For decades, the US education system has failed to adequately combat a decline of civic engagement and awareness, resulting in what many are now calling a "civics recession." The good news is that there is growing awareness, at all levels, that we need new and concerted efforts to make civic learning and engagement a core component of every American's education, from elementary school to college and beyond. This article asserts that preparing learners of all ages for informed, engaged participation in the civic and democratic life of communities, states, and the nation is not just essential--it is entirely consistent with the over-arching national goals of increasing student achievement; with closing achievement gaps; and with President Obama's goal that by 2020, the United States will once again have the world's highest proportion of college graduates. The article includes a list of 10 indicators of anemic U.S. civic health as well as a framework for twenty-first-century civic learning and democratic engagement. (Contains 11 resources.)