Schools of Activism: Social Predictors of Students' Participation in Climate Action

• In Event: Exploring Environmental Justice, Climate Action, and Activism With Children and Young People

Abstract

In 2018, a resurgence of youth activism burst forth calling for widespread climate action. The contemporary youth climate movement is a cogent case to unpack how political participation of youth is shaped by schools. In this study we use administrative data from public schools in New York City (n=1,313) to examine two measures of youth participation in climate action in September 2019 (i.e., report from school Sustainability Coordinators and absent rate on the day of a global climate protest). Our findings show school-level disparities in student climate activism are associated with school and community characteristics, including patterns of persistent inequality by race/ethnicity, geography, and socio-economic status. We discuss the implications of our findings for advancing equity through climate change education.

Authors

• Erika Kessler, Teachers College, Columbia University
  Presenting Author

• Oren Pizmony-Levy, Teachers College, Columbia University
  Presenting Author