The Epoch Times covered findings from the Martin Center’s new report, 50-State Comparison: Civics Education, which underscores the growing national effort to strengthen civics instruction in K–12 and higher education. The report reveals that every state except Alaska, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin requires a civics course for high school graduation, and that 14 states mandate civics instruction at the college level. It also evaluates teacher preparation programs across major public universities, ranking the University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign and UC Berkeley among the least civically aligned due to their focus on “social justice” rather than American government and history.
The Martin Center calls for all colleges to implement a required three-credit course on the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and Federalist Papers—with a civic literacy exam for graduation. Martin Center president Jenna A. Robinson told The Epoch Times that civics education is vital to restoring public trust amid growing polarization, while Shannon Watkins, the Center’s Research and Policy Fellow, emphasized that “civic knowledge is an essential ingredient for responsible citizenship.”
To read the full report, visit The Epoch Times.