Defining civics:

Civic education equips students to be active, informed community members, primed for effective participation across governmental levels. It fosters collaboration, consensus-building, and a deep appreciation of our democratic foundations. To sustain our self-governance, an educated, engaged citizenry is imperative.

Maryland's Divergence:

Despite Maryland's educational accolades, students' experiences in social studies vary based on location, background, and available resources. The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future offers an opportunity: civics should be central to these educational transformations. As democratic values are threatened, robust civics education is our key to preserving "government of the people, by the people, for the people."

The Maryland Civic Education Coalition has a Clear Vision for Strengthening Civics in Maryland!

Over the last three years we have had hundreds of conversations with educators, students, and community members around the state, and we have hosted two well-attended leadership summits to understand the state of civic education in Maryland. Based on what we have heard in the community, we have identified six areas of opportunities to support civic education and engagement in Maryland:

• Credential Civic Education Excellence with Civic Seals

  • We must incentivize and honor student excellence in civic learning and participation by providing civic seals upon graduation from Maryland schools. A credential allows students to communicate their proficiency to postsecondary institutions and employers, and could serve as one mechanism for measuring college and career readiness.

• Invest in Civic Education in Maryland Schools

  • We must expand civic education in the elementary years by supporting teachers with professional development and by developing age-appropriate resources aligned with Maryland’s social studies curriculum. In addition, we must expand the abilities of all teachers to teach civic education and digital, media, and information literacy, including the ability to effectively search for and evaluate online information.

• Strengthen Service Learning for Youth across Maryland

  • We must explore ways to strengthen service learning opportunities for students across the state and promote pathways to overcome barriers and inequities that exist in different communities.

• Requiring Transparency of Civics Assessment Data

  • We must ensure that the social studies curriculum frameworks continue to uphold best practices to ensure high quality civic education at all grade levels. High-quality assessments ensure continued improvement by providing valuable feedback to educators and should be accessible to the public. Currently, all other state-mandated assessments report aggregate results online except for the high school civics assessment.

• Support High-Quality & Diverse Teacher Pipelines

  • We must build on the Maryland Educator Shortage Reduction Act of 2023 to strengthen social studies and civic education by expanding the Teaching Fellows for Maryland scholarships with a focus on teacher quality and diversity in order to ensure students can access civics education that speaks to, and builds on, their lived experiences. 

• Establish a Maryland Task Force on Civic Education

  • We support the creation of a diverse body, including stakeholders from the public & private sectors, to propose and implement improvements to civics education and engagement programs in Maryland.

The Maryland Civic Education Coalition Represents All Corners of the State! 

Our diverse membership is committed to ensuring that all Maryland students have access to meaningful, hands-on, comprehensive civic education and service-learning opportunities. We are an inclusive coalition of over 180 civic organizations, civic educators, and young people,  from all 23 counties in Maryland and Baltimore City. Our members include teachers and organizations that support educators, including the MD Council for the Social Studies; numerous public and private universities, including the University of Maryland College of Education and Morgan State University; and civic organizations such as the League of Women Voters of Maryland and The Civic Circle. We work together to build expertise and enthusiasm for civic education, service-learning, and volunteerism,  in pursuit of lifelong community engagement.