Civics

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
Image of a small U.S. flag in a pencil case.
iStock/Getty
Teaching What the Research Says Teachers Value 'Patriotic' Education More Than Most Americans
Nearly two thirds of teachers favor presenting America as "fundamentally good."
Sarah D. Sparks, November 5, 2025
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4 min read
A tangle of wires and missed connections among institutions.
Islenia Mil for Education Week
Leadership 5 Big Ideas That Will Define the Future of Education
With massive federal changes and looming questions about AI, K-12 education is at a crossroads.
Elizabeth Rich, October 3, 2025
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1 min read
Modern landscape design with abstract graphs and textures showing different experiences through data.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
Teaching Profession From Our Research Center Educators' Political Preferences Don't Always Reveal Their K-12 Positions (in Charts)
Teachers and school and district leaders share their opinions on a host of hot-button issues.
Elizabeth Rich & Sterling C. Lloyd, September 26, 2025
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4 min read
Civics teacher Aedrin Albright stands before her class at Chatham Central High School in Bear Creek, N.C., on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019.
Civics teacher Aedrin Albright stands before her class at Chatham Central High School in Bear Creek, N.C., on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019. Educators are working to understand the best ways to teach civics as the U.S. Department of Education emphasizes plans for "patriotic education."
Allen G. Breed/AP
Social Studies How Educators Can Teach Civics in Today's Political Climate
Experts share tips on ways to approach civics education with civility and critical thinking.
Jennifer Vilcarino, September 24, 2025
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4 min read
Tenth-grader Landon Hackney makes an argument during civics class at Chatham Central High School in Bear Creek, N.C., on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019.
Tenth grader Landon Hackney makes an argument during civics class at Chatham Central High School in Bear Creek, N.C., on Nov. 5, 2019. The U.S. Department of Education will promote "patriotic education" in civics and history classrooms.
Allen G. Breed/AP
Social Studies Ed. Dept. Will Emphasize 'Patriotic Education' in Grant Competitions
A new civics coalition and proposed grant priority emphasize teaching "American values."
Sarah Schwartz, September 17, 2025
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5 min read
The outside world seeps into a civics classroom.
Islenia Mil for Education Week
Social Studies Reported Essay Students Have Questions About Our Democracy. Is Civics Class Up to the Task?
How today’s messy political realities are crashing against traditional civics education.
Sarah Schwartz, September 8, 2025
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10 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., on April 16, 2024.
Students listen to social studies teacher Ella Pillitteri during a 7th grade civics class at A.D. Henderson School in Boca Raton, Fla., on April 16, 2024. Civics teachers say they are struggling not to run into controversy when teaching core topics like the separation of powers as President Trump's administration continues to push constitutional boundaries.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
Social Studies Why Some Civics Educators Are Afraid to Teach Their Subject
"They just don’t know in this new environment what they can and can’t say," said one civics education expert.
Sarah Schwartz, September 8, 2025
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4 min read
A tangle of wires and missed connections among institutions.
Islenia Mil for Education Week
Big Ideas in Education Special Report Big Ideas to Drive Education's Future
Political, technological, and economic changes are hitting schools hard this year. How can educators make sense of it all?
September 8, 2025
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 Should Civics Instruction Look Like?
States should take four policy actions for a rigorous approach to civics in the classroom, an educator explains.
Rick Hess, August 26, 2025
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6 min read
This summer, the ACLU expanded to three weeklong sessions of 300 students each, with participants coming from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and, for the first time, Guam. Maddie Clements, 16, a rising junior at West Creek High School in Clarksville, Tenn. (center, ink hair) listens during Anu Joshi’s immigration rights keynote which packed an auditorium at American University.
This summer, the ACLU expanded to three weeklong sessions of 300 students each, with participants coming from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and, for the first time, Guam. Maddie Clements, 16, a rising junior at West Creek High School in Clarksville, Tenn. (center, with pink and purple hair), listens during Anu Joshi's immigration rights keynote.
Melissa Lyttle for Education Week
Social Studies A Hands-On Lesson in Civics Sees Surging Student Interest in the Age of Trump
The American Civil Liberties Union sees interest spike in its student advocacy institute, while conservative groups have their own programs.
Mark Walsh, August 1, 2025
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10 min read
Paper made stick figures of men and women standing with lots of american flags surrounding them.
iStock/Getty
Social Studies States Push Civics Education Amid Political Tensions in Classrooms
The subject has become a minefield for teachers and schools in recent months. Do new civics mandates acknowledge that difficulty?
Sarah Schwartz, May 12, 2025
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7 min read
Retired Supreme Court Justice David Souter smiles during a new lecture series titled, "Constitutionally Speaking" on Sept. 14, 2012 in Concord, N.H. Souter spoke to more than 1,300 who packed a small theater to hear him.
Retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter, pictured participating a Sept. 14, 2012, lecture series on the U.S. Constitution in Concord, N.H., died May 8, 2025.
Jim Cole/AP
Law & Courts Retired Justice Souter, Advocate for Civics and Church-State Split, Dies at 85
Retired Justice David Souter, who wrote Supreme Court opinions on student strip searches and government aid to religion, has died.
Mark Walsh, May 9, 2025
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4 min read
Young girl holding a small, drooping flag standing in a crowd of people.
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Social Studies Opinion Patriotism Done Right: We Can't Lecture Teens Into Loving Our Country
Many teachers long to restore students’ trust in our institutions—but how we do so matters.
Fernande Raine & Susan Rivers, April 16, 2025
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5 min read
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