Andrew and Beth speak with education analyst, Tom Kelly who talks about his work with the Jack Miller Center advocating for civics education in K-12 schools. We discuss the appalling results of the recently released assessment of eighth-grade students on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) where only 14 percent of students scored proficient in US history and 22 percent in civics.

Kelly also explains the difference between traditional civics education focused on America’s founding documents and the structure of American government and “action civics” being taught in public schools and favored by the national teachers unions which focuses on civic engagement and social justice issues.

Thomas Kelly oversees all K-12 civic education efforts for the Jack Miller Center (JMC) through its Founding Civics Initiative. Since 2016, Tom has grown JMC’s K-12 civics programming from 2 to more than 130 programs in ten states with a network of nearly 2,000 teachers. Tom’s articles on civic education have appeared in Newsweek, The Hill, National Review, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and RealClear Public Affairs. He received an A.B. from the University of Chicago in international studies and a J.D. from the University of Notre Dame.