Building Social Capital for Civic and Political Engagement: The Potential of High-School Civics Courses

In this research study the authors employed a quasi‐experimental design using pre/post surveys and comparisons
with control groups to examine the impact of the Constitutional Rights Foundation's
CityWorks (U.S.A.) curriculum. In particular, they assessed its ability to further
democratic aims by supporting the development of three forms of social capital:
norms of civic participation, social trust, and knowledge of social networks. Their
evaluation indicates that this curriculum and several of its curricular features (use of
simulations, role models, service learning, learning about problems in the community,
learning how local government works, and personal relevance) have the potential to
further the democratic purposes of education. (author)