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ERIC Number: EJ1119516
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Dec
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0013-1245
EISSN: N/A
Using Constitutional Law Classes to Address the "Civic Empowerment Gap" among Inner-City Public High School Students
Addington, Lynn A.
Education and Urban Society, v48 n9 p807-826 Dec 2016
Civic knowledge and participation are low among all students, but this pattern is even more pronounced for those who are poor, belong to a racial or ethnic minority group, or reside in a disadvantaged community. One remedy for this resulting "civic empowerment gap" is a call for teaching more effective civics classes in urban public schools. An open issue concerns identifying substantive topics to engage these students whose personal experiences may lead them to question the legitimacy of government officials. The present study examines a program that teaches constitutional law with an emphasis on civil liberties in urban public high schools. The findings obtained suggest that regular contact with school security and police increases students' interest in learning about their rights and ways to empower themselves in these situations. These results may be used to identify course topics to promote civic engagement.
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: District of Columbia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A