Civic learning is having a moment. But what actually makes it stick as a priority in schools?
New national survey data from the American School District Panel (ASDP)—a research partnership between CRPE and RAND—find signs of growing momentum: 20% of district leaders said their district had increased its prioritization of civic learning over the past year, while 18% reported increased school board support.
But interviews with district leaders reveal an important wrinkle: support was strongest when civic learning was grounded in local engagement, and weaker when it was perceived as politically charged or connected to national debates. And support alone isn’t enough. Leaders who described civics as a clear district priority, woven into learning goals and other existing structures, had an easier time protecting a commitment to civic learning.
Key Findings
- Civic learning is gaining support and becoming more of a priority in some districts, though most districts reported no change. In fall 2025, 8% of district leaders reported increased parent support for civic learning and 11% reported increased community support. In spring 2026, 20% reported increased district prioritization of civics and 18% reported increased school board support.
- Leaders described stronger support for civic learning when it was community-oriented and less tied to national politics. Parents and community members backed local, hands-on civics (service projects, school-community partnerships) but grew wary when civic learning seemed connected to politically charged or national issues.
- Formal commitments and policies helped leaders make civic learning a clearer district priority. Districts that embedded civics into strategic plans, portraits of a graduate, or protected teacher collaboration time found it easier to keep civics from being crowded out by tested subjects.
Support from families and communities can make civic learning easier to pursue, but it can’t determine how civics gets taught or how consistently students experience it across classrooms. Formal structures are what translate that support into a real, protected priority.
Read the full brief for:
- How support and prioritization varied between urban, suburban, and rural districts
- What it looked like when leaders navigated politically sensitive civic learning
- Concrete roles for state agencies and civic learning advocates in helping districts build durable structures
This is the second brief in CRPE and RAND’s three-part series on the state of civic learning in U.S. school districts.
