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EnglishWhat Are iCivics' Strategic Priorities?
Updated
iCivics organizes its work around four strategic priorities: Innovate Education, Inform Policy, Inspire Engagement, and Illustrate Impact. Together they describe how the organization pursues its mission of advancing civic learning so young people can shape the world around them. The priorities are complementary rather than sequential—classroom resources, policy advocacy, network-building, and evidence-sharing are presented as parallel tracks that reinforce one another.
Innovate Education
This priority focuses on equipping educators with resources that build the knowledge, skills, and dispositions students need for informed civic participation. In practice, that means the classroom-facing side of iCivics is aimed at teachers and students rather than at policymakers or researchers. The site's home page directs visitors to "free educational resources" for both students and teachers, and teacher testimonials describe using iCivics materials to help students evaluate reliable sources and distinguish credible information from fake news and AI-generated content.
If your goal is to find materials to use in a classroom, this is the priority that maps most directly to your need—start with the student and teacher resource entry points rather than the policy or impact sections.
Inform Policy
iCivics states that it advances policy at the state and national levels to make civic education a priority for the health and strength of the nation. This priority is about elevating civic education on the public agenda, not about producing classroom content. It is relevant to readers interested in how civic education is treated as a policy question—for example, administrators, advocates, or journalists—rather than to teachers looking for a lesson plan.
Inspire Engagement
This priority invites and engages a diverse network of learners and leaders in the movement for high-quality civic education. It is the community- and movement-building track: the emphasis is on participation across a broad network rather than on a single program or product. The site's framing reflects this—civic participation is described in terms of people engaging, raising a hand, lifting their voices, listening to each other, and coming together to solve common challenges.
Illustrate Impact
iCivics evaluates and shares evidence-based findings that demonstrate the value and impact of civic education. The site states that students who receive a comprehensive, high-quality civic education are more likely to become informed and actively engaged citizens and voters, and it publishes impact stories featuring students, adult education instructors, and AP U.S. History and AP American Government teachers.
How the Four Priorities Fit Together
| Priority | Primary audience | What it produces |
|---|---|---|
| Innovate Education | Teachers and students | Resources building civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions |
| Inform Policy | State and national policymakers | Advocacy to make civic education a priority |
| Inspire Engagement | Learners and leaders broadly | A diverse, engaged network in the civic education movement |
| Illustrate Impact | Public, educators, advocates | Evidence-based findings and impact stories |
A useful way to read the framework: Innovate Education supplies the substance, Inform Policy works on the conditions around it, Inspire Engagement widens who takes part, and Illustrate Impact documents whether it works. The site presents these as mutually reinforcing—impact findings feed back into the case for resources and policy attention.
Choosing Where to Start
- Looking for classroom materials: go to the free educational resources for students and teachers (Innovate Education).
- Interested in civic education as public policy: read the policy section (Inform Policy).
- Want to join or connect with the broader movement: explore engagement opportunities (Inspire Engagement).
- Need evidence or examples of outcomes: review the impact section and impact stories (Illustrate Impact).
The site does not publish pricing details for these priorities, so treat "free educational resources" as referring specifically to the student and teacher materials described on the home page rather than as a statement about every part of the organization's work.