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The Promise of Civic Learning and the Civic opportunity Gap.
Joseph KahneCivic Engagement Research Group at Mills College
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Contact Information
Joseph Kahne, Mills College
www.civicsurvey.org
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Cover photos courtesy of UCLA Idea
Courtesy UCLA Idea
+The Civic Mission of Schools
The qualifications of self-governance are not innate. They are the result of habit and long training.
-- Thomas Jefferson
We should be concerned
Courtesy UCLA Idea
+Late 1990s – Present Concern about low
levels of youth civic/political participation
Concern about inequitable civic/political engagement
Concern: Low Levels of Civic Values
Concern: Low Levels of Interest in Current Events
Concern: Low Levels of Political Campaign Work
+Concern: Low Levels of Political Engagement
2010
Less than 23% of 1-29 year olds voted
+Concern: Low Levels of Engagement
9% of youth could list two ways a democratic society benefits from civic participation (NAEP)
55% judged disengaged
+Concern Inequitable EngagementPolitical Influence
The policy preferences of those in the bottom third of the income distribution had no apparent statistical effect on their senators’ roll call votes.
-Larry Bartels (2005)
+Concern Inequitable EngagementUnequal Voting RatesIn the General Election:
16% of 18-29 year olds had a college degree, but they were 24% of the voters
14% of 18-29 year olds did not have a high school degree, but they were 6% of the voters
+Concern Inequitable EngagementUnequal VoiceHigh vs. Low Income Citizens
4x as likely to be part of campaign work
3x as likely to do informal community work
2x as likely to contact elected officials
9x as likely to contribute to campaigns
-Verba, Scholzman, Brady (1995)
+Youth Participation Gap
Of young adults under 30 :
41% with some college experience were not very engaged.
81% with no college experience were not very engaged. (Civic Health Index)
+Late 1990s – Present: Response to Declining Youth Participation
Can Schools Help?
+The Study 502 Students
7 high schools from 7 different California school districts
API scores ranged from bottom 20% to top 10%
% of students receiving free lunch ranged from 1% to 83%
Followed students for 3.5 years
Diverse Outcomes
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+Two Visions for Promoting the Civic Mission of Schools
Information/ Discussion-Based
Education
Experience-Based Education
+Information and Discussion-Centered – The Theory
Learning about social problems
Learning about social policies
Respectful discussion of controversial issues
Linking civic/political issues to student interests
Activates awareness, interest, concern, and understanding which motivates participation.
Civic Learning Opps
Civic & Political Engagement
Civic Learning Outcomes
+Experience-Centered The Theory
Simulations
Service Learning
Extracurricular activities
Skills
Agency
Connection
Commitment
Civic Learning Opps
Civic & Political Engagement
Civic Learning Outcomes
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Findings:Information and Discussion – Centered Opps
Civic Outcomes Political Interest Interest in Diverse
Perspectives Intention to Vote Commitment to
Participate Political Action &
Expression (Negatively)
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Findings:Experience - Centered Opps
Civic Outcomes Voluntary Activity Civic Skills Political Action &
Expression Commitment to
Participate
+Summary of Findings
Pol. Int.
Int. Diverse Views
Intent to Vote
Commit Particip.
Vol. Activity
Pol Action/Express
Civic Skills
Info & Discuss.Model
NEG
Experience Model
Civic Learning Opportunities Matter
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Ruth Fremson/The New York Times 4/27/10
+Student Access to Civic Education Promising Practices
36% of students reported never participating in a simulation in high school
68% said they learned a lot about the structure and function of government
58% said they often discussed current events
46% said they were often in classes where a wide range of views were discussed
34% of students reported never doing service learning in high school
+Youth Participation Gap
Of young adults under 30 :
41% with some college experience were not very engaged.
81% with no college experience were not very engaged. (Civic Health Index)
+Inequitable Access to Civic Learning OppsRace/ Ethnicity
Compared with white students, Latino students report:
Fewer opportunities for service learning
Less open classroom climates
Fewer experiences with role plays and simulations
+Inequitable Access to Civic Learning OppsStudent Achievement
Compared with AP American Government students, students in College Prep Gov’t report fewer of all civic learning opportunities
80% of AP sample took part in simulations
51% of college prep students took part in simulations
+Inequitable Access to Civic Learning OppsSES
High SES 9th graders when compared to average SES 9th graders are:
2x more likely to discuss how laws are made
1.9x more likely to report participating in service activities
1.4x more likely to take part in a debate or panel discussion
+Conclusion: Democracy for Some:
Good News
Civic learning opps can support development of civic and democratic capacities and commitments
Bad News
Schools are not providing equitable access to these opportunities
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The end of democracy is not likely to not likely to be an assassination from ambush. It will be a slow extinction from apathy, indifference, and undernourishment.
-Robert Maynard Hutchins
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+A Possibility: Civic Education in the Digital Age
Digital Media can support civic education
• Games/simulations
• Social networks
• Resources
• Peer to peer, new forms of production, …
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+A Possibility: Civic Education in the Digital Age
Civic and Political Life is Digital
• Credibility
• Diverse Exposure
• Production
• Respectful interaction
• Media Literacy can help
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+Indicators can provide a rationale for action and way to judge impact? Assess opportunities to learn and
outcomes Use of indicators to provide direction
and feedback (low stakes assessment) Link to reform direction in productive
ways. Focus on Quantity, Quality, and
Equality
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Conclusion Thoughts Questions Comments Next Steps
