A quiet moment in A Man on the Inside – a mother questioning her son’s digital friendship – reveals the complexity of civic life in 2025.

The University of Notre Dame will partner with the University of California, Riverside (UCR) and Harvard University to improve civics education in U.S. ...

On this week’s episode of The Codcast, Jim Peyser, who served as secretary of education under Gov. Charlie Baker, talks with CommonWealth Beacon executive editor Michael Jonas about the yearlong series of essays he wrote for CommonWealth Beacon on the need for civil discussion of often controversial issues in an era of polarized debate. Peyser says a healthy democracy depends on our ability to move past the current moment, where opponents are often characterized not as adversaries but enemies, and complex issues, which often involve difficult trade-offs and not just matters of right and...

A new report provides a clear, actionable framework for effective experiential civic learning—what it is, why it matters, and how to do it well.

The Healthy Democracy Ecosystem Map is the first comprehensive look at the universe of organizations promoting healthy democracy in America.

Although negative stereotypes about young people persist, their “non-expert expertise” is irreplaceable. This article highlights promising practices and examples, drawn from the author’s two decades of work supporting aspiring teen problem solvers in the public policy arena.

A business must be efficient to drive profits. Government, however, is more like a nonprofit organization. It exists to provide the services we collectively agree are needed. As citizens, it is our responsibility to ensure those services are delivered effectively and at reasonable cost.

The city is looking for residents to help shape the future of Raleigh.

When public opinion and policy decisions don’t line up, what are the reasons? The question, and the answers, matter because they reveal not only how lawmakers make choices but also why the public so often feels unheard.

Find out what happens when citizens take the lead on climate and community

In 2025, the National Civic League invited communities across the geographic and political spectrum to share how they are strengthening local environmental sustainability alongside residents and local partners. Communities showed that despite waning public attention and shrinking funding, tangible progress is possible through creative, inclusive, and sustained action.

The success of public participation is not only dependent on the strategies, tools, and creative forms of engagement that policy professionals prepare in advance but also what happens informally and often unintentionally during the “in between” moments of those processes.

National service is the hard work that protects democracy one person, one community, at a time. In an era when our democracy faces its gravest threat, national service isn't just a good idea. It's critical to national security.

In October, residents of two Washington cities, Maple Valley and Covington, came together to tackle two of their communities’ most pressing challenges. In partnership with both cities, Civic Genius held a pair of It’s Your America deliberative workshops, first on housing and growth, then on policing and public safety. Here’s how it went: Participants spent...

The Plurality Institute, on how technology can improve basic democratic processes

“We all want change and we’re collectively moving forward. We just can’t put it into words because we’re too busy at each other’s throats.” This comment, from a participant in one of the workshops on Strengthening Civic Health we did in Colorado last week, reflected many participants’ concerns about political polarization. League staff, under the...

Holding city council meetings downtown during weekday business hours makes them inaccessible to too many residents. To open up civic participation, local governments should rethink their scheduling and make the most of electronic tools.

Email from National Civic League November Newsletter Bridging the Gap Between Theory and Practice in Democracy Reform In the world of good governance and democracy reform, there’s often a gap between

Our team joined global peers exploring how democracy, technology, and culture can work together to give people more agency in shaping the decisions that affect their lives