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Community Colleges and Civic Engagement

Sat, April 18, 8:15 to 9:45am, Virtual Room

Abstract

Despite the explosive growth of community colleges, little research has examined how these colleges promote (or hinder) youth civic development. Utilizing a survey of 7000 community college students, we examine how various educational experiences are associated with students’ political efficacy, civic participation, and volunteering behavior. We find that students engaged in service-learning, political science coursework, and coursework about inequality demonstrate significantly improved civic outcomes and that community colleges can reduce civic opportunity gaps.

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