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Civic Essentials Education Fund
ABOUT US
The basis for a healthy democracy is an informed citizenry,
but we have neglected civic education in the United States.
As of 2018, only 22% of public school students have a teacher whose primary responsibility is teaching civics, and 76% do not have proficiency in the subject. This deficiency should come as no surprise considering civic education only receives $3.5 million in federal funding annually, while Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) receive $2.9 billion. So, we have formed Civic Essentials, a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization committed to increasing political literacy in the United States and creating a country where all citizens can access information necessary to exercise their civic duties.
MISSION
To build and foster an informed citizenry within the United States.
VISION
Our vision is a nation shaped by young adults equipped to influence our political future.
What Makes Civic Essentials Different?
Rather than learning what a mayor does, students will be the mayor and make mayoral decisions:
Students will learn and navigate their local government's laws by solving city- or state-level problems in classroom simulations. Being in the midst of a civics issue will give the students an idea of the consequences that come with every political decision.
Students will engage in cross-community learning because civic issues are not solved in a vacuum:
Our virtual format allows us to have each classwork with another class - based in another community - to develop a joint resolution to the problems presented. Like in real life, each small group will be operating with separate interests vital to their respective communities. This will allow students to go beyond learning their state constitution to seeing that document in action.
Working directly with students while creating a scalable solution:
Unlike many other civic education organizations, Civic Essentials does not just advocate for improving students’ civic curriculum but is creating a cutting-edge course and providing that instruction directly to students. Unlike many other civic education organizations, Civic Essentials advocates for improving students’ civic curriculum and creating a cutting-edge course and providing that instruction directly to students.
