The Civics Alliance provides its own model legislation and legislative priorities, both for the states (Model K-12 Civics Code, Higher Education Civics Priorities) and the federal government (USCIS Civics Test Act). Yet we are by no means the only organization that provides model legislation for civics reform. Citizens, activists, and policymakers should also consider these alternate model laws.

Critical Race Theory

Heritage Foundation: Protecting K–12 Students from Discrimination

Manhattan Institute: How to Regulate Critical Race Theory in Schools: A Primer and Model Legislation

Academic Transparency

Goldwater Institute: De-Escalating the Curriculum Wars: A Proposal for Academic Transparency in K-12 Education and Academic Transparency Act

Manhattan Institute: A Model for Transparency in School Training and Curriculum

Goldwater Institute, Manhattan Institute, and Stanley Kurtz: Sunlight in Learning Act

Financial Transparency

American Legislative Exchange Council: Public School Financial Transparency Act

Manhattan Institute: A Model for Transparency in School Training and Curriculum

Diversity Statements

The James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal: End Political Litmus Tests in Education Act

Civics and History Instruction

American Legislative Exchange Council: American Civics and History Act

The James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal: Blueprint for Reform: Civics Education

Gender and Sexuality

Manhattan Institute, A Model for School Practices Relating to Sexuality and Gender

Comprehensive Reform

Goldwater Institute and Speech First, Freedom From Indoctrination Act

The James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal: Critical Social Justice in the UNC System (especially page 5)

Manhattan Institute, Abolish DEI Bureaucracies and Restore Colorblind Equality in Public Universities

Missouri Senate Bill 740 (2022): Modifies and creates provisions regarding elementary and secondary education

Existing State Statutes, Bills, and Policies

PEN America, a bitterly hostile opponent of the Civics Alliance’s priorities, has assembled a very helpful database with a tendentious name: PEN America Index of Educational Gag Orders. Citizens and activists should make use of PEN America’s hard work to find out which statutes, bills, and policies they find most useful as models for their own civics reform efforts.