The New York Times asked its readers to list the biggest challenges in 2016. On the education front, the Times selected a call for more civic education from Meredith in Massachusetts:

“America’s biggest challenge is our shortfall in civic education. Its absence and the resulting dysfunction make us more vulnerable to every foreign and domestic threat…”

Justice O’Connor would approve, and I can’t agree more.

In this election cycle, we see the consequences of fundamental misunderstandings about how our democracy works and how we can work together to make progress.  

If our nation is to get the electorate it deserves, we need to get serious about supporting you, our teachers, to spend time in the classroom on civics.  And this year, we need to teach about the electoral system and help our soon-to-be voters become engaged citizens.

Soon, we will release an updated version of our popular Win The White House game with many election related classroom materials.  Look for it in March.  I first encountered iCivics because my son Daniel played the game in 2012 and loved it.  It is still my favorite game. 

Louise Dubé is executive director at iCivics. Louise has devoted her career to ensuring that all students are prepared for active and thoughtful citizenship and life.  Follow her on Twitter: @Louise_Dube