Civics

Students at Hudson Primary School study about what it means to be a citizen during the 2024-25 academic year. The Pasco County school district is expanding its civics education program amid a state and national push to do so.
Students at Hudson Primary School study about what it means to be a citizen in this March 24, 2026 photo. The Pasco County school district is expanding its civics education program amid a state and national push to do so.
Jeffrey S. Solochek/Tampa Bay Times via TNS
Social Studies Most Schools Report Teaching Civics. But Hands-On Lessons Aren't as Common
Only 13% of district leaders say their schools require "experiential" civics learning.
Sarah Schwartz, July 8, 2026
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3 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
Teaching Opinion How You Can Teach Students to Be More Grateful
When students learn to look for the good, they’re building far-reaching habits.
Larry Ferlazzo, July 2, 2026
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10 min read
Student hands hold speech bubbles, they contribute to an exchange of ideas. Each one contains the colors of the flag of the United States of America. Civics education.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + Getty
Social Studies Opinion America at 250: Our Classrooms Are Too Quiet
Respectful disagreement is an essential habit for self-governance. Can schools recover it?
David J. Bobb, June 30, 2026
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5 min read
A classroom at Lafargue Elementary School in Effie, Louisiana, on Friday, August 22. The state has implemented new professional development requirements for math teachers in grades 4-8 to help improve student achievement and address learning gaps.
A classroom at an elementary school in Effie, La., on Aug. 22, 2025. Though debates over how to present the American story have been especially heated over the past five years, they've waxed and waned for decades.
Kathleen Flynn for Education Week
School Climate & Safety Patriotism Debates in American Classrooms: A Timeline
Those debates are heating up again as America's 250th birthday looms.
Sarah Schwartz, June 29, 2026
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7 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
Social Studies Opinion Reading Scores Are Awful. Can Teaching History Help?
A curriculum expert explains why teaching context is key to student learning.
Rick Hess, May 26, 2026
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9 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
Teaching Opinion You Should Turn Students Into Detectives. Here's How
The case for bringing inductive learning into your classroom.
Larry Ferlazzo, May 22, 2026
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10 min read
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The civics ed. field is ready to update the framework of an exam that dates back. Brochures at a conference on America's 250th anniversary are shown in Philadelphia, on Feb. 7, 2026.
Matthew Ludak for Education Week
Social Studies Q&A The Only National Civics Test Dates Back Decades. What Aspects Need to Change?
The test needs to factor in more recent developments such as the widespread use of social media.
Sarah D. Sparks, May 21, 2026
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4 min read
An American flag decorates the door of the first-grade classroom at North Valley Academy, a patriotic-themed charter school, in Gooding, Idaho on May 7, 2012.
An American flag decorates the door of the first-grade classroom at North Valley Academy, a patriotic-themed charter school, in Gooding, Idaho on May 7, 2012.
Jessie L. Bonner/AP
Assessment NAEP Civics Tests Could Expand to Offer State-by-State Results
The first-ever state-by-state civics results are on the table, as is a new framework for the exam.
Sarah D. Sparks, May 18, 2026
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6 min read
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Illinois Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth M. Rochford, in blue, talks to Lindblom Math and Science Academy student Marianna Haynes during an event at Chicago-Kent College of Law on March 13, 2026 in Chicago. Marianna and other students asked a panel of state judges how they decide cases—and put aside their personal feelings.
Joshua Lott for Education Week
Social Studies Is the Court System Fair? What Students Want to Know About the Justice System
Chicago high schoolers asked a panel of Illinois judges how they decide tough cases.
Sarah Schwartz, March 20, 2026
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5 min read
Students listen to social studies teacher Ella Pillitteri during a seventh grade civics class at A.D. Henderson School in Boca Raton, Fla., Tuesday, April 16, 2024. When teachers at the K-8 public school, one of the top-performing schools in Florida, are asked how they succeed, one answer is universal: They have autonomy.
Students listen to their social studies teacher during a 7th grade civics class at a school in Boca Raton, Fla., on April 16, 2024. New proposed legislation would create a model national civics curriculum—something that has never successfully been tried.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
Social Studies Q&A A New Bill Calls for a Model Civics Curriculum at a Polarized Moment
A Democratic senator has introduced bills to boost hands-on civic learning and create a national civics curriculum.
Sarah Schwartz, March 18, 2026
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9 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
Social Studies Opinion What Is Civic Hope? And Why Should Schools Care About It?
Cynicism and gloom are not a recipe to promote voting and good citizenship.
Rick Hess, March 17, 2026
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7 min read
Empty conference room at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Feb. 7, 2026.
Trenchant quotes about democracy cover the walls of an empty conference room at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia on Feb. 7, 2026. New research finds many civics teachers, feeling local political pressure, have altered their lessons.
Matthew Ludak for Education Week
Social Studies A Third of Civics Teachers Have Changed Lessons for Fear of Political Backlash
Teachers still face pressures from the legislative push to ban "divisive concepts" in the classroom.
Sarah Schwartz, March 9, 2026
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3 min read
Alisson Ramírez, right, listens to her social studies teacher during class Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024, in Aurora, Colo.
Alisson Ramírez, right, listens to her social studies teacher during class Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024, in Aurora, Colo. Elementary social studies is the focus of a new tool meant to guide curriculum selection that leans more heavily on history content than on skills like weighing primary sources.
Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP
Social Studies What Makes for a Good Social Studies Curriculum?
A new curriculum review tool makes the case for elementary schoolers to learn more history.
Sarah Schwartz, March 4, 2026
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6 min read
Interior view of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylavnia. In the distance Independence Hall is visible. Feb. 7, 2026.
Teachers from across the country convened at National Constitution Center in Philadelphia on Feb. 7, 2026, to create lessons for America's 250th anniversary this summer. In the distance Independence Hall is visible.
Matthew Ludak for Education Week
Social Studies It’s a Complicated Time for Teachers to Celebrate America’s 250th Anniversary
At a lesson-writing workshop, teachers discussed how we should interpret founding principles today.
Sarah Schwartz, February 19, 2026
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8 min read