As the country heads toward its 250th anniversary this summer, civics education is having a moment in the national spotlight.
At least 44 states have introduced legislation this year that relates to the subject. And the U.S. Department of Education last year announced that it would make 鈥減atriotic education鈥� a priority, awarding more than through the American History and Civics program. The Education Department also launched the America 250 Civics Coalition, a group of more than 40 conservative organizations that will plan programming for schools and universities in advance of the anniversary. Now, one senator is trying to advance another vision for what dedicating funding and support for civics education could look like at the national level.
Sen. Andy Kim, a Democrat from New Jersey, introduced a series of bills this month that would create a bipartisan commission focused on civics and incentivize nonpartisan, hands-on civic learning.
His American Civics Renewal Act would establish a congressional commission to identify ways the federal government can support states and districts in civics education, including collecting best practices. The bill also calls for the commission to develop 鈥渁n age-appropriate model civics curriculum.鈥�
A separate bill, the Every Student is a Citizen Act, would amend education law to explicitly allow schools to use federal funding to support service-learning projects, field trips to seats of government and historical sites, meetings with local elected officials and community organizations, voter registration, and student journalism and media literacy.
鈥淥ur democracy is inherently about participation,鈥� said Kim. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not about just reading books and building up that knowledge. It鈥檚 meant to get us to do this in a community of citizens and to engage more broadly.鈥�
Still, getting any kind of civics legislation passed at the national level has been an uphill battle. Most recently, the Civics Secures Democracy Act, introduced in 2021, didn鈥檛 reach a full floor vote, despite bipartisan support and backing from a coalition of hundreds of civics education organizations. The bill would have allocated $1 billion annually for the subject through grants to states, universities, and nonprofits.
And Kim鈥檚 proposals venture into politically charged territory鈥攁n instructional divide between those who favor a more traditional, content-based approach to the topic and those who favor civics that emphasizes participation in solving local civic problems.
Hands-on civics education, often referred to as 鈥渁ction civics,鈥� is a common practice in K-12 classrooms, and one that professional organizations say can help students see the importance of civics in their own lives. But it鈥檚 also become a Republican target in recent years, with critics arguing that it can foist teachers鈥� political beliefs on their students. At least one state, Texas, has banned schools from facilitating some kinds of communication between students and elected officials.
Education Week spoke with Kim about why he thinks it鈥檚 important to support civics education now, what changes he hopes legislation will bring, and whether it鈥檚 possible to get Republicans and Democrats to agree on how schools should teach the American story.
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Tell me about why you introduced this package of legislation, and why it鈥檚 important to focus on civics education right now.
There was an intersection in my mind here about where we鈥檙e at as a country. I have a 3rd grader and a 5th grader, two boys 8 and 10. My mind is thinking about not just the current climate, but where we鈥檙e heading as a country, and trying to think through, how do we try to reignite this sense that we鈥檙e all part of something bigger than all of us?
In particular, with the 250th anniversary of our country upon us, I really thought that this could be the moment, and needs to be the moment, where we have that opportunity to take a step back鈥攍ook at where our country鈥檚 been, which is certainly something that we鈥檙e looking at as a country right now with the 250th anniversary, but also this question of where we go from here.
I feel very strongly that [finding] a way to supercharge our civics education as a country has to be a huge part of that effort and an important tool, especially as I鈥檓 thinking about my kids and their generation.
I look back on my own education. I remember so vividly when I first came to the Capitol when I was younger. I remember very vividly when I was in grade school and we participated in mock elections and it really sparked that interest.
And it鈥檚 not just me. I see it every day. All my colleagues here at the Capitol see this every day, as we have school trips out here, as we meet and engage young people in our community as they鈥檙e coming through and having these different opportunities to have that hands-on experience. I find that it鈥檚 often the type of education that sticks with people and lingers the most.
Our democracy is inherently about participation. It鈥檚 not about just reading books and building up that knowledge. It鈥檚 meant to get us to do this in a community of citizens and to engage more broadly.
I think it鈥檚 a really important tool, and one that brings so much of this to life and gives people a sense that this is more than just about learning the mechanisms. For me, I鈥檓 a son of immigrants, a public school kid that鈥檚 now a United States senator. How did I believe that I could participate in this democracy at this level? So much of that starts by creating that muscle memory early on.
I know it鈥檒l be difficult, but it鈥檚 still necessary and important in my mind.
I often have this line that I say: 鈥業f I鈥檓 only having comfortable conversations in politics, it means I鈥檓 not talking to all the people I need to be talking to.鈥� This is a perfect example of a conversation that is necessary, and even though it鈥檒l be difficult, I think it鈥檚 important. That鈥檚 why I structured this to be a bipartisan, bicameral commission that is engaged in this effort. It鈥檚 meant to be one that people see as nonpartisan, and to look at a way where we bring in not just the education side, but this broader whole-government effort. What sets it apart is that we bring in the National Archives, the Smithsonian, to be able to contribute their ideas and their thinking.
I go in with my eyes wide open about the political climate and the challenges, but when I鈥檓 back home in New Jersey鈥攕omebody who was a Democrat that won a congressional district that Trump won鈥擨 have worked hard to try to see where the intersections are of the Venn diagrams of America. Everybody at home is talking about how we need to increase civics education.
I don鈥檛 think a single person I鈥檝e ever talked to thinks that we鈥檙e doing just fine as a country when it comes to knowledge of our own history, as well as how our government works. We鈥檙e at an all-time low right now. We live in the time of the greatest amount of distrust in government in modern American history. In a survey, only . When you look more broadly at civics, there was a that said that 58% of adults failed a basic civics test.
I hope that that is not a partisan issue, and that especially on the 250th anniversary of our country, that this is about just trying to reignite that common mission that brought our country together at the dawn of our republic. They had a lot of differences then about how our country should operate, and how our country should be structured. If they could find agreement under such extraordinary circumstances, surely we can come together and create a bipartisan, bicameral commission to try and find that way forward. It鈥檚 the least we could do.
Are there specific civic education practices or or education goals that you think everybody across the aisle should be able to get behind?
I often think through: What is it that we want to instill about the roles and responsibilities of a citizen, not just on Election Day, but every day?
I don鈥檛 necessarily want to get ahead of things, because I really do want a process to unfold. I certainly have some of my own thoughts, but that is not the point of this legislation. The legislation is to bring together the experts, bring together people from both parties.
But I hope that we can all share in the goal, which is about raising that baseline of knowledge in our country.
You mentioned bipartisan support for civics education writ large. We鈥檝e seen that in the past with the Civics Secures Democracy Act, which had bipartisan support a few years ago, though it didn鈥檛 pass. We鈥檝e seen it in some state houses across the country. Are you seeking bipartisan support for this legislation that you鈥檝e introduced?
I鈥檓 having conversations with my colleagues right now, and I鈥檓 hopeful that we鈥檒l be able to have bipartisan support for this legislation. It was designed to implement bipartisanship, and I would really prioritize trying to ensure that we can, so that鈥檚 certainly what I鈥檓 going to try to do.
Another part of your proposals would boost funding for the American History and Civics grants. This program has seen a turbulent couple of months. Do you think that we鈥檙e going to continue to see this be a funding priority for this administration?
I鈥檓 hopeful that it is. As I鈥檝e been talking to some of my colleagues, looking at the different tools that are at our disposal鈥攁cross the appropriations, we saw many examples of where Congress was able to come together in a bipartisan way and push forward on funding for government priorities, even if that lacked the support of the president in his budget. I鈥檓 hopeful that this is a place where we can continue that funding. In the grand scheme of things, [it鈥檚] not a huge amount of investment.
The more that we create this national dialogue about the importance of civics education, I think that it鈥檒l snowball. We haven鈥檛 had this kind of big civics push nationally in quite some time, and I think the 250th anniversary is a perfect place for it, which is why I wanted to get this out as quickly as I could, so that we can use this year to generate interest.
The main thing that I want to focus on is trying to ensure a bipartisan approach to this. That鈥檚 really at the crux.
At a time when only 17% of people in this country trust our government鈥攜ou flip to the other side, we鈥檙e talking about 83% of Americans that distrust our government right now. That鈥檚 such a devastating number. That should be an indictment of our current process, and something that people in both parties, across the political spectrum, should be deeply concerned about. Any solution to this issue of restoring trust, needs to come from that bipartisan and nonpartisan approach. If it even comes across and looks like it鈥檚 being set up in a partisan way or without the intention of doing something together, it鈥檚 not going to pass the smell test of trust from the American people.
That鈥檚 what my concerns were about some of what I鈥檝e seen, and why it is that my approach has been intentionally pushed towards this effort to come together, and have some of these tough conversations, and hopefully be able to work our way out.
