Schools and the Development of Civic Engagement in the Digital Age

• In Event: Schooling and Democratic Citizenship

Abstract

One of the earliest missions of public schools in the United States was to promote the development of efficacious citizens. Civics education, in particular, was seen as essential in promoting an informed electorate. Transformations to the media environment mean that the skills and dispositions needed for effective citizenship have changed. In particular, social media offer more opportunities for young people to engage politically, but also enable problematic practices, including the spread of misinformation, the development of echo chambers, and widespread incivility. There is clearly an enormous need for educators to respond to these challenges in preparing the next generation for democratic governance.

In this paper, we investigate the effects that educational efforts have on the political engagement of high school students in one of the largest school districts in the county. Specifically, we analyze panel data from two years (2016-17 and 2017-18) of Chicago Public Schools’ annual student survey. These surveys include questions about students’ experiences in their classrooms discussing controversial political issues and learning about using digital platforms for political information. They also ask students about their civic engagement and online political activity. We use the panel data to assess whether these learning experiences result in a change over time in students’ political engagement, both offline and online. These analyses allow us to estimate the causal effects of educational experiences on the development of students’ civic engagement. Consequently, the findings speak to the capacity that American schools have to promote democratic citizenship in the Digital Age.

Authors

• Benjamin T. Bowyer, University of California-Riverside- Graduate School of Education

• Joseph Kahne, University of California, Riverside