In an era of political polarization, competing instructional priorities and uneven state support, new research reveals how districts define and facilitate civics education. In some cases, it’s an ongoing political battle.
At least 74% of school districts nationwide offer civics instruction, particularly in history or social studies classes, according to a from the American School District Panel, a research partnership between the RAND Corporation and the Center on Reinventing Public Education.
However, instruction wanes in earlier grades, with just 36% of districts offering it in elementary school. And in most cases, civics is not taught as a standalone course.
According to district leaders surveyed in the report, civics knowledge and experiences are most important to include in civics learning. In fact, leaders rank these five topics as the most important to include in civics instruction:
- American political system, democracy, constitutional democracy: 58%
- Citizenship, including democratic citizenship: 42%
- Critical thinking: 40%
- Engaging with people who disagree/civil discourse: 27%
- Civic engagement/civic life: 27%
“It’s no longer about who can shout the loudest, but whether students can truly understand the other side and make thoughtful choices,” one leader said in the report.
In terms of instruction itself, district leaders describe teachers “tiptoeing” around discussions of controversial topics out of fear of political pushback. Teachers fear feeling vulnerable to things like complaints from parents, negative media coverage and threats to their jobs.
As a result, leaders report advising teachers to avoid controversial topics and adhere to state standards. One administrator in particular explained that while their district doesn’t want to “shy away from hard history,” recent legislation requires more careful review of materials.
“I would say that we have tended to be very cautious about anything related to gender identity recently because that specifically has been called out in our [state’s] Parent Bill of Rights as being one of those that parents are very much not in favor of being discussed at school,” the administrator said.
Other leaders explained that the current political climate has also broadened what counts as a “controversial” civics topic, and that even voter registration has come under scrutiny. As one administrator reported, their district took “a lot of flak and a lot of heat” for offering instruction on how to register to vote and providing transportation to polling places, with some community members accusing the district of “indoctrinating children” and “stuffing the ballot box.”
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Advice for promoting civics education
As teachers may be shying away from promoting key civics skills in fear of political pushback, there are several opportunities for district leaders to ensure teachers can comfortably provide such instruction.
The researchers suggest that time constraints are another common barrier to instruction. 91心頭istrators may want to explore opportunities to integrate civic content into English language arts instruction and assessments, “reinforcing both literacy and critical thinking while expanding access to civic learning,” the report reads.
Civic learning also presents unique opportunities for innovation. At a time when polarization and testing pressures limit teachers’ discretion in other areas, civic instruction can serve as a catalyst for reimagining what student-centered, community-connected learning looks like.
Finally, local foundations, community groups and other advocates can help to protect teachers and teach civics skills. For instance, civic-minded organizations could step in to show students how to discuss controversial topics. Coalitions of local groups could also model how to maintain civic relationships among people who disagree about key issues.
“These partnerships may not completely alleviate political pushback at the district level but should lessen the burden on individual teachers,” the report concludes.
