Bill to invest $1 billion in civics education
A bill introduced by U.S. Sens. Chris Coons, D-Del., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, would invest up to $6 billion to create a variety of grants to expand access to civics and history education in American schools.
On Dec. 2, Coons discussed the bill with actor Chris Evans and producer Mark Kassen on A Starting Point, a website Evans and Kassen launched to present the Democratic and Republican points of view on issues.
The Educating for Democracy Act would invest $1 billion annually for six years in civics and history education from kindergarten through higher education, Coons said.
Most states don’t have a robust civics curriculum, Coons said. The bill would not mandate a federal curriculum, Coons said, but would provide a curriculum states can customize while providing funding for teaching, researching and engagement about civics.
Funding would be allocated on a competitive basis for education institutions, school districts, states, and universities and colleges, Coons said. The bill has support in the House, he added.
The most recent election was in many ways the most safe, secure and sound election with some of the highest participation in decades, Coons said, but not everyone believes that. More civics education will help Americans understand why elections are important and how democracy works, he said.
Many Americans don't know the three branches of government, and how being divided into the legislative, judicial and executive branches allows for the separation of powers and different roles for each branch of government, Coons said.
“My hope is that through delivering more and better civics education to the American people, they can be more aware of what makes our nation unique, what makes us special and different in world history, and what makes it important for us as citizens to be participants in our democracy and the decisions that shape our lives and country,” Coons said.
According to the Center for American Progress, about half the country has robust civics curriculum and/or standards, and 40 percent of states compel students to take a civics exam as a graduation requirement to demonstrate competency.
Delaware’s standardized social studies assessment is given in fourth, seventh and 11th grades, according to the Delaware Department of Education website. Each state sets its own standards and assessments, and not all states require testing in social studies as they do for core subjects like math and language arts.
Coons said the bill would encourage participation in the National Assessment of Education Progress exam.
Per year, state education agencies would receive $600 million; nonprofit organizations, $200 million; institutions of higher learning, $150 million; and researchers, $50 million. A one-pager on the bill is available at https://tinyurl.com/y3yu3jze.
