There is an expectation that students will have mastered an essential skill set by the completion of their education. In an economy that is globally connected and rapidly changing, the required skills are also evolving beyond the basics of mathematics and literacy. The “Paths to 21st Century Competencies Through Civic Education Classrooms” report authored by Judith Torney-Purta and Britt S. Wilkenfeld for the Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools (CMS) illustrates how those students that experienced civic education were better equipped with these essential 21st century competencies than their counterparts who were not exposed to civic education programs.

To determine the correlation between civic education experience and 21st century skills, the CMS report used the results of the IEA Civic Education Study (CIVED) from 1999. The results indicated that those students that had neither interactive nor lecture-based civic education lacked knowledge and skills vital to the workplace. Among the results, these students held negative attitudes towards minority groups, did not think it was important to work hard or obey the law, and were likely to drop out of school.

The CMS study is not the first to illustrate a correlation between civic education and productive citizens. In CIRCLE’s 2006 Civic and Political Health of the Nation Report, students that elected to take a civics or government class were more likely to help solve a community problem, volunteer, trust other people and the government, and register to vote. With repeated studies pointing to civic education creating engaged citizens, the question arises why are more schools not adding civic education into their curriculum?

Often, educators and advocates of strengthening civic-related education focus only on the benefits of fostering a future citizen that has knowledge of democratic principles. This report highlights the benefits of civic education in establishing a productive member of society that respects the law and his fellow citizens. These recent studies echo the philosophies of the founding fathers in the necessity of a strong civic background in creating strong citizens.

The research illustrates that civic education provides many benefits to a society, but how should civic education be implemented into a school’s curriculum? Should there be a standard course, or should schools be left to develop a program on their own?