We organized the National Civics Bee — it’s where to start if you want better workers

Students are heading back to school in the 250th year since our nation’s founding. Unfortunately, many of them may not be aware of what the nation’s founding entailed, as only 22% of eighth-graders in this country are proficient in civics according to the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress.

These students are aware, however, that the world around them is changing, and that AI will have a profound impact on what they need to know to succeed when they leave the classroom. Askedthis month which skills will matter most as artificial intelligence reshapes work, teenagers surveyed by Common Sense Media pointed to working well with others, fact-checking and critical thinking, and making sense of complicated information. Employers have been saying much the same thing for years, with only 18% of business leaders believing entry-level hires are ready for today’s workplace.

We tend to treat these as separate worries, one about the health of our democracy and the other about the strength of our workforce. But they actually have more in common than one might think, and there’s a strong case to be made that improving civics knowledge would go a long way toward building the skills students and employers are seeking.

As our nation invests heavily in career pathways, credentials, artificial intelligence, and technical training, we must also invest in one of our country’s most overlooked drivers of workforce readiness: high-quality civic learning.

As the organizers and researchers of the National Civics Bee—a nationwide, nonpartisan civics competition for middle school students—we’ve witnessed firsthand how civic learning can also help students develop the skills employers and students want. This year, more than 20,000 students are participating through over 240 local chambers of commerce and community partners across all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and American Samoa. Students gain civic knowledge and put it to use by identifying issues they see in their communities, researching those concerns from multiple perspectives, developing potential solutions, and discussing their ideas before judges.

In post-competition surveys, 98% of participants identified at least one meaningful benefit from the experience. Nearly three-quarters improved their writing. Many reported greater confidence discussing public issues, a stronger understanding of local government, and more frequent conversations about civic issues at home. Three-quarters said they felt prepared to defend a position on a controversial issue respectfully and thoughtfully.

Consider Emily Brubaker. Born with a rare medical condition that created significant challenges for her family, she entered the National Civics Bee determined to explore a public policy issue that had personally affected her. She researched the topic, built support for her ideas, and traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with lawmakers to discuss potential solutions. In the process, she practiced many of the same skills employers value in the workplace: research, communication, collaboration, persistence, and the ability to turn challenges into solutions.

Not every middle school student will lobby Congress, but civic learning gives young people opportunities to tackle authentic challenges before anyone is paying them to do so. Experiences like the Bee help students develop the very qualities employers consistently say they need most.

Unfortunately, few young people are given meaningful opportunities to engage with real issues in school, where they can practice and hone skills before entering the real world.

Our nation’s founders saw a citizenry educated in its liberties as a precondition for the republic—a sentiment echoed by Horace Mann half a century later when, as the first Secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Education, he identified civic education—what he called political education—as a core pillar of a public education system. That sentiment persisted into the 1960s, with high schools commonly requiring three courses in civics and government.

Over time, however, civics has been crowded out by competing academic priorities. Today, most states require just one civics course—and often only a semester—and opportunities to put civic skills into practice are limited: just one-third of high schools offer debate teams, one-quarter offer mock trials, and a mere 20% offer mock elections. Civics instruction is equally lacking in younger grades. A 2022 report from the RAND Corp. on K-5 social studies called out a “missing infrastructure,” referring to the gaps in policies, resources, and required testing that encourage classroom instruction on civics.

These gaps are not accidental. They reflect where we put our money. Federal investment in STEM education runs roughly $50 per student each year, while civic education receives less than fifty cents per student. That is troubling for democracy, but it should also worry employers. If students are not learning how institutions work, how decisions get made, how to evaluate competing claims, or how to participate constructively in public discourse, we should not be surprised when they struggle to navigate increasingly complex workplaces.

Technical expertise has never been enough, which is why businesses already invest billions of dollars each year in onboarding, leadership development, and professional training. What if future employees arrived on their first day having already practiced these capabilities for years in classrooms, communities, and civic life?

The National Civics Bee is just one example of what becomes possible when civic learning is treated as an investment rather than an afterthought. As America begins its next 250 years, employers should not wait for the talent pipeline to fix itself. If we want a workforce capable of adapting to change, navigating complexity, and strengthening our communities, those capacities must be cultivated early.

The next generation of leaders, workers, and citizens is sitting in a middle school classroom right now. It’s time to invest accordingly.

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