Civic Engagement and High School Academic Progress: An Analysis Using NELS Data

Using panel data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS), this study empirically analyzes the relationship between two forms of civic engagement--student government and community service--and educational progress made after the eighth grade by addressing the following questions. Does civic engagement affect academic progress in mathematics, reading, history, and science? Does voluntary community service differently influence scholastic progress compared to involuntary service, and does the frequency of this engagement matter? Are teenagers involved in civic activities more likely to acquire higher education than their peers? In general, the findings indicate that civically-engaged high school students tend to make greater academic progress and are more likely to graduate from college than their peers several years later.