What Students are Learning

In 2006, most civics courses emphasize traditional themes. From the 2006 Civic and Political Health of the Nation Report we found that students reported (41 percent) “the Constitution or the U.S. system of government and how it works” as the number one mentioned theme in civics courses. The other themes, in descending order were “wars and military battles” (32 percent), “great American heroes and the virtues of the American form of government” (26 percent), and tied for fourth place were “problems facing the country today” (11 percent) and “racism and other forms of injustice in the American system” (11 percent).

Young people who report that they recently choose to take a civics or government class are more likely than other young people to say that:

• they helped solve a community problem,
• they can make a difference in their community,
• they have volunteered recently,
• they trust other people and the government,
• they have made consumer decisions for ethical or political reasons,
• they believe in the importance of voting, and
• they are registered to vote.

Source: “U.S. Civics Instruction: Content and Teaching Strategies” and “Themes Emphasized in Social Studies and Civics Classes.”

Gaps in Instruction

In CIRCLE Working Paper (#51) “The Civic Achievement Gap,” Meira Levinson identifies a gap in civic achievement between students of different races and socio-economic and immigration status. Her research finds that poor, non-white students demonstrate lower levels of civic and political knowledge, skills, positive attitudes toward the state, and participation than their wealthier and white counterparts. Furthermore, a study by Joseph Kahne and Ellen Middaugh of over 2,000 California high school students finds that access to school-based opportunities to develop civic commitments and capacities are unevenly distributed: college-bound students have significantly more access to these opportunities than students not planning to attend college.

Sources: CIRCLE Working Paper #51: The Civic Achievement Gap and California Survey of Civic Education

Students of color and students from low-education families were the least likely to report experiencing interactive classroom learning activities such as role-playing exercises, mock trials, visits from community members, or letter writing. (from NAEP, see p 24*)

How U.S students perform

About two out of three American students at grades 4, 8, and 12 have at least a basic knowledge of civics according to the 2006 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Average scores improved from 1998 to 2006 only at grade 4. Most of this improvement was seen among lower-performing students. (NAEP 2006 Civics)

American 14-year-olds perform well in international comparisons of civic and political knowledge, but the range between the best and worst prepared students is exceptionally large in the U.S.(from IEA data, see p. 14*, see also Strengths and Weaknesses in U.S. Students’ Knowledge and Skills)

Students perform better on tests of civic knowledge & skills if they have studied a range of subjects such as the Constitution, U.S. History, and Government. (from NAEP 1998, see p. 23*)

15-26-year-olds who have taken civics classes are 23 percentage points more likely to believe they are responsible for making things better for society and 14 percentage points more likely to vote than their peers who have not taken civics.
(from National Conference of State Legislatures 2003 survey)

14-year-olds who believe they can make a difference in the way their school is run are more interested in current events than other youth. (from IEA data, see p. 27*)

Source: *The Civic Mission of Schools

Service and learning

Davila and Mora (2007) found that required community service leads to higher academic performance in reading, mathematics, science, and history. Moreover, required community service, more so than voluntary service, also increases the odds of subsequent college graduation. These positive effects vary across gender and race and ethnicity.

High schools are most likely to offer service learning; in 2004 44% of high schools offered service-learning compared to 38% of middle schools and 25% of elementary schools. (see: Service Learning in K-12 Public Education)

Ten years ago only 9% of high schools offered community service. (see: Service Learning in K-12 Public Education and p. 25*)

Sources: Working Paper 52: Civic Engagement and High School Academic Progress: An Analysis Using NELS Data and
Working Paper 53: Do Gender and Ethnicity Affect Civic Engagement and Academic Progress?,

Classroom discussion

The vast majority of students (80%) reported that they were encouraged to form their own opinions regarding these issues. Slightly more than one-half reported that their classes required them to keep up with politics or government by reading the newspaper, watching television, or going to the Internet. (Lopez and Kirby 2007)

Students who participate in classroom discussions about current issues have a greater interest in politics, improved critical thinking & communication skills, more civic knowledge, and greater interest in discussing public affairs outside of school.
(The Civic Mission of Schools p. 24*)

More specifically, discussion of international issues, hotly contested issues, and basic civic education concepts (such as the electoral college or citizens’ rights) were found to have positive effects on students’ civic knowledge, concerns about their economic future, and concerns about the unjust treatment of others. (Syvertsen, Flanagan, and Stout 2007)

Research suggests that classroom instruction in civic topics likely produces long term benefits. An ongoing evaluation of the Kids Voting USA civics curriculum found that 2 years after the program ended, students who participated in the program were still more likely to discuss current issues outside of class and to follow the news than their counterparts who did not participate. (McDevitt and Kiousis 2006)

State Policies

All 50 states and the District of the Columbia (D.C.) have a requirement to teach material or offer at least one course in civics and/or government. However, few standards cover skills and dispositions as well as knowledge.

As of June 2006, only 21 states has accountability measures, such as examinations for civics and/or social studies.

Service learning is in about half of High Schools.

Source: Education Commission of the States Policy Scan and Federal Policies on Civic Education and Service

* Complete citations can be found in The Civic Mission of Schools