Building Civic Literacy for a Healthier Democracy

We equip students, educators, and communities with the tools to understand civic institutions, evaluate information critically, and engage responsibly in public life.

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Critical Thinking

Developing the skills to analyze information objectively, evaluate evidence, and form reasoned judgments on complex issues.

Media Awareness

Understanding how media influences perceptions and learning to identify bias, misinformation, and credible sources.

Civic Engagement

Empowering individuals to participate meaningfully in democratic life through informed action and community involvement.

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Free Resources for History & Civics Teachers

📚 Download Lesson Plans · 🎥 Watch Classroom Interviews · 🔍 Media Analysis Tools · 📖 Story Reader · 📝 Publish Your Own Lesson · ✉️ Join the Teacher Network

Go to Teacher Resources → Browse Lesson Plans

New Initiative

Real Estate Education for Homebuyers

A free, nonpartisan course on how home buying actually works — mortgages, closing costs, inspections, and how to avoid getting taken advantage of. Built by an educator, not a salesperson.

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New Research Brief

Immigration Policy & Human Rights

An in-depth analysis of UN human rights conventions, U.S. immigration history from 1882 to today, and the real-world forces driving migration — including climate change, modern slavery, and transnationalism.

Read the Full Research

Our Mission and What We Do

We believe a healthy democracy depends on an informed public. Our nonprofit works to expand civic literacy and media education, giving individuals the knowledge and skills they need to understand institutions, assess information critically, and participate meaningfully in civic life.

Through educational resources and public-facing programs, we help communities build the foundation for thoughtful civic engagement in an evolving media landscape.

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Why Civic & Media Literacy Matter

The stability of a democracy depends on having citizens who know how to push for good policy and have the ability to sort through propaganda. Civic literacy helps people understand institutions, citizen rights and responsibilities, and how public decisions are made. Media literacy enables individuals to evaluate information, recognize bias and misinformation, and engage with diverse perspectives. Together, these skills are vital in an era of rapid information flow and complex civic life. Strengthening civic and media literacy promotes informed participation, respectful discourse, and trust in democratic processes. Individuals with historical background knowledge also have higher levels of civic and media literacy.

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Who We Serve

We serve educators, students, community organizations, and members of the public who are committed to strengthening civic understanding and media literacy. Our resources support classroom instruction, community-based learning, and individual engagement, and are designed to be accessible, nonpartisan, and adaptable across diverse educational and civic contexts.

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History Education Scholars

We feature the work of leading experts like Sam Wineburg, whose research at Stanford has revolutionized how students learn to think historically and navigate digital misinformation.

Meet the Scholars

Sam Wineburg

Emeritus Professor, Stanford

"Historical thinking is not a natural process... it goes against the grain of how we ordinarily think."

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Featured Work

Interviews

Investigative Journalists

Jane Mayer, Ryan Grim, and more

Journalists

Critiques of Textbooks

How textbooks shape — and misshape — history

Textbook Critiques

Controversial History

Exploring complex figures and events

Controversial History

The Pinochet File

Lesson plans for World History & Geography

New Lesson Plans

New Lesson Plan

The Neolithic Revolution

World History — From hunter-gatherers to agriculture

Grants & Funding

Finding support for civic education

Grants & Funding

Immigration Policy

Human rights & U.S. immigration history

Policy Research

Published Research

Spotting Power: Reframing Media Literacy

Your Democracy & Education journal article — embedded PDF + full text

New Entry

Merchants of Doubt: Free Speech or Free Markets?

How tobacco, oil, and cold warriors manufactured doubt to kill regulation

Dark Money & the Koch Network

How a fortune built with Nazis and Soviets reshaped American politics

New Research

The Iraq War & WMDs

How the failure to find WMDs changed American credibility forever

New Entry

Media Literacy

Diana Hess: Controversy in the Classroom

Why democratic education depends on discussing what divides us

Media Literacy

Jeremy Stoddard: Media Education for Democracy

Why media education is essential — not optional — for democratic citizenship

Media Literacy

Wayne Journell: Teaching Politics in Schools

How to teach about politics without indoctrinating students

Documentaries

Citizenfour, Fog of War, Dark Money & more

New Section

Adult Civic Literacy

Tax credit proposal for CA, OR, WA

Policy Initiative

New Section

Media Literacy & Democracy

A free press is essential to civic literacy — and so is understanding who tries to undermine it. We feature investigative journalists who uncover systems of power, and document bad faith actors who spread misinformation and erode trust in democratic institutions.

Meet the Journalists Bad Faith Actors

Jane Mayer

Staff Writer, The New Yorker

Investigative journalist behind Dark Money — uncovering how the Koch brothers and billionaire networks reshaped American politics. Finalist for the National Book Award.

Dark Money Peabody Award

Bob Woodward

Associate Editor, The Washington Post

Broke the Watergate scandal with Carl Bernstein. Author of 21 best-selling books on presidential power — from Nixon to Biden. Pulitzer Prize winner.

All the President's Men Pulitzer Prize

Daniel Ellsberg

RAND Corp — The Pentagon Papers

Leaked the Pentagon Papers, exposing decades of government deception about the Vietnam War. Transformed whistleblowing and press freedom.

The Pentagon Papers Landmark 1st Amendment

Carl Bernstein

Investigative Reporter, The Washington Post

Alongside Woodward, broke Watergate. Their reporting brought down a presidency and changed journalism forever. Author and television commentator.

All the President's Men Pulitzer for Public Service

Ken Klippenstein

Independent Journalist (formerly The Intercept)

D.C.-based investigative reporter known for FOIA battles against DOJ, DHS, and ICE. Exposed national security secrets and surveillance programs at The Intercept.

FOIA Lawsuits The Intercept