More than a third of states require that students take a test of basic knowledge and U.S. government and democracy in high school.
However, a new study finds that having this requirement in place doesn鈥檛 lead to young people being more likely to participate in the core of the democratic process鈥攙oting.
The , from researchers at The Pennsylvania State University, examined the voting patterns of young adults after these tests were put in place. The researchers found that young people in states with the assessment were no more likely to vote than young people in states without the requirement.
The findings lend support to a growing school of thought in civics education鈥攖hat knowing how the political system works in the abstract, while valuable, isn鈥檛 enough on its own to encourage young people to participate in it. Students need to practice civic engagement, too.
鈥淭raditional approaches to civic education, which emphasize increasing students鈥� political knowledge through rote memorization and standardized tests, doesn鈥檛 seem very promising in terms of increasing students鈥� civic engagement,鈥� said Jilli Jung, a doctoral student at Penn State, and the lead author on the study.
In the paper, the researchers call for more participatory civic education, which other research has shown can increase voter turnout鈥攁ctivities like school get-out-the-vote campaigns, or trips to visit elected officials.
Other civics experts agree.
鈥淢y biggest fear with this paper coming out is that people will see it and assume that civic ed. isn鈥檛 worth investing in at all. And that鈥檚 not the case. If anything, this shows that small, token initiatives aren鈥檛 enough,鈥� said Kelly Siegel-Stechler, a senior researcher at the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University. Siegel-Stechler was not involved with the paper.
鈥淲e need much more holistic, sustained civic education for young people,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he takeaway if anything should be to do more, and not less鈥攁nd not leave it to the last minute.鈥�
Experts 鈥榥ot surprised鈥� by the findings
The study seeks to examine the effect of requiring high school students to take the full U.S. naturalization test鈥攁 series of questions given to immigrants who are applying for United States citizenship. (Students typically answer all the questions, whereas those applying for citizenship are asked only 10.)
The Joe Foss Institute, a civic education organization, launched a state legislative push in 2015 to make this test a requirement for high school graduation鈥攖he Civic Education Initiative. Over the next two years, 17 states approved, although not all require students to earn a particular score. A few states have joined this group recently: Oklahoma and New Hampshire both passed graduation requirements in 2021.
The hope was that requiring an assessment in civics would force schools to make the subject an instructional priority, said Lucian Spataro, who was previously the CEO of the Joe Foss Institute. The Institute has since joined the Center for Political Thought and Leadership at Arizona State University, where Spataro is now the interim director.
鈥淚f it鈥檚 tested, it鈥檚 taught,鈥� Spataro said.
Civics had faced years of neglect in favor of tested subjects, like English/language arts, math, and STEM, he said. 鈥淲e came up with the idea of [the Civic Education Initiative] as a step forward to shine a bright light on this problem.鈥�
To evaluate the impact of the Civic Education Initiative, Jung and her co-author Maithreyi Gopalan used nationally representative data from the federal Current Population Survey, which provides self-reported voting behaviors of 18- to 24-year-old U.S. citizens.
They used a 鈥渄ifference in difference鈥� analysis, which compared the voting patterns over time between students in those states that implemented the civics test, and those that did not. They found no significant differences in youth voting behaviors between those groups of states.
The civics education community is divided on the utility of these basic knowledge tests. Some, like Spataro, see them as a necessary baseline requirement鈥攁 way to ensure all students have foundational knowledge in the discipline that forms the basis for higher order learning.
But others argue that the test is a shallow measure of civic learning that鈥檚 disconnected from many of the ways that young people might actually engage in their communities.
鈥淲hat research increasingly shows us is that it鈥檚 not just what students are learning in school, but the skills that they are developing and the ways that they have opportunities to engage with that information,鈥� said Siegel-Stechler, of CIRCLE.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not that knowledge isn鈥檛 important, but in many ways, being able to evaluate that information, and make good choices as a result of it, is what鈥檚 really important,鈥� she said.
Still, Siegel-Stechler and Spataro agree on one thing: Neither would have expected a high school civics graduation test requirement to move the needle on youth voting.
鈥淚鈥檓 not at all surprised,鈥� said Siegel-Stechler, of the results of the Penn State study.
While Spataro thinks that the test lays a foundation, it鈥檚 鈥渦nreasonable鈥� to expect that the test alone would lead to increases in voter turnout, he said. Schools need a more robust civic ecosystem, encompassing strong curricula, trained teachers, and opportunities for extracurricular involvement, he said. The test is 鈥渏ust the basics,鈥� Spataro said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of like learning the alphabet before you can learn to spell and read.鈥�
The Civic Education Initiative鈥檚 primary target was civic knowledge, but the organization also ensuring that students 鈥済raduate with the tools they need鈥� for civic engagement as a goal.
How can schools support young voters?
Researchers know a lot about what doesn鈥檛 improve voter turnout, said Gopalan, an assistant professor of education and public policy at Penn State. There鈥檚 value in schools providing more practical lessons, she said.
For increasing youth voting, specifically, a multi-pronged approach is necessary, said Siegel-Stechler.
鈥淭here are a lot of factors that influence whether or not a young person turns out to vote, and what we should be working on as a society is to put as many of those pieces in place that we can,鈥� she said, referencing recommendations in CIRCLE鈥檚 report.
Civic experiences at school are important, but they鈥檙e not the only lever to pull. There are policy changes, too, that can make it easier for young people to get to the polls and exercise their rights, Siegel-Stechler said, such as same-day voter registration.
But voting isn鈥檛 the only type of civic engagement that schools should encourage, or that researchers should measure, Siegel-Stechler added.
Volunteering, going to town meetings, talking to peers about issues that are important to them鈥攖hose are all ways to get involved in political and community life, she said.
鈥淕enerally, voting is an important component of civic engagement, but it is not the only thing,鈥� Siegel-Stechler said. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 not, for a lot of young people, the primary opportunity that they see in their own lives.鈥�
