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Education

Bipartisan Legislation Aims to Bolster Civics Education Nationwide

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) has introduced bipartisan legislation, the Constitution Education Is Valuable In Community Schools (CIVICS) Act, to enhance civics education resources for school children across the United States. Introduced on Constitution Day, this bill requires elementary and secondary education federal grant recipients to include U.S. Constitution education, through hands-on programming for teachers and students, to be eligible for continued funding. The legislation recognizes the importance of teaching American history, government, geography, and the significance of the Constitution to basic civic literacy.

Key Takeaways:

  • The CIVICS Act would require federal grant recipients to include U.S. Constitution education in their programs to receive continued funding.
  • The bill aims to promote civics education, American history, government, and geography, emphasizing the importance of the Constitution in basic civic literacy.
  • Senators James Lankford (R-OK), Roger Wicker (R-MS), and Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) joined Senator King in introducing the legislation.
  • The American History and Civics Education program, established under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, currently lacks a requirement for educational programs regarding the Constitution or Bill of Rights.
  • Senator King has championed increasing civic engagement and historical literacy, introducing the Civics Secure Democracy Act and legislation to designate a National High School Seniors Voter Registration Day.

Statistics:

  • Constitution Day was established in 1952 and expanded in recognition by Congress in 2004.
  • The American History and Civics Education program was created under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended.
  • The CIVICS Act aims to invest in civics and history education, building on Senator King's previous efforts to prioritize civic engagement and historical literacy.
  • The current legislation builds upon the Bipartisan Civics Secure Democracy Act, earlier introduced by Senator King to invest $1 billion annually in civics and history education.

Sources:

  • "U.S. Senator Angus King Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Bolster Civics Education," (no date)
  • "Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended" ( source: [1])
  • "Civics Secure Democracy Act" (no date)
  • "National High School Seniors Voter Registration Day" (no date)

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