Civic Education Research Lab

🎄The Twelve Days of CERL: A Year in Civic Education Research🎄

As the year comes to a close, we’re reflecting on what the Civic Education Research Lab built, studied, and shared alongside educators, scholars, and civic education partners across the country.

The Twelve Days of CERL capture the scope, impact, and purpose of our work in 2025:

🔢 12,000+ student pre- and posttests analyzed
🧭 11 civic social and emotional learning competencies advanced
⭐ 10/10 focus on accessible, practitioner-facing research
📰 9(1) Substack subscribers (and growing!)
🎤 8 academic conferences, from DC to Seoul
🛠️ 7 Center for Civic Education workshops nationwide
🤝 6 partner organizations evaluated and supported
🏫 5 classroom visits observing civics in action
📚 4 major evaluation projects
📄 3 research one-pagers designed for educators and leaders
🗣️ 2 affective polarization convenings hosted at Georgetown
🎯 1 shared mission: strengthening civic learning by connecting rigorous research with educational practice

We’re grateful to our partners, collaborators, and readers who made this year possible—and we’re excited to keep building in 2026.

👉 Read The Twelve Days of CERL on Substack: https://civiceducationresearchlab.substack.com/p/the-twelve-days-of-cerl?r=5cjwiv
👉 Subscribe to stay connected with our work

The Twelve Days of CERL Celebrating a Year of Civic Education Research

The Secret to a Successful Project Citizen Inside Lindsay Stepanek’s Standout Student Showcase

Our second Mr. Rogers post is up!

This week, we explore how he turned research and storytelling into effective advocacy during his 1969 Senate testimony on public television funding.

In that same spirit, the Center for Civic Education’s Project Citizen helps students advocate for their communities, and CERL is committed to sharing research that supports strong civic education nationwide.

Please, won’t you be our neighbor?

Mr. Rogers and the Power of Civic Education Advocacy How Fred Rogers turned research into impact and why we should too

Interested in smart, meaningful research on civic education? Georgetown University’s Civic Education Research Lab has a Substack that’s an outstanding resource for educators, researchers, and leaders who want to understand what truly improves civic readiness and engagement.

Recent features:
🔹 “Mr. Rogers and the Power of Education Research”—a thoughtful reminder of how empathy and evidence intersect in effective civic learning.
🔹 “Preparing Students with Disabilities for Democratic Engagement through Civic Education”—a meaningful look at inclusive pathways to civic participation.

Highly recommended reading for anyone committed to strengthening constitutional democracy through education.

👉 https://substack.com/

Last week, Civic Education Research Lab and the Institute for Citizens & Scholars hosted a convening at Georgetown University on affective polarization among young people.

Unlike traditional polarization rooted in ideological differences, affective polarization is personal — marked by distrust, distance, and even hostility toward those with different identities or beliefs.

Our latest substack piece, “Debriefing the Divide: What We Learned,” reflects on key insights from this event and invites you to join the conversation on affective polarization.

Check it out:

Debriefing the Divide: What We Learned from Seven Conversations on Youth and Affective Polarization Affective Polarization Convening #2

🚨 AI in the Classroom: Opportunity or Challenge? 🚨

AI is rapidly transforming education, from ed-tech products to federal priorities, but are we prepared? CERL’s recent research highlights a striking gap: while 68% of middle school students say they’re confident understanding AI, only 9% of K-12 social studies teachers feel ready to teach it.

Our new Substack post, “Civic Education in the Age of AI,” explores how the Center for Civic Education's programs We the People and Project Citizen offer solutions:
✅ Performance-based assessments that encourage collaboration & real-time thinking
✅ Project-based learning that grounds students in authentic, community-focused work
✅ Media literacy instruction that teaches students to critically evaluate AI content
✅ Civic skill-building that fosters civil discourse & engagement, which AI cannot replicate

AI is a powerful tool, but our substack piece reminds readers that human connection, mentorship, and authentic engagement remain irreplaceable.

Read the full post here:

Civic Education in the Age of AI AI is nearly ubiquitous.

"Put me in coach!" - civics

Civic education improves student literacy.

The Civic Education Research Lab at Georgetown University analyzed writing samples from students in the We the People program and found improvements in these categories:

✅ Interpretation (87%)
✅ Comprehension (66%)
✅ Analysis (64%)
✅ Evaluation (43%)

Through the program’s simulated congressional hearings, students engage with challenging civics questions that push them to write, argue, and analyze at the highest levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy.

Their writing doesn’t just improve—it transforms.

If literacy is the goal, civic education must be in the starting lineup, not on the sidelines.

📖 Read more from CERL: https://bit.ly/civics-is-literacy

🚨 New from CERL on Substack:
From the Sidelines to the Starting Lineup: Civics in the Literacy Playbook

📝 According to NAEP, only 24% of U.S students in grades 8 and 12 were considered proficient in writing.

📚 CERL’s latest study shows that civic education can be a game-changer for literacy. Learn how the Center for Civic Education's We the People: Citizen & The Constitution program strengthens student writing and why civics belongs in the starting lineup, not on the sidelines.

👉 Read here:

From the Sidelines to the Starting Lineup: Civics in the Literacy Playbook We the People Student Literacy Analysis

Looking forward to this event with the Center for Civic Education. We have lots of amazing data to show that civic education makes a difference.

We’re hosting a National Symposium on Civic Education Research!

Join us in Washington, D.C., on March 6–7, 2026, for the We the People: National Symposium on Civic Education Research with Civic Education Research Lab This will be a powerful convening of educators, researchers, policymakers, and advocates committed to strengthening high-quality civic learning.

You’ll hear from leading scholars, classroom teachers, and community voices! Here are the topics:
✅ New research on what works in civic education
✅ Stories of transformation from classrooms using We the People and similar programs
✅ How to turn evidence into action through policy, practice, and advocacy

Whether you're a K–12 educator, academic, school leader, policy maker, or civic coalition leader, this symposium is for you.

Together we can advance civic learning and shape the future of civic education.
🔗 Learn more: https://civiced.org/we-the-people/symposium


Civic Education Research Lab.

Happy Belated Constitution Day! 🎉

Last week, CERL Director Diana Owen joined the Constitution Day Symposium hosted by More Perfect and iCivics. As iCivics CEO Louise Dubé said, “Civic educators are the gardeners of democracy.” 🌱

CERL’s work is to help the gardeners of democracy grow their students into citizens. Check out our latest substack piece to see how the Center for Civic Education's We the People program and the Bill of Rights Institute's education resources help grow students' civic knowledge and skills.

To read the piece in full follow the link below:

Happy Belated Constitution Day! Last week, CERL Director, Dr.