The High ROI of Civics Education
An investment in educating young Americans about our democratic institutions is an investment in our country’s future
Across the country, STEM education — Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math — has been a top priority for educators. The emphasis makes sense given the need for global competitiveness, job opportunities, and innovation to tackle growing problems with the environment, medicine, and more.
However, in an era of increasing distrust of democratic institutions — with a sizable minority of young Americans indicating support for an authoritarian or military-led political system — it’s clear our country must also prioritize civics education in K-12 grades to ensure every American understands how government and democracy work. Unfortunately, today the federal government invests a mere five cents per K-12 student in civics education compared to $54.00 per K-12 student for STEM. In fact, only nine states require one year of U.S. government or civics, while 30 states require a half year and the other 11 states have no civics requirement.
The effects are dramatic. In schools and universities, town squares and corporate lunch rooms, and neighborhoods and places of worship, there has been increased polarization and distrust of democratic institutions, along with an erosion of civic values and norms. The interdependency of a market economy and constitutional democracy makes these kinds of conflict and instability a particular threat to our economic system, putting at risk businesses, investments, and employees. A continued neglect of civics education will continue to weaken civic and economic strength.
The good news is that civics education is a key solution agreed upon by a majority of Republicans and Democrats, alike.
BFA is mobilizing businesses to support federal legislation to prioritize civics education and increase the level of understanding — and engagement — of Americans in our democracy and future. BFA’s interest in civics and an engaged citizenry is directly linked to the foundational belief that stronger democratic institutions lead to a better business climate and economic outcomes. And, that a more educated citizenry increases political stability and fosters greater tolerance of diverse viewpoints. All good news for business.
During a webinar in April, BFA was joined by iCivics Executive Director Louise Dube, Indiana Bar Foundation President & CEO Chuck Dunlap, and Allstate Corporation SVP for Government & Industry Relations, Jerry Zimmerman, to discuss the importance of civics education and their support for the Civics Secures Democracy Act (CSDA (S.879 / H.R.1814). The pending bipartisan bill would authorize $1 billion annually over five years, primarily to states and school districts, to enhance civics education in K-12. Introduced in the House by Reps. Tom Cole (R-OK), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), and Sens. Chris Coons (D-DE) and John Cornyn (R-TX) in the Senate, the bill has more than a dozen bipartisan cosponsors.
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“Students who have received civics education are more likely to vote, by big margins,” said Dube of iCivics. “The same is true for civility; if you look at who has received civics education, 63% of adults think that civility is a good thing.”
Dunlap said the Indiana Bar Foundation has published a Civic Health Index for nearly a decade, focused on improving civic education and increasing voter participation in the state. “We had a Civic Education Task Force that brought together business leaders, not-for-profits, government, and educators to come up with recommendations that we were fortunate enough to have enacted into policy. One of the main provisions is adding a civics class semester in middle school, we already have one for high school.”
The Civics Secures Democracy Act would also provide competitive grants to qualifying institutions of higher education, nonprofits, and researchers in their respective roles in advancing high-quality civics and history education in elementary and secondary schools.
BFA, recognizing that civics education produces a more informed and engaged citizenry and stronger democratic institutions, is coordinating a letter to members of Congress to encourage their co-sponsorship of the Civics Secures Democracy Act.
“We really think that civic engagement is the oxygen of our democracy and free enterprise, and corporations thrive when we have free enterprise,” added Allstate’s Zimmerman. “As people lose trust in our government, which I say goes hand-in-glove being uninformed about civics, they put more trust in corporations. With that being true, they expect businesses to be more engaged in these types of matters and to make our communities and country better. Allstate knows that a more educated public is good for our business and country.”
Join Us
To learn more about the bipartisan Civics Secures Democracy Act and sign our business letter urging Congress to pass this important legislation, contact Richard Eidlin at BFA.
