This study compared more than 1,000 high school students who participated in service-learning programs with those who did not participate in schools matched for similar demographics and student achievement profiles. The intention was to estimate the effects of service-learning compared to more traditional ways of teaching similar subject areas.…

This Working Paper presents an overview of findings from research that addresses whether, and to what extent, gender is salient in the development of norms of citizen behavior and key precursors to citizen engagement. A variety of data is used to illuminate the complexity of gender's relationship to citizen engagement among today's youth. The bulk…

Giving Back to the Community: African American Inner City Teens and Civic Engagement was an exercise in ethnographic research. Intentionally different from the more common quantitative studies conducted on civic engagement, this qualitative data gathering project was intended to focus solely on the patterns of civic engagement habits of low income…

Civic education conducted in schools plays a significant role in fostering citizenship but teaching about these themes is often incorporated in history or social studies courses and not found in a distinct subject. An essential part of improving civic learning opportunities for students is preparing teachers more adequately for civic-related…

The historical study of university campuses can tell us much about the changing character and presuppositions of citizenship. Likewise, the study of citizenship can shed considerable light on the nature of universities. Throughout American history, various elite institutions can be seen struggling to establish a semblance of order and control in…

This study unearths and examines rich models of learning in which multiple institutions collaboratively play a role in promoting civic education. Using historical and ethnographic case study analysis, this paper addresses the research question: What is the role of community in civic education? Specifically, the author examines Hull House and the…

For many young people, adult education offers a "second chance" to obtain a high school credential, to develop literacy skills, or to succeed in a new country and a new language. With more support, it can also represent a second chance for youth to develop civic knowledge and skills and lifelong patterns of civic engagement. The aim of this study…

This research assumes a relatively stable lifeworld for young people. For example, it assumes that the meaning of volunteering or service is sufficiently similar across multiple contexts to remain a valid and stable indicator. By extension, it also assumes that the lifeworld of young people today is not undergoing a period of rapid, and perhaps…

Education has long been a powerful predictor in understanding political participation and yet the paths toward earning a college degree have changed considerably in recent years. As tuition costs increase and as schooling option burgeon, today's youth are taking longer to finish their academic programs and are increasingly working as they do so.…

The Working Paper begins with a brief discussion of why the civic education received by America's youth compels the nation's attention, and then moves on to a review of the previous literature on civic education, including an emphasis on the contributions offered by this analysis. Next, the paper describes the IEA Civic Education Study in detail,…

This fact sheet summarizes young people's attitudes toward three groups that are sometimes targets of intolerance: gays, immigrants, and racial minorities. In general, the data show that young Americans are the most tolerant age group and are growing more tolerant over time. However, their social circles and voluntary associations (such as…

Civics courses are a source of civic skill development, yet not all American students receive civics instruction. This fact sheet reports evidence on the effect of civic education on the civic skill levels of young people. It uses "average treatment effects" to report the effects of studying various civics topics on civic skills. Civic skills…

By and large, scholars of electoral behavior and civil society consider education to be the key predictor of civic participation. Indeed, civic education is held to be a fundamental institution of all deliberative democracies. Yet after decades of empirical research, we still know little about the causal mechanisms through which education fosters…

This progress report provides evidence for persistent influence of Kids Voting USA (KVUSA), an interactive civic curriculum taught during election campaigns. The entire research project consists of multiple waves of student and parent interviews, covering a three-year period. Respondents were recruited from families in Arizona, Colorado, and…

In this fact sheet, data is reported from the IEA Civic Education Study -- a two-phased study of 14- and 17-year olds' civic knowledge, attitudes and activities conducted in 29 countries in 1999 and 2000 with nationally representative samples of students. The information from this study is used to address three main points concerning the media and…