Who We Are
PA Civics is a statewide coalition formed in 2019 by a bipartisan group of elected officials and nonprofit, nonpartisan organizations invested in the promotion and expansion of civics education in Pennsylvania. PA Civics is co-chaired by former members of Congress Jim Gerlach and Joe Hoeffel.
PA Civics was created in response to Act 35, which requires Pennsylvania students between grades 7-12 to take a test on U.S. history, government, and civics. PA Civics provides resources, curricula, and professional development for educators and administrators through its coalition partners. It also advocates for continuing to improve the infrastructure for instruction on engaged citizenship for our country’s future leaders .
A civically healthy and vibrant democracy depends on individual citizens’ understanding of our nation’s history, its founding principles, the Constitution, and their civic rights and responsibilities. PA Civics is dedicated to amplifying the work of its partnering organizations, providing resources for educators, students, and citizens at-large, and building a collaborative coalition to promote outstanding civic education and engagement in Pennsylvania.
Our Mission
Our Work
Public Policies
Support public policies (local, state, federal) that lead to impactful civic education at every level of the educational system through programming, resources, and professional development.
Quality Instruction
Ensure quality instruction with continuing support for teachers of the three pillars of Act 35: civic knowledge, civic skills, and civic actions. This includes civics and social studies specialists, as well as teachers of other content areas who seek to integrate civics into their instruction.
Bridge the Support Gap
Bridge the support gap in social studies education to ensure that every teacher has what they need to make certain that every student receives an impactful civic education.
Committee Coordinator Sam Forman interviews PA Civics Co-Chairs Jim Gerlach & Joe Hoeffel about the coalition.
Research
Help research the current impact and inform the future of as the state’s official non-governmental partner for civic education. This includes advising the General Assembly, Department of Education, and willing school districts and Intermediate Units in the Commonwealth.
Collective Impact
Work towards these guiding principles both through collective impact and uplifting the efforts of our constituent organizations.
PA Civics is supported and staffed by in-kind contributions from partner organizations, along with support from the CivXNow State Policy Grant program. The Committee of Seventy serves as the fiscal sponsor and lead coordinator of PA Civics.