographers,
Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools, Center for Civic 35
Crawford interview.
Education, Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago, Constitu- 36
Croddy interview.
tional Rights Foundation USA, Council for Economic Education,
National Council for Geographic Education, National Council for 37
The National Coalition for History, President Signs “Every
History Education, National Council for the Social Studies, Nation- Student Succeeds Act,” With New Funding for History & Civics
al Geographic Society, National History Day Street Law Inc. and Programs, December 3, 2015. http://historycoalition.org/2015/12/03/
the World History Association. history-related-provisions-in-the-every-student-succeeds-act/
16
For more information on the C3 framework, see “The College, 38
The National Coalition for History, American History & Civics
Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Academies Grants Availability, June 2, 2016. http://historycoalition.
Standards: Guidance for Enhancing the Rigor of K-12 Civics, org/2016/06/02/american-history-civics-academies-grants-availabil-
Economics, Geography, and History.” http://www.socialstudies.org/ ity/
system/files/c3/C3-Framework-for-Social-Studies.pdf
39
Civics, Escambia County School District, http://www.ecsd-fl.
17
Simpson interview. schoolloop.com/civics
18
The Civic Mission of Schools is a seminal work that was produced 40
Healy interview.
by the Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools in 2003 and
includes promising programs, approaches and recommendations.
41
Legislative Scholar Program, Washington State Legislature. http://
http://civicmission.s3.amazonaws.com/118/f7/1/172/2003_Civic_Mis- leg.wa.gov/ScholarProgram/Pages/default.aspx
sion_of_Schools_Report.pdf A follow-up report, called Guardian 42
A National Survey of Civics and U.S. Government Teachers, 8.
of Democracy: The Civic Mission of Schools (2011), updates and
adds to the proven practices, program ideas and recommenda- 43
A National Survey of Civics and U.S. Government Teachers, 4.
tions. http://civicmission.s3.amazonaws.com/118/f0/5/171/1/Guard-
ian-of-Democracy-report.pdf
44
Wright interview.

14
45
Crawford interview.
46
Carsey interview.
“How Will You Balance California’s Budget,” Next 10, https://
47

www.budgetchallenge.org/pages/home
48
The California Budget Challenge is produced by an organization
called Next 10, which uses “The Budget Challenge” for interactive
sessions in classrooms and for adult audiences around the state. In
its in-person appearances, Next 10 uses clickers to get audiences
to weigh in on policy options and see budget impacts. https://www.
budgetchallenge.org/pages/about
49
Resources & Civic Education, The Iowa Legislature, https://www.
legis.iowa.gov/resources
50
For Students and Teachers, Nebraska Legislature, http://nebras-
kalegislature.gov/feature/teach.php
51
“America’s Legislators Back-To-School Program,” National Con-
ference of State Legislatures, http://www.ncsl.org/legislators-staff/
legislators/legislators-back-to-school/legislator-in-the-classroom-leg-
islative-appropria.aspx
52
Angele Andrews, program principal, National Conference of
State Legislatures, interview by Barrett and Greene, July 14, 2016.
53
Wright interview.
54
Carsey interview.
Student Created Videos, Civic Action Project, Constitutional
55

Rights Foundation. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOic-

NIzZMkHR_7ZM-WKjgnzD1dcSIsUW2
56
Croddy interview.

15
ABOUT CSG
Founded in 1933, The Council of State Governments is our nation’s only The 56 U.S. states and territories are members of The Council of State Gov-
organization serving all three branches of state government. CSG is a ernments, and six Canadian provinces also partner with CSG. State leaders
region-based forum that fosters the exchange of insights and ideas to help from all three branches of government guide the organization. CSG serves
state officials shape public policy. This offers unparalleled regional, national the nation through offices in Lexington, Kentucky, that house the head-
and international opportunities to network, develop leaders, collaborate quarters and affiliated organizations; the CSG Justice Center headquartered
and create problem-solving partnerships. in New York; and four regional offices in Atlanta, Chicago, New York and
Sacramento, California. The CSG Associates program allows representatives
of the private sector to offer their perspectives to public-sector members.

ABOUT BARRETT & GREENE

CSG Senior Fellows Katherine Barrett and Richard Greene are experts on state government who work with Governing magazine, the Pew Charitable
Trusts, the Volcker Alliance, the National Academy of Public Administration and others. As CSG senior fellows, Barrett and Greene serve as advisers on state
government policy and programming and assist in identifying emerging trends affecting states.

The Council of State Governments

1776 Avenue of the States
Lexington, KY 40511