2. What Does the Research Say About Effective Civic Education at the High School Level? Joseph Kahne Mills College Susan Sporte Consortium on Chicago School Research Alternatives to Large, Traditional High Schools Event: CIRCLE, July 6, 2005 Consortium on Chicago School Research and Mills College

3. Goals of Presentation Discuss a set of strategies for fostering commitments to civic engagement. Share findings from a study in Chicago that examines the impact of these strategies. Identify school level factors that promote the provision of these opportunities for civic development (including small schools).

4. Goal Goal: The commitment and capacity to work to improve ones community and the broader society.

5. Six Promising Practices Instruction in Government, History, Law and Democracy (CMS#1) Discussion of Current Events of Interest to Students (CMS #2) Community Service and Service Learning (CMS #3) Extracurricular Activities (CMS #4) Voice in the School and the Classroom (CMS #5) Simulations of Democratic Processes and Procedures. (CMS #6) Exposure to Role Models

6. Goal: An Identity Committed to Civic Engagement Capacities for informed civic engagement Connections to those committed to civic engagement Commitments to issues and ideals An identity committed to Civic Engagement Civic Mission of Schools 6 Promising Practices

7. Measures Used in this Study Home and School Context –Parental Support for Student Learning (a=.82) –Level of Civic Engagement in each Students Community (a=.75) School Culture Indicators –Student Classroom Behavior (a=.61) –Academic Personalism (a=.72) –Student/Teacher Trust (a=.78)

8. Measures, Contd Exposure to Curricular Supports –Classroom Civic Opportunities (includes CMS recommendations 2,3,5, and 6 + role models (a=.76) –Participation in after-school activities (CMS #4) –Content tied to student interest Controls –Prior commitment to civic engagement –School characteristics –Student demographics –Student academic indicators

9. Analytic Method Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) Survey of 9,800 students in 2001 and 2003.

10. Findings The following were significantly related to civic commitments: Beta –Classroom Civic Opportunities.80 –Content tied to student interests.08 –After school activities.13 –Prior commitment: help in community.09

11. Findings, Contd Also significantly related to civic commitments: Beta –Peer support for academics.04 –Civic engagement in each.19 Students community –Parent support for academics.10 –SES.04 –Female.08

12. Findings, Contd Not significantly related: –Student assessment of student voice in school –Teacher/student trust –Concentration of poverty in students census block –Prior academic achievement

13. Interpretation Opportunities for civic development matterthey promote civic commitments even when controlling for demographics, prior achievement and prior commitments, The effect size of these opportunities indicate that they matter quite a bit. Schools can make a significant difference in this regard. Student voice in the school is the one exceptionbut student voice in the classroom did appear to matter.

14. Factors promoting classroom opportunities School-level factors –Average achievement in the school.08 –Teacher knowledge of student culture.11 –Small high schools.07

15. Prevalence of Classroom Opportunities in Past Year 65% of students reported they had not worked on a project to improve their community in any of their classes. 50% had not been required to keep up with politics of government in any of their classes. 56% had not participated in a role play or simulation in any of their classes.

16. Summary What happens in classrooms can foster civic commitments – even when compared with the influence of the home and the community. Schools in Chicago could enhance the volume of these opportunities. Small schools may make provision of such opportunities more likely.