US Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Angus King (I-ME), along with colleagues Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Tim Kaine (D-VA), have introduced a bipartisan bill aimed at enhancing civics education for school children across the United States. The legislation, known as the Constitution education Is Valuable In Community Schools (CIVICS) Act, was presented to coincide with Constitution Day.
The CIVICS Act proposes that recipients of federal grants for higher education be required to include Constitution-focused educational programming in order to remain eligible for continued funding. This measure is intended to reinforce the teaching of good governance, democratic values, and the significance of the Constitution in fostering civic literacy among students.
Senator Lankford emphasized the foundational role of the Constitution, stating: “The Constitution isn’t just paper and ink. The soul of our nation rests in what our Constitution represents: the rule of law, personal responsibility without government coercion, protection of humanity, and a limited federal government. We must continue to safeguard those values and defend the Constitution’s carefully crafted guarantees of our freedoms and rights. Our children will only live our American values if we intentionally commit to pass down our Constitutional values to the next generation.”
Senator King also highlighted the importance of civics education: “Good civics education creates good citizens. The U.S. Constitution is the blueprint for democracy and freedom, and its survival relies on each generation understanding our history and the values Americans have held sacred since our founding. Our democratic system of governance is an anomaly in world history, and if we truly want a government of, by, and for the people, we must make sure people have the perspective and knowledge required to do their part in protecting it. I hope this bipartisan legislation allows young Americans to better understand and engage with America’s foundational principles.”
Constitution Day was established in 1952 as a way to recognize and teach about the founding document. In 2004, Congress expanded its recognition by requiring public schools and federal agencies to provide instruction on constitutional topics. The American History and Civics Education program was created under amendments to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965; it provides grants for developing evidence-based approaches aimed at improving education on American government, history, and civics. Currently, grant recipients are not mandated to include specific content about the Constitution or Bill of Rights—a requirement that would change under this new bill.
