The Center for Civic Education is a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational corporation dedicated to promoting an enlightened and responsible citizenry committed to democratic principles and actively engaged in the practice of democracy in the United States and other countries.

The Center specializes in civic/citizenship education, law-related education, and international educational exchange programs for developing democracies. Programs focus on the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights; American political traditions and institutions at the federal, state, and local levels; constitutionalism; civic participation; and the rights and responsibilities of citizens.

We the People: Project Citizen is a civic education program designed to foster the development of students’ interest and ability to participate competently and responsibly in local and state government. Developed in 1995 as a middle school program, versions of Project Citizen are now available for high school and adult participants.

The program at Kansas State University is a sub-award from the Center for Civic Education in Calabasas, California, with funds from the U.S. Department of Education.

The Center for Civic Education’s Civitas International Programs bring exemplary civic education curricula to students worldwide through partnerships with organizations in the United States and in more than 70 countries. This unique network of educators, civil society organizations, educational institutions, and governmental agencies has worked for more than a decade to develop quality curricular materials and train teachers throughout Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. Many countries in the Civitas network collaborate with model civic education programs in U.S. states and in other countries to develop programs that address their specific civic education needs.

Civitas International Programs are directed by the Center for Civic Education and funded by the U.S. Department of Education under the Education for Democracy Act approved by the United States Congress; additional support is provided by the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and other sources.

In October 2002, the U.S. Department of Education awarded a five-year grant, as part of its Cooperative Civic Education and Economic Education Exchange Program, to the Council for Citizenship Education at Russell Sage College to develop Civics Mosaic, an international exchange program in comparative civics.

Research plays an important role not only in the program evaluation of Civics Mosaic but also in its program activities. In fact, both program and evaluation have been determined to be subject to federal human participant protection regulations.