Project Activities
The researchers will randomly assign schools to the treatment and control conditions in the fall of 2021 for implementation in spring 2022. Outcome data will be collected at baseline and follow-up. In addition, the researchers will survey teachers and principals to better understand implementation, the counterfactual condition, and determine the fidelity of implementation in both groups. Cost data will also be collected and analyzed.
Structured Abstract
Setting
This project will take place in high schools within two urban school districts.
Sample
The sample of high school seniors represents a diverse set of students in terms of race, ethnicity, language ability, and economic status.
The research team will examine whether the action civics Curriculum, Generation Civics, yields differences in civics understanding and engagement in comparison to the business-as-usual intervention. Teachers in treatment schools will implement Generation Citizen under routine conditions, with the same expected level of implementation as any similar school or district intending to use the program. Teachers will receive the same curriculum resources and professional development supports that they would routinely experience outside of study conditions. The intervention will take place in classrooms during standard instructional time.
Research design and methods
The research team will employ a cluster randomized trial to determine the impact of the curriculum on student outcomes relative to a control condition.
Control condition
Students in the control condition will receive business-as-usual instruction, which may include lecture, textbook readings, and project-based learning, providing a representative range in counterfactual conditions.
Key measures
Generation Citizen is designed to affect a range of civics outcomes, including higher order thinking in civics, civic knowledge, and increased civic motivation and behavior. Outcome measures will be derived from items from the GISA and NAEP, and from researcher developed measures focusing on civics knowledge, civic motivation, and civic health. Voting data on will be collected for students who are eligible. The research team will collect all measures from both treatment and control schools during the same data collection window.
Data analytic strategy
The research team will use a two-level, cluster-level random assignment model with treatment at the school level 2, students as level 1, and district indicators as fixed effects.
Cost analysis strategy
To estimate cost-effectiveness, researchers will use the ingredients method to document resources, their associated costs, and their impacts on student outcomes relative to the control condition.
People and institutions involved
IES program contact(s)
Project contributors
Products and publications
Products: The research team will disseminate results to a variety of education-focused audiences, including peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations, to civics education researchers, policymakers, and educators who are looking to implement best practices in civics instruction.
Questions about this project?
To answer additional questions about this project or provide feedback, please contact the program officer.
