As we prepare to celebrate America 250, the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding, we are reminded of the vision and courage it took to establish a republic built on liberty, self-government, and civic duty. Idaho now has the opportunity, and the responsibility, to recommit to one of our most important educational missions: ensuring every student develops the knowledge, habits, and skills to be resilient stewards of our republic.
Our schools are charged with preparing young people for much more than the workforce. Of course, education equips students with the technical and professional tools needed to succeed in today’s economy. It must also prepare them to carry the responsibilities of citizenship: participating thoughtfully in civic life, respecting our institutions and their histories, and engaging constructively in debate. We must build citizens, not just employees.
This spring, Idaho took an important step forward by approving standalone Western Civilization content standards for high school elective courses. These standards encourage students to examine the rise and fall of ancient empires, the Enlightenment, and the intellectual foundations of the American experiment. By studying the ideas that shaped our system of government, students gain both historical grounding and perspective. As I noted when the Idaho State Board of Education endorsed these standards, they are designed to help students connect history to their own lives and prepare them to be thoughtful, engaged citizens.
Yet civic education cannot be limited to a single course in high school. It must begin early where children first encounter the concepts of fairness, responsibility, and community. It should be reinforced in middle school, where students can start applying those ideas through classroom discussions, mock elections, and service projects. By the time students reach college, they should be ready to grapple with complex questions about ethics, policy, governance, and leadership.
Civics also teaches something vital that extends far beyond history and government: critical thinking. When students analyze primary sources, debate interpretations of the Constitution, or evaluate competing policy ideas, they are practicing skills that will serve them in every aspect of life. In a world of instant information and misinformation, democracy depends on citizens who can reason, question, and weigh evidence without retreating into tribal silence or resorting to violence.
The tragic assassination of political commentator Charlie Kirk at a public college event in Utah underscores precisely why these lessons are urgent. His death is horrific evidence that disagreement has turned deadly in America. We must reaffirm that to disagree is not to demonize. To debate is not to destroy. Civics education must teach students how to disagree with civility, how to seek truth rather than tribal advantage, how to reject violence, and to see dissent not as a threat, but as democracy’s pulse.
Colleges and universities are uniquely suited to hone these skills, which is why voices like Charlie Kirk’s often choose campuses as the arenas for debate—places where disagreement is meant to be aired peacefully. Higher education should be the place where students sharpen their reasoning, test their assumptions, and practice engaging respectfully across deep differences. These are not academic niceties, they are the essential habits that sustain a free society.
As we commemorate America 250, let us commit to making civic education a cornerstone of Idaho’s educational system from kindergarten through college. By doing so, we honor the vision of the founders who entrusted “We the People” with the responsibility of self-government, and we prepare the next generation not only to succeed in their careers, but to lead, to serve, and to preserve the blessings of liberty for centuries to come.
