# Former Governors Urge States to Bolster Civics Education Amid Declining Scores

> Former Tennessee Governors Lamar Alexander and Phil Bredesen call on current U.S. governors to prioritize civics education, citing that only one in five eighth graders achieve proficiency.

By PrimaryBrief newsroom · Published 2026-10-23T10:14:58.369327Z
Canonical: https://primarybrief.com/article/former-governors-urge-states-to-bolster-civics-education-amid-declining-scores-fc850ac7

On October 23, 2026, former Tennessee Governors Lamar Alexander and Phil Bredesen published an opinion piece on Time.com, urging current U.S. governors to prioritize and strengthen civics education nationwide [1]. Their call to action highlights that only one in five eighth graders in U.S. schools reached the proficient level on the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) civics assessment [1].

This push for improved civics education comes as reports indicate a significant decline in civic knowledge among students and the general public, raising concerns about informed participation in democratic processes [8][10][11]. Governors have an immediate opportunity to address this by signing up by the end of January to receive state-specific NAEP civics assessment results, data currently unavailable for individual states [1].

## What the records show

The opinion piece by Alexander and Bredesen emphasizes that U.S. students receive limited instruction in early grades on governmental functions, citizen rights, and responsibilities [1]. They pointed to the 2022 NAEP civics assessment, also known as "The Nation's Report Card," which revealed that only 20 percent of eighth graders achieved proficiency [1]. This means the majority of students likely struggle with fundamental concepts like the separation of powers and checks and balances outlined in the Constitution [1]. The 2022 assessment recorded the lowest scores since 1998, with civics scores for eighth-grade students dropping three points on average since 2018 [6][7].

Alexander, who served as Tennessee's governor from 1979 to 1987, a U.S. Senator from 2003 to 2021, and U.S. Secretary of Education from 1991 to 1993, joined Bredesen, Tennessee's governor from 2003 to 2011 and Nashville's mayor from 1991 to 1999, in their public appeal [1][2][3][4]. They noted a lack of state-specific data in civics, unlike subjects such as reading and math, which disadvantages leaders seeking to improve schools [1].

## The timeline

The decline in civics education is a long-standing issue. The time dedicated to civics in American public schools has significantly decreased since the 1960s [8]. Federal and state governments have often not prioritized civics education, partly due to increased focus on other subjects like STEM and initiatives such as No Child Left Behind [8][9]. This shift has resulted in younger Americans generally being less knowledgeable about civics compared to previous generations [8]. A 2022 survey found that less than half of U.S. adults, 47 percent, could name all three branches of government, a decline from 56 percent in 2021 [10][17].

## What changed and for whom

For students, the reduced emphasis on civics means many lack foundational knowledge about how their government operates and their roles within it [1][8]. The call from Alexander and Bredesen creates an opportunity for current governors to re-evaluate and strengthen civics curricula by first obtaining state-specific performance data [1]. This data, available to governors who sign up by the end of January, could provide a clearer picture of educational needs and guide policy changes [1]. Experts agree that strong civic education is essential for an informed citizenry, helping individuals understand their rights and responsibilities and engage in the political process [11][12].

## What the subject has said publicly

In their Time.com article, Alexander and Bredesen stated, "Unlike in subjects like reading and math, we don't have state-specific information about how our own students are doing compared to students in other states in civics" [1]. They emphasized that "U.S. students get limited instruction, particularly in early grades, about how our government works, the rights and responsibilities of citizens, and how to apply civics knowledge beyond the classroom" [1]. They highlighted that governors can initiate change by prioritizing and measuring student knowledge and skills in civics [1].

## What we could not confirm

This report could not confirm how many governors have committed to signing up for the state-level NAEP civics assessment results by the January deadline. It also could not confirm what specific curriculum changes, if any, individual states are currently considering to address the noted decline in civics education.

## Evidence cited
1. Governors Have an Opportunity to Give Civics Education a Badly Needed Boost (time.com) — https://time.com/article/2026/10/23/governors-have-an-opportunity-to-give-civics-education-a-badly-needed-boost/
2. Lamar Alexander - Wikipedia (Wikipedia) — https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamar_Alexander
3. Lamar Alexander - Office of the President (University of Tennessee, Knoxville) — https://utk.edu/about/history/past-presidents/lamar-alexander
4. Phil Bredesen - Ballotpedia (Ballotpedia) — https://ballotpedia.org/Phil_Bredesen
5. Gov. Phil Bredesen (National Governors Association) — https://www.nga.org/governor/phil-bredesen/
6. Civics education is eroding in America’s schools. Here’s how to reinforce it - PBS NewsHour (PBS) — https://www.pbs.org/newshour/education/civics-education-is-eroding-in-americas-schools-heres-how-to-reinforce-it
7. 2022 NAEP Civics and U.S. History Scores Decline (Close Up Foundation) — https://closeup.org/blog/2022-naep-civics-and-us-history-scores-decline/
8. Civics Education in America: What We Know and What We Need to Do - The Sandra Day O'Connor Institute For American Democracy (oconnorinstitute.org) — https://oconnorinstitute.org/civics-education-in-america-what-we-know-and-what-we-need-to-do/
9. The American Civic Education Ecosystem (Hoover Institution) — https://www.hoover.org/research/american-civic-education-ecosystem
10. The State of Civics Education in the General Populace (American Bar Association) — https://www.americanbar.org/groups/public_interest/election_law/task_force_for_american_democracy/state-of-civics-education/
11. Civic Learning Week: The Importance of Civic Education (Public Policy Institute of California) — https://www.ppic.org/blog/civic-learning-week-the-importance-of-civic-education/
12. The Importance of Civic Education - Civics For Life (Civics For Life) — https://civicsforlife.org/the-importance-of-civic-education/
13. Gen Z's Civic Knowledge Gap (cato.org) — https://www.cato.org/blog/gen-z-civic-knowledge-gap
14. American Youth Aren’t Making the Grade in Civics or History (ncoc.org) — https://ncoc.org/american-youth-arent-making-the-grade-in-civics-or-history/
15. New Research Shows Civic and Economic Literacy Gaps Among Americans (uschamberfoundation.org) — https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/blog/new-research-shows-civic-and-economic-literacy-gaps-among-americans
16. Civics Education Advocates Urge Stronger National Standards as New Data Highlights Gaps in Students’ Understanding (goacta.org) — https://www.goacta.org/2026/04/civics-education-advocates-urge-stronger-national-standards-as-new-data-highlights-gaps-in-students-understanding/
17. Americans’ Civics Knowledge Drops on First Amendment and Branches of Government - Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania (annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org) — https://www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org/americans-civics-knowledge-drops-on-first-amendment-and-branches-of-government/
18. Americans’ civics knowledge drops on First Amendment and branches of government | Penn Today (upenn.edu) — https://www.upenn.edu/pennnews/news/americans-civics-knowledge-drops-first-amendment-and-branches-government
19. Americans' civics knowledge drops on First Amendment and branches of government (phys.org) — https://phys.org/news/2022-09-americans-civics-knowledge-amendment.html
20. A Call for Adult Civics Education on Constitution Day - Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania (annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org) — https://www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org/a-call-for-adult-civics-education-on-constitution-day/
21. Civic Education in the United States (byu.edu) — https://history.byu.edu/sites/history.byu.edu/files/civiceducation_summary_paper.pdf
22. State Boards of Education Must Act to Advance Civics Education - NASBE (nasbe.org) — https://www.nasbe.org/state-boards-of-education-must-act-to-advance-civics-education/
23. Americans Say "Too Much Emphasis on Standardized Testing" (nea.org) — https://www.nea.org/advocating-for-change/new-from-nea/americans-say-too-much-emphasis-standardized-testing
24. Are states wasting money on standardized testing? (colorado.edu) — https://www.colorado.edu/today/2023/04/05/are-states-wasting-money-standardized-testing