Former lawmakers, educators discuss need to update PA’s civics education standards
Pennsylvania given a failing grade for clarity and uniformity of civics education
Rep. Tim Brennan September 8, 2025 | 3:06 PM
Photos available for download: Policy Hearing | Student "Town Hall"
NEW HOPE, Sept. 8 – As we approach the 250th anniversary of the founding of our nation, civic engagement is at an all-time low. Educators and former lawmakers testified before the House Majority Policy Committee on reversing that trend and ensuring strong civics education in our K-12 schools to help preserve democracy.
“The future of our democracy rests in the hands of the next generation. But if they’re not well-informed or prepared, it’s likely they won’t participate at all. Discussions like these are important to ensuring the vitality of both our democracy and our commonwealth,” said Rep. Tim Brennan (D-Bucks), who hosted Monday’s hearing. “I’m honored we had this important conversation among the students and faculty of New-Hope Solebury High School. They continue to take great care to provide students with a robust civics education, and the school was just ranked No.4 in the state by U.S. News & World Report. From the administrators to the students, it really shows.”
Lawmakers heard from former Congressmen James Gerlach (PA-13) and Joe Hoeffel (PA-6), who formed the organization PA Civics in 2018 with a focus on supporting and expanding civics education in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania’s current law, last updated in 2002, requires students to undergo a “civics assessment” between grades 7-12, but specifics are not determined by school district. The Congressmen say because there is no uniform standard, the PA Dept. of Education cannot correctly assess a students’ civics proficiency.
In 2021, the Thomas Fordham Institute gave Pennsylvania an “F” grade for its quality, clarity and uniformity of civics and history education standards. Congressmen Gerlach and Hoeffel testified that lawmakers should work to update these standards and provide more consistency across Pennsylvania school districts.
“We firmly believe that the window of opportunity for bipartisan, collective action to move Pennsylvania to the top in quality civics education is right before us,” said Congressman Gerlach. “We can achieve that hugely important success if we all recognize that the future of America is closely tied to how well we prepare our children here in the Commonwealth to be the knowledgeable and engaged leaders we will need them to be.”
The Committee of Seventy, a non-partisan civics leadership organization in Pennsylvania, testified that civic engagement is historically low across the commonwealth. Some precincts in Philadelphia reported voter turnout in the single digits during the last primary election. Lauren Cristella, President of the Committee of Seventy, testified that civics education should not be limited to just content, but they should also be taught the skills to be engaged citizens.
“I can’t overstate the importance of making sure the next generation of voters is prepared to participate in our democracy. But it starts at the grade-school level, and as we heard today, Pennsylvania’s standards for civics education are not what they should be,” said House Majority Policy Chairman Ryan Bizzarro (D-Erie). “Knowledge is power, and it’s clear that we need to make these standards clearer and more consistent across the board to better inform our students about the world of civics.”
Testifiers at Monday’s hearing include former Congressmen James Gerlach and Joe Hoeffel, who founded PA Civics; Lauren Cristella, President of the Committee of Seventy; and Shannon Salter Burghardt, an educator at the Allentown School District and chair of the Educating for American Democracy Teacher Leadership Task Force. Mark Schweiker, Pennsylvania’s 44th Governor, also delivered an introduction at the beginning of the hearing. Testimony for Monday’s hearing can be found here, while a link to the livestream is available here.
Prior to the hearing, Brennan and Gov. Schweiker engaged with students in a town hall-style session about civics education in the school library. Students had the chance to ask questions, with some selected for further discussion at the hearing.
Information about this and other House Democratic Policy Committee hearings can be found at pahouse.com/policy.