High School Effects on Civic Engagement

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Abstract

Preparing young people for the rights and responsibilities of citizenship is cited as a fundamental purpose of public education, yet little is known about whether or how K-12 schools impact civic engagement. Using education records, birth records, and national voting records for nine cohorts of ninth grade students in Indiana, I estimate and assess the validity of high school effects on adult voting. I find that schools have meaningful and significant effects on voting. School effects on voting are positively related to school effects on test scores and college-going behavior and participation/performance on some civics-related AP exams.

Author

• Kirsten Slungaard Mumma, Teachers College, Columbia University