Should America Revive Civics Education for 250th Anniversary?

The liberty principle for this Freedom Friday concerns the need to revive civics education. The 250^th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence will be next year, and the United States is planning a year of celebration. Madison Marino Doan and Jonathan Butcher discuss the revival of civics education in their article published at The Daily Signal. 

… this anniversary should be more than a celebration. It should be a reflection point for civics education in America’s K-12 schools.

Across the country, states are launching commemorative events. In North Carolina, the Museum of History and its affiliates will sponsor civics-focused teacher workshop sessions and feature exhibitions showcasing the unique experiences of North Carolinians. In Utah, the state’s 250^th commission is collaborating with a university’s Center for Constitutional Studies to train 500 K-12 teachers and prepare a public display of Revolutionary War artifacts in the Utah State Capitol. Even the U.S. Navy is participating, celebrating not just the country’s 250^th but its own by hosting port calls and other community outreach engagements in cities nationwide.

These programs connect Americans to our history and institutions. But … we need to reinvest in civics education at the K-12 level.

Current data tell a troubling story.

In 2024, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation surveyed 2,000 registered voters to test basic civic knowledge on topics form the three branches of government to the number of Supreme Court justices. Over 70% failed. Remarkably, most of these respondents said they’d studied civics in high school.

Today’s students aren’t faring much better. The National Assessment of Educational Progress civics exam, which evaluates the civic knowledge of a representative sample of students in fourth, eighth, and twelfth grades, found that nearly one-third of eighth graders are performing below NAEP “basic” level in civics – meaning many cannot explain the structure and functions of government.

Confidence is declining too: A 2022 survey accompanying the NAEP exam showed that more students reported low confidence in their civics knowledge than in 2018.

The U.S. Department of Education also found in 2022 that only 49% of eighth-graders reported taking a class primarily focused on civics or the U.S. government.

This means we’re not just facing a civic knowledge gap. We’re facing a generation of students unsure of how their government works or how they fit into it.

Research shows that 40 states and the District of Columbia have civics-related requirements for students in grades K-12. But some states lack such requirements, and others do not require students to earn passing scores on civics exams before graduating.

Recently, though, Florida and Louisiana have made significant efforts to revamp their civics standards for both students and teachers.

In Florida, lawmakers and educators have made civics a statewide priority….

Florida incorporates civics learning into every grade from K-12. In middle school, students must complete a one-semester course and pass an end-of course exam. At the high school level, students must complete a yearlong U.S. history course and a half-semester course in U.S. Government to graduate, and must take the Florida Civic Literacy Examination after completing their government course.

Louisiana has also taken meaningful steps on civic education. In 2022, the state adopted new social studies standards, known as the “Freedom Framework,” designed to integrate civic learning from kindergarten through high school. All high school students are required to take the Louisiana Education Assessment Program civics exam, and educators have been offered new resources to help with suggested pacing, framing, and access to high-quality sources.

These states are leading the way, and others should follow – rebooting civics just in time for our nation’s 250^th birthday.