EVERFI Launches Civics Education Into K-12 Schools

EverFi, Inc., the leading education technology company for critical skills, today announced that it is bringing cutting-edge civics education to the next generation of citizens. Commons – Digital Town Square™ will provide schools and students with standards-based educational gaming, personalized social components designed to spark civic engagement, and connections to community leaders and heroes. As with all of EverFi’s K-12 learning platforms, Commons will be offered free of cost to K-12 schools through partnerships with forward-leaning corporations and foundations.

As a first phase of Commons, EverFi has partnered with iCivics, a non-profit founded in 2009 by Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. iCivics is committed to reversing Americans’ declining civic knowledge and participation through educational video games and vibrant teaching materials. The Commons learning platform will include games from iCivics, coupled with EverFi’s proprietary social learning components and assessments to create a completely unique student-facing experience that meets emerging state standards.

“As Justice Sandra Day O’Connor observes, ‘civic knowledge is not passed down through the gene pool; it must be taught,’” said iCivics Executive Director Gene Koo. “iCivics is at the vanguard of teaching the next generation to be informed and engaged citizens, reaching millions of children with our innovative games and teaching materials. We are excited to engage millions more by partnering with EverFi to bring interactive civic learning to students across the country.”

“Now more than ever, young people have the tools to connect and engage on the issues they care about, with social networks and mobile devices offering unique channels to mobilize citizens across the political spectrum,” said EverFi Chief Executive Officer Tom Davidson. “But there is a major signal to noise problem here. Our goal is to help students admire and respect the beauty of the system that they live in.”

Commons uses the latest in new media technologies – animations, 3-D gaming, avatars, and social networking – to bring civics to life for today’s digital generation. The platform covers many critical topics, including citizenship, civil rights, state and local government, the three federal branches, the Constitution and Bill of Rights, voluntary military service, media and influences, public money, and more. EverFi tracks individual student progress, knowledge gain, and changes in students’ attitudes and behaviors.