School and community climates and civic commitments: Patterns for ethnic minority and majority students.

Abstract

The developmental correlates of diffuse support for the polity and civic commitments were explored in a survey of 1,052 students (mean age ϭ 14.96 years) from African American, Arab American, European American, and Latino American backgrounds. Results of structural equation modeling revealed that regardless of their age, gender, or ethnic background, youth were more likely to believe that America was a just society and to commit to democratic goals if they felt a sense of community connectedness, especially if they felt that their teachers practiced a democratic ethic at school. Discussion focuses on the civic purposes of education in inculcating a sense of identification with the polity in younger generations.

How School can Teach Civic Engagement Besides Civic Education: The Role of Democratic School Climate

“…According to our findings, if schools want to be effective in teaching democratic principles and promoting civic participation, they must represent a microcosm of society where democratic principles are in action and can be learned by students. The processes occurring within the school environment may represent a ''simplified version'' of the functioning of the civil society (Flanagan et al 2007a), in which civic processes are more approachable and easier to learn for adolescents. However, in our study the direct path hypothesized between perceived fairness and future intention for civic engagement was not supported by our analyses, suggesting that perceiving fair treatment at school may not translate directly in the motivation to act; instead, it appears to be associated with the intention for future participation by fostering adolescents' feelings of civic responsibility.…”

Diverging Paths: Understanding Racial Differences in Civic Engagement Among White, African American, and Latina/o Adolescents Using Structural Equation Modeling

“…These forces contribute to higher levels of dropouts, incarceration, and stress-related illnesses among African American and Latina/o youth (Ginwright & Cammarota, 2002). As a result, African American and Latino youth may be more skeptical that the government institutions will be responsive to individual political action by people "like them" (Flanagan, Cumsille, Gill & Gallay, 2007).…”

“…Using structural equation modeling, Flanagan et al (2007), found that African American, Arab American, Latina/o, and European American youth all had similar relationships between their perception of their school's democratic climate and level of civic commitment. Hope and Jagers (2014) found that exposure to civic education was related to African American youths' civic participation, a finding similar to those found in studies with predominantly White samples (Bachner, 2010;Campbell, 2008).…”

Educating Tomorrow’s Citizens: What Role Can Schools Play?

“…For example, students who experience on open climate at school are more likely to report trust, tolerance, and to demonstrate critical thinking. An open school climate is one in which students feel able to openly investigate issues and to discuss controversial issues with their teachers and peers (Flanagan et al, 2007). Debating issues in a safe and open environment can thus help students to develop key skills and dispositions that have been associated with citizenship and democracy.…”