RCF Youth Development Fund

Rock County First Youth Development Fund To Award Grants Supporting Education in Civics

Rock County, WI (October 13, 2022) – Rock County First’s (RCF) Board of Directors approved funding for a new Rock County Youth Development Fund at its September 14th meeting. “The new Rock County Youth Development Fund is an invigorating next phase of the RCF Vision. With a focus on Civics and U.S. History, RCF strives to strengthen the foundation of a social science education in the Rock County community” said RCF’s president.

The State of State Standards for Civics and U.S. History in 2021, by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute (Institute), evaluated the quality of Wisconsin’s standards for Civics and U.S. History based on content, rigor, clarity and organization. Wisconsin’s overall ranking was “Inadequate,” with its Civics and U.S. History standards both earning ‘F’s’ from the Institute.

According to the latest Nation’s Report Card (2018) published by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), “Across social science subjects one-quarter or less of Wisconsin eighth graders perform at or above NAEP Proficient.” NAEP’s assessment of eighth grade proficiency in Civics averaged 24%, Geography 25% and U.S. History 15% (NAEP).

In 24 years, cumulative achievement levels (1998 – 2018) of eighth grade Civics testing show progress in Civics education has not significantly improved, trending 22% in 1998 to 24% in 2018 (NAEP).

The RCF Youth Development Fund supports young adults in developing and applying foundational knowledge of American Civics and U.S. History to include skills that are critical to maintaining the constitutional republic of the United States.

“Through the generosity of our 1200 plus members, RCF has created and financed this exciting new RCF Youth Development Fund. Our board is currently in the process of planning how to effectively administer the funds to benefit the youth of our Rock County community in support of civic and social sciences,” says RCF’s treasurer.

Look for future Rock County First Youth Development Fund news releases to learn more about the grant process.