What Drives Civic Learning? Curriculum and Professional Learning in Conversation

Posted in James Madison Legacy Project Expansion We the People: National Symposium on Civic Education

Donna Phillips, Center for Civic Education, Glenn Manns, We the People Kentucky; Beth Ratway, American Institutes for Research

By Beth Ratway

High-quality instructional materials (HQIM) and professional learning are two of the most important, research-backed levers for improving student learning in civics. While they are often discussed as competing priorities, the evidence suggests they are most effective when used together in a coherent strategy. Each plays a distinct but complementary role in shaping both what students experience and how deeply they learn.

HQIM primarily ensures access to rigorous and meaningful civic learning. Research from scholars like Thomas Kane and studies synthesized by the RAND Corporation show that high-quality, standards-aligned curricula can significantly improve student outcomes. In civics, HQIM increases the likelihood that all students, not just those in select classrooms, engage in essential disciplinary practices. These include analyzing primary sources, constructing evidence-based arguments, and participating in structured discussions and simulations. HQIM embeds these opportunities directly into daily instruction, reducing variability in what is taught and ensuring consistent exposure to grade-level content. In this way, HQIM acts as the foundation of civic learning by guaranteeing that students have access to high-quality experiences.

However, access alone does not ensure impact. Professional learning plays a critical role by strengthening the quality of enactment. Research synthesized by Linda Darling-Hammond demonstrates that professional learning is most effective when it is sustained, content-specific, and closely connected to teachers’ daily work. In civics education, where instruction often involves discussion of complex and sometimes controversial issues, teacher skill is especially important. Professional learning helps teachers deepen their content knowledge, refine their questioning techniques, and develop the ability to facilitate respectful, evidence-based dialogue. It also supports teachers in creating an open classroom climate where students feel safe expressing ideas and engaging with multiple perspectives. Findings from CIRCLE reinforce that these elements, discussion, deliberation, and a supportive classroom environment, are key drivers of civic learning and engagement.

The relationship between HQIM and professional learning is best understood as interactive rather than additive. HQIM can provide the structure for high-quality instruction, but without professional learning, implementation may remain superficial. Teachers may follow lessons without fully realizing their intended rigor or purpose. Conversely, professional learning without strong materials can lead to inconsistency, as teachers may lack a clear, shared foundation for instruction. The strongest outcomes occur when HQIM and professional learning are aligned: materials provide the “what,” while professional learning strengthens the “how.” A useful way to conceptualize this is through three layers of influence. First, HQIM ensures access to high-quality civic experiences. Second, professional learning determines how effectively those experiences are enacted in the classroom. Third, when both are strong and aligned, they create the conditions for sustained and scalable improvement in student learning.

In civics, this alignment is especially critical because the goal is not only to build knowledge, but also to develop students’ ability to think critically, engage in democratic dialogue, and participate thoughtfully in civic life. HQIM provides the architecture for these experiences, while professional learning equips teachers to bring them to life. Together, they create classrooms where students do not just learn about democracy, but also practice it.

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