Des Moines Register: The Iowa Department of Education’s civics and U.S. history standards are “inadequate,” according to a new study by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. The State of State Standards for Civics and U.S. History in 2021, released Wednesday, “evaluates the quality of the K-12 civics and U.S. history standards” used in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. In Iowa, researchers reviewed the Department of Education’s 2017 social studies standards, which cover kindergarten through 12th grade instruction. Researchers evaluated the standards for content, rigor, clarity and organization. One of the study’s authors said Iowa ranked in the bottom third of the states, receiving a D for its civics standards and an F for its U.S. history standards.