Ideological Wars Have Contributed to the Decline of Civics Education, New PPI Report Finds

September 10, 2026
Richard D. Kahlenberg
Lief Lin

Time for a Renaissance in Teaching the American Political Tradition

WASHINGTON (September 10, 2026) — Nearly four in five American eighth graders score below proficient in civics, the federal government spends roughly 100 times less per student on the subject compared with STEM, and about one-third of Americans under 30 say democracy is no longer a viable system of government. A report released today by the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) argues those phenomena are connected, and calls for rebuilding American civics education from the ground up.

The report, titled “Teaching American Democracy: Understanding Who We Are as Americans and Why” and authored by Richard D. Kahlenberg, director of PPI’s American Identity Project, and Lief Lin, a policy analyst at PPI, makes two top-line recommendations: rebrand the course now called “civics” as “American Democracy,” and require three years of it in high school, the same as most states require in math and reading.

“Across the country, civics education is falling short on all fronts,” said Kahlenberg. “Without a course that teaches students who we are as Americans and what makes America unique, the nation is unlikely to regain its place as the world’s leading example of how a multiethnic liberal democracy can flourish.”

The report documents deficits on three fronts:

On knowledge of American government … the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress found 79% of eighth graders below proficient in civics and 86% below proficient in U.S. history, the weakest results of any subject tested.
On belief in Democracy … 31% of Americans ages 18 to 29 agreed that the country should explore alternatives to democracy, compared with 5% of those over 65, and four in 10 young Americans describe the founders as villains rather than heroes.
On voter participation … U.S. voter turnout trails the OECD average, and only a quarter of Americans report a strong sense of belonging to a community.

Kahlenberg and Lin trace the decline to five failures: ideological fights that have drained state standards of content and chilled classroom debate, chronic underfunding and weak accountability, poor teacher preparation, a failure to teach students what life in nondemocratic societies actually looks like, and cuts to extracurriculars such as debate and student newspapers that build civic habits.

The scale of the neglect is measurable. Elementary classrooms devote 16 minutes a day to social studies, against 89 minutes for reading. All 50 states test reading and math, though only 21 test social studies. Nearly half of states earn a “D” or “F” from the Fordham Institute for their civics standards, U.S. history standards, or both. And 65% of teachers nationally report limiting classroom discussion of political and social issues, including 55% of those facing no state or local restriction at all.

“America has an extraordinary tale to tell,” said Lin. “Instead of students yawning about our country’s story, we need to take pride in our democracy and teach how our nation’s ups and downs over the last 250 years created a government envied by the world.”

Kahlenberg and Lin’s recommendations for the federal government include:

Creating a Race to the Top competition that rewards states for content-rich standards, nonpartisan hands-on learning and robust classroom debate
Reviving substantial federal funding along the lines of the Civics Secures Democracy Act, which would authorize $1 billion annually, with guardrails against politicized curricula
Requiring state participation in the NAEP civics and U.S. history exams every two years, so state-by-state comparisons become possible
Earmarking a share of Title II-A professional development dollars for civics and history. In 2020-21, 47% of districts spent none of that money on either subject
Funding grants to expand enrollment in AP Comparative Government, so students learn firsthand what life without democracy looks like
Providing competitive grants to Title I schools for debate teams, student newspapers, and programs such as the We the People competition

At the state and local level, the authors point to models already working: exemplary standards in Alabama, California, Massachusetts, Tennessee, and Washington, D.C., Utah’s Local Innovations Civics Education Pilot Program, and the Massachusetts law requiring every eighth grader and high school student to complete a student-led, nonpartisan civics project.

Read and download the report here.

Founded in 1989, PPI is a catalyst for policy innovation and political reform based in Washington, D.C. Its mission is to create radically pragmatic ideas for moving America beyond ideological and partisan deadlock. Find an expert and learn more about PPI by visiting progressivepolicy.org. Follow us at @ppi.

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Media Contact: Ian O’Keefe – iokeefe@ppionline.org