An Assessment of Civic Engagement and Educational Attainment

Contributing Organization(s): Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement


Author(s)/Creator(s): Alberto Davila; Marie T. Mora

Publishing Date: 2007-01-02

Issue Areas: Education and Literacy; Children and Youth

Ownership/Rights Info: CIRCLE 2007

File info: 4 pages; 39.24 KB file size

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It is well documented that individuals with higher levels of education tend to be more civically
engaged. In a two-part study conducted for the Center for Information and Research on Civic
Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), we provide empirical evidence using 1988-2000 panel data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS) that civic engagement might also promote educational attainment: civically-engaged teenagers make greater scholastic progress during high school and subsequently acquire higher levels of education than their otherwise similar peers. Our first essay provides supporting empirical evidence for this relationship in general, and the second essay broadens these findings across gender and race/ethnicity. With regards to policy relevance, the primary results point to the importance of civic participation as one means to foster both social and human capital investments. The purpose of this fact sheet is to provide highlights from our two-part study.

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Intended Audience: General Public

Type/Format: FactSheet

Language code: English

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civic participation volunteerism

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