By suzanne downing 
The US Education Department announced Wednesday it is partnering with certain patriotic private organizations to revive civics education in public schools and on college campuses.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon unveiled the new initiative, called the America 250 Civics Education Coalition, during a Constitution Day event in the nation’s capital.
The coalition brings together groups including the America First Policy Institute, Hillsdale College, and Turning Point USA, whose founder, Charlie Kirk, was assassinated last Wednesday. Its stated mission is to “renew patriotism, strengthen civic knowledge, and advance a shared understanding of America’s founding principles in schools across the nation.”
McMahon said the effort comes at a time of sharp decline in civic literacy and engagement among students. She pointed to national testing data showing just 13% of eighth graders scored proficient in US history and 22% in civics on the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress — the first recorded drop in civics proficiency. She also cited a Gallup poll showing only 58% of Americans say they are “extremely” or “very proud” to be American, a record low.
“This is about restoring civic knowledge, engagement, and constitutional literacy,” McMahon said. “Why don’t these young people love America? Because they don’t know America.”
The coalition will roll out programming over the next year, including a Fundamental Liberties College Speaker Series across all 50 states and The Trail to Independence Tour, a K-12 initiative highlighting how each state joined the Union.
It also plans to distribute civics toolkits for teachers and sponsor a nationwide competition recognizing student knowledge of American history.
The effort builds on the Trump administration’s 1776 Commission, created as a counterpoint to The New York Times’ 1619 Project. Like that initiative, the new coalition emphasizes traditional civics education and America’s founding ideals.
Suzanne Downing