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Talking Points: The California Survey of Civic Education (Fall 2006, Vol. 12, No. 1)

In 2005, the California Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools commissioned Professor Joseph Kahne of Mills College to construct and administer a survey to examine the civic knowledge, skills, and commitments of graduating California high school seniors.

The survey was designed to determine the effectiveness of civic-education practices as identified in The Civic Mission of Schools report. The 2005 survey interviewed 2,366 California students who had completed a U.S. government course. Below are a few highlights from the survey's extensive findings.

Survey Findings

• Young people have a strong desire to help their communities as evidenced by their involvement as volunteers and their commitment to charity work.
• Young people express considerably less of a commitment to other forms of civic and political engagement that relate to the policies and practices of schools and government. Less than half (only 47 percent) of high school seniors agreed that, “Being actively involved in state and local issues is my responsibility.”
• Despite taking a course in U.S. government in their senior year, students’ knowledge of structures and functions of government and of current political issues is modest, at best. Students only averaged a little over 60 percent correct on the commonly used survey items designed to test civics content knowledge, a low “D” on common grading scales.
• The survey also indicates that there is much that schools can do. The school and classroom practices emphasized in
• The Civic Mission of Schools report and related strategies were associated with greater civic capacities and commitments.Yet, access to school- based opportunities to develop civic commitments and capacities are uneven. Those intending to go to four-year colleges have significantly more access to these opportunities than others.