Dive Brief:

• The Massachusetts Board of Higher Education has adopted a policy it claims is the first of its kind in the nation, urging the state’s public colleges and universities to incorporate civic learning as an "expected outcome" for undergraduate students.
• Compliance is expected to begin this fall.
• The new policy stems from recommendations made by the Study Group for Civic Learning and Engagement, which examines how campuses can prepare future citizens.

Dive Insight:

The policy says that the civic learning should include knowledge of the United States' history and governmental traditions, other societies, and the relationships between them. The policy also references an understanding of the social and political values associated with democratic and civic institutions. The Massachusetts board also plans to work with the state's Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to implement cross-sector civil learning plan for kindergarten through college.