BACKGROUND

Students who recall having received better civic education are more likely to vote and be civically engaged.

White students and students from higher socioeconomic backgrounds experience higher quality civics education than other students.

Only 38% of social studies teachers think they would get strong support from their district to teach about an election, and only 28% think parents would strongly support them.

The Teaching for Democracy Alliance (TFDA) was 

created to address these realities.

It was formed in 2016 as a collective voice to

encourage democratic learning and to better equip

K-12 teachers and administrators to bring

practical democracy lessons to their students.

TFDA is composed of 16 national nonpartisan organizations, whose work spans all 50 states and directly supports more than 8 million young people, 220,000 educators, and engaged community members across the country.

CORE PRINCIPLES

• An informed citizenry is important and can be cultivated early through civic learning.

• All students need access to opportunities to learn about core democratic processes like elections and voting.

• A variety of high quality and culturally relevant resources are needed to reach all teachers and students 
  

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• ​It's important for student learning to acknowledge political actors and to model democratic practice.

ALLIANCE MEMBERS

The American Federation of Teachers is a union of professionals that champions fairness, democracy, economic opportunity, high-quality public education, healthcare, and public services for our students, their families and our communities. We are committed to advancing these principles through community engagement, organizing, collective bargaining and political activism, and especially through the work our members do.

CIRCLE, The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning & Engagement, focuses on young people in the United States, especially those who are marginalized or disadvantaged in political life. CIRCLE’s scholarly research informs policy and practice for healthier youth development and a better democracy. CIRCLE is based at the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University.

CERG’s mission is to conduct research, develop resources, and engage in education reform efforts that promote equitable, informed, and effective youth civic and political participation.

Bites Media is a news and information platform for middle and high school students. Our mission is to strengthen civics education and ultimately democracy by making the news more accessible.

The Civics Center is dedicated to building the foundations of youth civic engagement and voter participation in high schools through education, organizing, and advocacy. We support student-led, voter registration and preregistration efforts in high school communities, and we are the convening organizer of High School Voter Registration Week and the Ready to Vote Coalition.

Close Up programs help students develop the skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary to become active and involved in their democracy. Since our inception in 1971, over 825,000 students and teachers have experienced government in action on our various Close Up programs in Washington, DC.

Facing History and Ourselves ​works to engage students of diverse backgrounds in an examination of racism, prejudice, and antisemitism in order to promote the development of a more humane and informed citizenry. By studying the historical development of the Holocaust and other examples of genocide, students make the essential connection between history and the moral choices they confront in their own lives.

Generation Citizen (GC) works to ensure that every student in the United States receives an effective action civics education, which provides them with the knowledge and skills necessary to participate in our democracy as active citizens. GC's current action civics hubs include the Bay Area, Camden, NJ, Central Texas, Massachusetts, New York City, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, and San Diego, CA. Generation Citizen inspires civic participation through a proven state standards-aligned action civics class that gives students the opportunity to experience real-world democracy.

iCivics is dedicated to reinvigorating civic learning through interactive and engaging learning resources. Founded and led by Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, iCivics provides students with the tools they need for active participation and democratic action, and teachers with the materials and support to achieve this.

The Lou Frey Institute supports continuous improvement in civic learning throughout Florida and beyond as an umbrella organization for the Florida Joint Center for Citizenship, Civics360.org, and Florida’s Civic Health Index.

The League of Women Voters is a citizens’ organization that has fought since 1920 to improve our government and engage all citizens in the decisions that impact their lives. We operate at national, state and local levels through more than 800 state and local Leagues, in all 50 states as well in DC, the Virgin Islands and Hong Kong. ​

Mikva Challenge ​is a non-partisan, not for profit founded on the premise that youth voice and participation matter, and that our civic and political life will be stronger when youth participate and help shape their own destinies. Mikva Challenge develops youth to be empowered, informed, and active citizens who will promote a just and equitable society.

Founded in 1921, National Council for the Social Studies has grown to be the largest association in the country devoted solely to social studies education. NCSS engages and supports educators in strengthening and advocating social studies. With members in all the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and 69 foreign countries, NCSS serves as an umbrella organization for elementary, secondary, and college teachers of history, civics, geography, economics, political science, sociology, psychology, anthropology, and law-related education.

The Robert R. McCormick Foundation works (RRMF) with communities in Chicagoland and across Illinois to develop educated, informed, and engaged citizens. The RRMF coordinates the Illinois Civic Mission Coalition (ICMC) which is a broad, non-partisan consortium which includes educators, administrators, students, universities, funders, elected officials, policymakers and representatives from the private and non-profit sectors. Formed in 2004 by the Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago, the ICMC is part of the Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools, a national initiative to restore a core purpose of education to prepare America's youngest citizens to be informed and active participants in our democracy.

The National Association for Media Literacy Education is a national organization dedicated to media literacy as a basic life skill for the 21st century. The NAMLE vision is to help individuals of all ages develop the habits of inquiry and skills of expression that they need to be critical thinkers, effective communicators, and active citizens in today’s world.

PBS NewsHour Extra provides free classroom resources for teachers and students. Lesson plans, class activities and daily news stories engage junior high and high school students to learn about national and world events while strengthening critical and analytical thinking.

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute is a non-partisan, nonprofit organization that runs education programs dedicated to cultivating the next generation of citizen-leaders. Each year we work with thousands of teachers, and tens of thousands of students from across the country to help foster engaged and informed citizens.

Contact sarah.andes@tufts.edu with questions.

Source for statistics at top of page: "All Together Now: Collaboration and Innovation for Youth Engagement", 2013