On the Margins of Democratic Life: The Impact of Race and Ethnicity on the Political Engagement of Young People

The authors surveyed Anglo, African American, Latino, and Native American eighth-grade students in six middle schools from one U.S. county in 2003 and 2004. The goal of the project was to compare the attitudes of young people about politics and government at an early age to determine whether differences existed before high school. The authors found that minority and Anglo children differ dramatically in their skills and information levels about politics and government. Anglo adolescents are more likely to have rudimentary information about politics and government, practice democratic skills in school and at home, and hold positive attitudes toward politics and government. Among minority students, Native Americans have the least information, fewest opportunities to practice democratic skills, and most negative attitudes toward the political system. The authors also found that children’s political experiences, captured by their ethnicity and race, affect their levels of political information and attitudes about government, after controlling for students’ family and school resources. Civic education seeks to engage students in their communities by teaching them the necessary skills to effectively participate in society. The middle school years are a crucial time for the development of civic roles and responsibilities. The report documents "We the People...Project Citizen," a national civic education program for middle school students developed by the Center for Civic Education (CCE) in collaboration with the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). It states that "Project Citizen" implementation began during the 1995-96 school year, and that in just 3 years, it has blossomed into a national program with state coordinators in 45 states. The report provides background information about civic education and "Project Citizen" and sets the national context. Seven key areas of "Project Citizen" implementation are examined and recommendations are offered for getting the maximum out of implementation efforts in each of these areas. Overarching and long-term recommendations for building a strong framework to solidify and expand the use of "Project Citizen" nationally are presented. Includes extensive tables of data. Appendixes contain "Project Citizen" state summaries, a state coordinator contact list, an evaluation plan, a state coordinator survey (November 1997), a state coordinator survey, a teacher survey (January 1998), a student survey (January 1998), and sample "Project Citizen" letters. (BT) Project Directed By Kenneth W. Tolo. A Report By The Policy Research Project On An Assessment Of Project Citizen, 1998. Includes Bibliographical References.