The purpose of this dissertation was to scrutinize the complexities involved in the formulation and implementation of relevant policies. The design of each study mirrored key elements in the legislative life cycle specifically as it pertained to civics education policymaking, including problem identification, policy creation, and policy diffusion. In the first study, I explored the problem identification stage of civics education policymaking by examining NAEP-C's nationally representative civics scores from 2014 and 2018. Through the application of multilevel regression with poststratification, I estimated proficiency rates for each state, highlighting the variability amongst the states across the two testing cycles. These findings reveal the disparity in civics education across the country, guiding future targeted interventions and resource allocation. In the second study, I searched for links between model and proposed civics education legislation from 2009-2023 in efforts to increase transparency in the policy creation stage. I utilized natural language tools, traditionally applied to author attribution and verification, to cluster proposed legislation and then compare each model's similarity to each cluster. The study identified a rich ecosystem of civics policymaking, though linking this ecosystem with specific sources of legislative influence was inconclusive. Lastly, in the third study, I employed event history analyses to identify how specific state-level antecedents are associated with the policy adoption stage of civics education from 1994-2020. The rest of this section summarizes the main findings and implications of the three studies. From analyzing achievements at the state level to studying trends this comprehensive approach aims to provide a complete understanding of the civics education landscape. It is important to note that while the challenge is national in scope, the solutions will need to be tailor-made at the state and district levels. The objective of this research is to offer guidance to policymakers in developing strategies for future civics education reforms. The journey from data to decision-making, encapsulated here, is a testament to the power of informed, collaborative approaches to addressing the educational challenges of our ever-evolving democratic society. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]