Civic Learning as a Unifying Force
The Collective Impact Achieved by iCivics in 2023
iCivics’ innovative product line now spans elementary through high school, offering supplemental resources as well as more robust options.
Through CivxNow, iCivics continues to mobilize a large, dynamic coalition for better policy and funding around civic education—with demonstrable success federally and in states across the nation.
iCivics is developing and piloting holistic professional learning options, as well as a full-year curriculum steeped in inquiry-based instruction and localization to fit the needs of communities all across the United States.
Research shows the deep level of agreement across the political spectrum on the importance of teaching our nation’s shared history and investing in K–12 civic education.
And this is iCivics’ commitment: to reimagine how civic education is taught and learned; to nurture young people’s sense of trust and civic friendship. Ours is the work of generations.
Our reach in classrooms across the country
145,000
active teacher-users
150 million
meaningful gameplays
9 million
students reached
95% of iCivics teachers note their students are
Making a Quantifiable Impact on Civic Knowledge
+26%
average increase in students’ civic knowledge
+38%
average increase in civic dispositions (e.g., likelihood to vote)
iCivics Resource Back By Popular Demand
In October 2022, iCivics re-released People’s Pie. The game tackles a complicated subject—balancing the federal budget with tact and good taste. The new and improved People’s Pie gives students a chance to set the federal budget, all while diving into concepts of mandatory spending, tax rates, and spending deficits.
People’s Pie — El Pastel del Plueblo (en español)—has built-in supports, including: English- language voice over, embedded glossaries, gameplay scaffolds, and the option to play in English or Spanish.
1,450,000
Total Gameplays since launch
Gee Winners!
Learning Award 2023 in the Formal Learning category
Impact Stories
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Building Better Policy for Civic Education
CivxNow is iCivics’ policy and field-building arm. The Coalition is influential, ideologically diverse, and nationally scaled. Today’ it counts more than 300 organization-members: all advocating better policies to make high-quality civic education a national priority.
Mobilized hundreds of member-organizations, leveraging expertise and networks
Conducted policy scans of all states and federal requirement
Published empirical research, case studies, and a comprehensive state policy menu
Congress tripled funding for K–12 civic education from $7.75M… to $23M!
As a result of increased funding, the U.S. Department of Education’s “National Activities and Academies” program was able to make nearly 30 new awards this year—instead of its usual 3 to 6. Indisputably, CivxNow’s advocacy has benefited the field at large: a rising tide lifts all boats.
Statewide Successes
In 2023, CivxNow was tracking 131 bills in 38 states impacting civic education. More than half of these bills align with CivxNow’s State Policy Menu of best practices and recommendations. This work is complex, and results take years to bear fruit. It involves:
Building up the leadership capacity in state coalition affiliates
Cultivating relationships with legislative and executive branch stakeholders
Ensuring the resources and infrastructure exist to bolster policy implementation
Still, 2023 saw many policy successes: 14 states—red, blue, and purple alike—adopted 17 bills advancing civic education. This is the fruit of 5 years of research, mobilization, and action.
A Better Way To Teach Civics and U.S. History
First and foremost, Educating for American Democracy (EAD) is an ambition: a content-driven framework that prepares students on how to care for, and sustain, our constitutional democracy. This framework allows content providers such as iCivics to develop a gold-standard curriculum, offer high-quality professional learning, and implement these efforts in real districts.
The EAD curriculum:
Holistically integrates civics and U.S. History education— a rare feat
Uses an inquiry approach— students learn by asking questions and finding their own answers
Is designed to be tailored to the unique needs of school districts and their community’s local context
EAD is our solution to prepare all K–12 students to sustain our shared democracy. It involves: an honest, nuanced approach toward content knowledge in U.S. history and civics education—our painful challenges and exceptional achievements; advanced critical thinking, writing and deliberation skills; and rich experiential learning.
Research confirms that students who receive a comprehensive and high-quality civic education are more likely to be informed and actively engaged citizens and voters.
Specifically, students are more likely to:
Vote and discuss politics at home
Complete college and develop employable skills
Volunteer and work on community issues
Independent research confirms our resources produce clear and tangible benefits to students — even after controlling for gender, ethnicity, and socio-economic status. Even more promising: over half the students that play our games in school play them again at home on their own time.
Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy (2021)
Marist College (2018)
View Prior Year Annual Reports
Invest in iCivics Today
iCivics works to ensure high-quality civic education opportunities are available for every student in the United States, preparing them for informed engagement in our nation’s self-governing society.
With your support, that vision is within our reach. Today, up to 145,000 teachers and 9 million students in all 50 states utilize iCivics’ innovative and free resources. Your tax-deductible donation helps us further our reach and deepen our impact, ensuring the practice of democracy is learned and embraced by each new generation.
Learn About Our Strategic Vision
We empower educators with resources that build the knowledge, skills, and dispositions students need for informed civic participation.
We advance policy at the state and national levels to make civic education a priority for the health and strength of our nation.
We invite and engage a diverse network of learners and leaders in the movement for high-quality civic education.
We evaluate and share evidence-based findings that demonstrate the value and impact of civic education for our country’s future.