Civics

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
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
School Choice & Charters Opinion Civil Society Is Withering. How to Help Schools Restore Engagement
Can a new wave of initiatives stem the trend of isolation?
Rick Hess, February 10, 2026
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7 min read
Federal Quiz Quiz Yourself: How Polarized Do You Think Educators Are?
The EdWeek Research Center examined the degree to which K-12 educators are split along partisan lines. Quiz yourself and see the results.
Elle Butler, January 27, 2026
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1 min read
A child kneels in the snow among demonstrators holding signs during a news conference at Lake Hiawatha Park in Minneapolis, on Jan. 9, 2026, demanding Immigration and Customs Enforcement be kept out of schools and Minnesota following the killing of 37-year-old mother Renee Good by federal agents earlier on Wednesday.
A child kneels in the snow among demonstrators holding signs during a news conference at Lake Hiawatha Park in Minneapolis on Jan. 9, 2026, demanding Immigration and Customs Enforcement be kept out of schools following the killing of Renee Good by federal agents.
Kerem Yücel/Minnesota Public Radio via AP
Teaching 'There's a Firehose of Information': Talking to Students About Minneapolis
Find curated coverage on discussing confusing, scary, or politically charged topics in the classroom.
Sarah Schwartz, January 26, 2026
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2 min read
Policy & Politics Reports Partisan Polarization & K-12 Education: Results of a National Survey
This report takes stock of the dimensions and impacts of polarization in education based on a survey of teachers and K-12 administrators.
December 8, 2025