Developing Civic Education in the United States: A Case Study of Olathe, Kansas' Youth Congress Program

Abstract

An informed and active citizenry is essential for a well-functioning democracy, and how we teach children citizenship has the potential to invigorate citizen engagement and responsibility. This research looks at a program that seeks to do just that: the Student Development Department's (SDD) Youth Congress program in Olathe, Kansas. Current and past Youth Congress participants were surveyed as well as non-participants at the high school and college levels to evaluate the effectiveness of Youth Congress as a civic education program. Results found that current and past participants of Youth Congress scored higher on measures of political and civic engagement than non-participants. Furthermore, Youth Congress is a significant predictor of political and civic action. Finally, the study assessed how effective the SDD is at recruitment and how they can increase access to their programs. These results provide direction for schools wanting to provide more effective civic education for their students.