WATCH/EXCLUSIVE: America 250 celebrates civics education

(The Center Square) – As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Department of Education and a coalition of organizations launched a nationwide initiative to strengthen civics education amid concerns about students' understanding of American history and government.

The America 250 Civics Education Coalition, led by the America First Policy Institute in partnership with the Education Department and Education Secretary Linda McMahon, officially launched on Sept. 17, Constitution Day, commemorating the document’s signing on Sept. 17, 1787.

The coalition's mission is to strengthen civic literacy and encourage greater understanding of the nation's founding principles through educational programming leading up to Saturday's celebration of the nation's Independence Day.

The initiative with the motto “Know America. Love America” has included over 100 events and programs nationwide. Among them have been K-12 teacher summits, student competitions, lectures, classroom resources and a 50-state “Trail to Independence Tour” highlighting each state's path to joining the Union. 

Coalition leaders say the effort is driven in part by declining civics proficiency among American students.

“One of the first things we did was kind of a diagnostic on where we are in civic education, and that was kind of the sobering news," said Michael Shires, vice chair of education opportunity, higher education and senior policy officer at America First Policy Institute. Shires talked to The Center Square during an exclusive interview.

Shires pointed to results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, which found that only 23% of eighth graders scored at or above proficiency in civics education.

“The numbers would say that we're not doing a very good job of passing that along to the next generation,” Shires told The Center Square.

He argued civics instruction has increasingly emphasized the nation's shortcomings while overlooking the many positives of U.S. achievements.

“A big part of how we got here is we just stopped telling the stories of what was good about America,” Shires said. “We've gotten much more proficient at telling the negative stories and forgotten to tell many of the positive stories.”

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Shires said coalition organizers hope the nation's 250th anniversary serves as the beginning of a broader effort rather than a one-time celebration.

"We don't want July 5 to be the end of this conversation," Shires said.

While political divisions are often reflected in public discourse, Shires said he believes many Americans remain optimistic about the country.

“Despite what you see in the news headlines and the networks and the social media and everything else, for most people in their lives, they're excited that they're in America, that it's a place where they can thrive and make their own choices and pursue their dreams,” he said.

McMahon said the coalition seeks to ensure students understand the nation's history and system of government.

“Every young American understands the beauty of our nation and is equipped with the civic knowledge required to contribute meaningfully to its future,” the secretary of education said.

The coalition working with the U.S. Department of Education includes dozens of education and civic organizations such as First Liberty Institute and Turning Point USA.

First Liberty Institute President Kelly Shackelford told The Center Square back when the coalition was launched that public polling demonstrates widespread gaps in Americans' civic knowledge as well.

“There are so many polls, for instance, like 71% of Americans don't even know what the three branches of government are,” Shackelford said. “And one of the more disturbing polls is that a large percentage of the students don't even love their country. And it's because they don't know what their country is. They don't know how wonderful our structure is, everything that's in place, the freedoms, how it's different from everybody else.”

Among the coalition's signature initiatives is the Presidential 1776 Award, a national civics competition designed to recognize students' knowledge of the Constitution, the American founding and key moments in U.S. history. The competition features online testing, regional oral examinations and a national championship in Washington.

The inaugural competition concluded in June, with high school student Miriam Washut of Lander, Wyo., winning the top prize and a $150,000 scholarship.