In a recent report entitled "All Together Now: Collaboration and Innovation for Youth Engagement,": the Commission on Youth Voting & Civic Knowledge concluded that civic education is a shared responsibility of schools and other institutions. Data suggests, however, that more work is required to provide all young people with the knowledge, skills and dispositions they need to participate fully in the civic life of their communities. When looking for ways to improve civic education in public K-12 schools state policy makers typically consider two main interventions: new courses or new tests. CIRCLE's analysis of data collected in 2012 suggests that, in general, the testing and course mandates in force at that time did not affect what students had studied or learned. However, tests and courses can be designed in many ways, and three states, Florida, Hawaii, and Tennessee have recently undertaken novel approaches that have promise: (1) High Stakes Standardized Testing; (2) An "Action Civics" Course Mandate without Assessment; and (3) An Alternative Assessment. This study looks at the rationales and perceived advantages and drawbacks of each strategy with special attention to the challenges that confront the agencies and districts charged with implementing them. The goal is to inform other states' policymakers and advocates as they consider alternative strategies for strengthening civics. This report also serves as an introduction to a companion document, which describes how and why the legislation passed in each state based on the perspectives and experiences of individuals involved in passing and implementing these initiatives. This report provides an overview and basic information about each policy. [To access the working paper entitled "Civic Education Policy Change: Case Studies of Florida, Tennessee, and Hawaii. CIRCLE Working Paper #79," see ED574388.]