Brennan hosts bipartisan Policy Hearing on strengthening civics education
Event at New Hope-Solebury High School preceded by a student town hall with Brennan & former Gov. Schweiker
Southeast Delegation September 10, 2025 | 1:21 PM
NEW HOPE, Sept. 10 – State Rep. Tim Brennan, D-Bucks, hosted members of the PA House Majority Policy Committee Monday at New Hope-Solebury High School for a public hearing on civics education.
The hearing included testimony from experts such as former Republican Gov. Mark Schweiker and former members of Congress Jim Gerlach, R-PA 6, and Joe Hoeffel, D-PA 13. The bipartisan discussion focused on how strong K-12 civics education is essential to preserving the nation’s democracy and encouraging young people to engage in democratic processes.
Brennan introduced a bill in February, H.R. 138, that would have the Joint State Government Commission evaluate Pennsylvania's current civic education measures under Act 35 of 2018 and develop recommendations to align the state’s methods with research-based best practices. Act 35 was established to increase civic engagement in the commonwealth by strengthening civics education, but the limited data collected so far means its success remains unclear. House Resolution 138 aims to address this.
“The United States is about to celebrate its 250th anniversary, and Pennsylvania has played a significant role in our nation’s history. We’re at a crossroads, both locally and nationally, about how to tell that story and, more importantly, what we should be learning from it,” Brennan said. “It was important to have this conversation with students present and in their own environment at New Hope-Solebury High School. Governor Schweiker joined me and graciously spent the entire day with students—first in a town hall, then being interviewed by budding journalists for their school’s TV news show.”
Before the hearing, Brennan and Schweiker engaged with students in a town hall-style session in the school library. Students had the opportunity to ask questions, with some selected for further discussion at the hearing.
“The faculty at NHSHS clearly take pride in providing students with a robust civics education. These educators think outside the box they’re often placed in and care about the bigger picture: developing students who will grow up to become well-rounded adults,” Brennan continued. “It shows clearly, as the school was recently ranked by U.S. News & World Report as No. 4 in Pennsylvania. "I can’t overstate how proud I was to demonstrate, alongside the governor, a positive example for the students, and how impressed I was with their engagement and genuine desire to learn about how our government works, how it sometimes doesn’t, and the role they will someday play in it.”
Students also heard from America250PA, the statewide commission, established in 2018 to lead Pennsylvania’s commemoration of the nation’s 250th anniversary, provide information about opportunities available to them. This includes the Semiquincentennial Scholarship Program, which will award $250,000 to Pennsylvania high school seniors attending in-state colleges and universities during the 2026–27 academic year. Scholarship recipients will be chosen for their understanding of civic values.
At the hearing, Schweiker commended committee members for their efforts to strengthen civics education in the commonwealth and spoke optimistically about how students would respond.
“We started with a group this morning—optional for these students, ages 14 to 18. Over 100 young people showed up. These were spirited students, both in the nature of their questions and their reactions. They knew in their hearts that they ought to understand more about their government. It was encouraging to see,” Schweiker said. “Just seven and a half miles from here is historic Washington Crossing, and I can’t overstate the importance of that site. Had we not succeeded, could I sit here and talk about how we’re the longest-running democracy on the planet? Do Pennsylvanians even know that’s the case?”
Gerlach and Hoeffel, who co-founded the statewide bipartisan coalition PA Civics in 2018, spoke about how success in civics education is closely tied to the success of government.
“If you look at what’s happening in other states as of this past spring, 42 states were considering 163 different bills on civics education,” Gerlach said. “When you look at what they have in common, the most important topic is information literacy. How do we help kids take information, analyze it, and think critically about it in relation to their role as citizens?”
They also discussed the actions PA Civics members are urging the legislature to take regarding civics education, including updating Act 35, writing in their submitted joint testimony:
“Once our schools began fully implementing [Act 35], it became clear to us that the Act, while passed with a laudatory purpose, is relatively weak in uniformly advancing civics across the state. The Act simply requires that our students undergo a “civics assessment” at some point between grades 7–12 and that the schools, which determine what the assessment actually is and when it is given, then report their results to the state Department of Education. DOE then collects the assessment results from around the state and can report on how many schools complied with the assessment requirement and how many students passed the assessment in their school. However, these results really don’t tell us much in terms of actual civics proficiency since the substance of the civics tests can vary widely from school to school, and it can be given anywhere from grade 7 through 12.”
This point was echoed by Lauren Cristella, president of the Committee of Seventy, who testified about ways for the General Assembly to pass bipartisan improvements to Act 35 in a way that avoids the partisan fights that have infected other states’ discussions on this topic.
“For starters, Pennsylvania’s state social studies standards have not been updated since 2002. Before the country focuses its attention on Pennsylvania for the semiquincentennial celebrations next year, we should be able to say that the State Board of Education has begun that revision process,” Cristella said.
Shannon Salter Burghardt, a social studies teacher at Allentown School District and chair of the Educating for American Democracy Teacher Leadership Task Force, also offered counsel on updating Act 35.
“We can measure commitment to and delivery of high-quality civics education by looking for some key indicators: graduation requirements, state standards, and accountability for student learning,” Burghardt said. “In 2021, the Thomas B. Fordham Institute published The State of State Standards for Civics & U.S. History, which included a state-by-state report card based upon those indicators. Pennsylvania received a grade of “F” for both U.S. History and Civics.”
Still, the educator ended her testimony on a hopeful note.
“As bleak as that assessment of the state of civics education in Pennsylvania is, we are also at a moment of great opportunity. The arrival of America250, with all the related public attention and celebration, creates an ideal atmosphere in which we can rededicate ourselves to the cause of ensuring that every PA student, regardless of learning context, emerges into adult civic life fully prepared to engage,” Burghardt said.
MORE INFORMATION:
- Written testimony submitted by Gerlach & Hoeffel, Cristella, and Burghardt
- News article from New Hope-Solebury School District
- Downloadable photos from the hearing
- Downloadable photos from the student town hall
- Video: Watch the entire hearing
- Video: “The State of Civic Education in Pennsylvania – 2025” with Governor Shapiro, Rep. Brennan and others, via Committee of 70
- Video: Rep. Brennan speaks with leaders of the state Dept. of Education about civics education