The Program Effectiveness Panel of the U.S. Department of Education's National Diffusion Network examined the reports of numerous research studies on the We the People program. The panel validated the results of those studies and confirmed the program's powerful educational effects on students' civic knowledge and attitudes. This formal validation recognizes the We the People program's "contributions to excellence in education."
What the Research Says
- A "great instructional success," is how the Educational Testing Service characterizes the We the People program. Independent studies by ETS have revealed that We the People students "significantly outperformed comparison students on every topic of the tests taken."
- Students involved in the We the People program develop greater commitment to democratic principles and values, according to a study by Richard Brody of Stanford University. The study concludes that the program is effective in promoting political tolerance because participating students feel more politically effective and perceive fewer limits on their own political freedom.
- "[T]eachers feel excited and renewed.... Students are enthusiastic about what they have been able to accomplish, especially in terms of their ability to carry out a reasoned argument. They have become energized about their place as citizens of the United States," say researchers from the Council for Basic Education
- A 2001 survey of We the People alumni revealed that they are better informed and participate at higher rates than their peers. The data suggests that voting rates are significantly higher among alumni than nonparticipating peers surveyed in the 2000 American National Election Study (NES). Eighty-two percent of We the People alumni voted in November 2000, in contrast to 48 percent turnout by peers.
Research on the We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution Program
| Evaluation Report: Strengthening Democracy through History and Civics: Presidential and Congressional Academies 2019 and 2021 | |
| Diana Owen, Ph.D., Professor and Director, Civic Education Research Lab, Georgetown University | |
| November 2021 | |
| This final evaluation report on the Center for Civic Education's Presidential and Congressional Academies for American History and Civics demonstrates that both the in-person programs in 2019 and the virtual programs in 2021 achieved their educational objectives according to key indicators, including gains in teachers’ and students’ content knowledge and an increase in students’ civic dispositions and skills. High school teachers and students, primarily from high-need schools, participated in immersive summer study of American history and civics. This included engagement with scholars, civil discourse with peers and mentor teachers, field trips, presenting in a simulated congressional hearing, and other collaborative and interactive tasks. | |
| James Madison Legacy Project Evaluation Report | |
| Diana Owen, Ph.D., Professor, Georgetown University, Kathryn Hartzell, Georgetown University, and Chelsea Sanchez, Georgetown University | |
| October 2020 | |
| This is the final evaluation report for the James Madison Legacy Project (JMLP), a multi-year professional development (PD) program funded by a U.S. Department of Education Supporting Effective Educator Development grant. JMLP successfully increased the number of highly effective teachers through PD based on the Center’s We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution curriculum. The program substantially improved teachers’ content knowledge and developed their pedagogic skills, which in turn significantly enhanced students’ achievement in attaining state standards in civics and government. In conjunction with JMLP, the Center developed a scalable blended-learning version of its long-standing We the People PD program that was viable, effective, and resource-efficient. | |
| High-Need Students' Acquisition of Civic Dispositions and Skills | |
| Diana Owen, Ph.D., Professor, Georgetown University, and Kathryn Hartzell, Georgetown University | |
| Paper prepared for presentation at the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, Washington, D.C., August 29-September 1, 2019 | |
| This study examines the effectiveness of the Center for Civic Education's Congressional Academy for students in conveying civic orientations. The Academy is an intensive summer program based on the Center's We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution curriculum intervention that integrates scholar lectures, active learning approaches, and field trips. The program targets high-need students and their teachers from Title I schools. The study uses student survey and interview data collected at the 2019 Academy. Students' knowledge of history and civics improved, especially for the Title I school students. Participation in the Academy significantly enhanced students' civic dispositions related to political interest and attention, political discussion, community engagement, government service, civic duty, and trust in government. Students' confidence in their civic skills also increased. Respect for the rule of law was high among students prior to and following the Academy. Title I students' trust in the media declined after the program. | |
| Paper | |
| Educating High-Need Students for Citizenship | |
| Diana Owen, Ph.D., Professor, Georgetown University, Maria Gallo, Director, Professional Development & Special Programs, Center for Civic Education, Kathryn Hartzell, Georgetown University, and Jenny Lee, Georgetown University | |
| Western Political Science Association Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA, April 18, 2019 | |
| The need to improve civic education in the nation’s middle and high schools is especially pressing for high-need students—students living in poverty, minority students, English language learners, and special needs students. Instructing high-need students, who have fewer civic learning opportunities and access to resources than more advantaged students, presents unique challenges to educators. | |
| Paper | Slideshow | |
| James Madison Legacy Project Student Knowledge & Civic Dispositions Summary | |
| Diana Owen, Ph.D., Professor, Georgetown University | |
| January 2019 | |
| The need to improve civic education in the nation’s middle and high schools is especially pressing for high-need students—students living in poverty, minority students, English language learners, and special needs students. Instructing high-need students, who have fewer civic learning opportunities and access to resources than more advantaged students, presents unique challenges to educators. | |
| Teaching Civics to High-Need Students | |
| Diana Owen, Ph.D., Professor, Georgetown University | |
| August 2018 | |
| The civic education background of students attending colleges and universities varies greatly across campuses. Some students arrive with a strong education in civics having taken well-formulated classes with active learning components that promote civic engagement. Others, often from less privileged backgrounds, arrive with little formal civics instruction. Thus, it is important for educators at institutions of higher learning to understand the parameters of students’ middle and high school civic education to inform the development of effective civics curricula that meet the particularized needs of their classes. Paper prepared for presentation at the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, Boston, MA, August 30-September 2, 2018 |
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| Evaluation of the We the People Program: Student Knowledge | |
| Diana Owen, Ph.D., Professor, Georgetown University | |
| May 2018 | |
| This study compares student knowledge outcomes of high school teachers who have experienced the We the People professional development program and instruct the associated curriculum with a control group who has not received the WTP PD. It employs a quasi-experimental design without random assignment. The research was conducted in schools across the state of Indiana during the fall semester of 2014. The findings indicate that students in the WTP group scored significantly higher on a test of civic knowledge than the control group students. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the WTP PD in preparing students in civics and American government. Evaluation |
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| Evaluation of the James Madison Legacy Project: Cohort 2 Student Knowledge, Preliminary Report | |
| Diana Owen, Ph.D., Professor, Georgetown University, Principal Investigator | |
| May 2018 | |
| This study evaluates the effectiveness of the James Madison Legacy Project (JMLP) in achieving positive student knowledge outcomes as a result of teachers’ participation in the professional development (PD) program. Middle and high school teachers were randomly assigned at the school level to either a traditional PD program using live scholars or a hybrid PD program that incorporated digital resources. The research employs a randomized control trial to evaluate students’ acquisition of civic knowledge from teachers who received the traditional JMLP PD, hybrid JMLP PD, or did not receive the PD. The findings indicate that the effects of the interventions on student knowledge are positive and statistically significant for both middle and high school. Middle and high school students whose teachers participated in the JMLP saw greater improvement in their civic knowledge scores from pretest to posttest than did control group students. JMLP students scored significantly higher on civic knowledge tests after taking a civics class than students in the control group regardless of whether their teachers participated in the traditional PD or hybrid PD program. The differences in mean knowledge scores for students in the traditional PD and hybrid PD groups are small, which supports the case for the scalability of the JMLP PD program using scholar videos and digital resources. Preliminary Report |
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| Research Brief, James Madison Legacy Project, Cohort 2 : Student Knowledge | |
| Dr. Diana Owen and Scott Schroeder, Georgetown University | |
| August 2017 | |
| A preliminary analysis finds that students of middle and high school teachers who took part in the James Madison Legacy Project (JMLP) professional development program scored higher on a test of civic knowledge than the control group. The analysis takes into account students whose teachers had gone through the traditional and hybrid professional development program. Middle school students whose teachers had taken part in the traditional PD program gained slightly more civic knowledge than those whose teachers went through the hybrid PD program. Both middle school PD groups scored significantly higher than the control group students. The high school students whose teachers experienced the traditional or the hybrid PD had nearly identical average scores on the knowledge posttest. High school students in the traditional and hybrid PD groups had significantly higher scores than students in the control group. Research Brief |
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| Evaluation of the James Madison Legacy Project: Cohort I Teachers | |
| Dr. Diana Owen, Scott Schroeder, and G. Isaac W. Riddle, Georgetown University | |
| November 2016 | |
| This report evaluates the first of three cohorts of the James Madison Legacy Project (JMLP) with a focus on the 649 teachers from 538 schools nationwide who completed the JMLP PD. The JMLP is a three-year nationwide initiative of the Center for Civic Education that aims to expand the availability and effectiveness of civics instruction in secondary schools by providing professional development based on the We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution curriculum to teachers of high need students. The JMLP is funded by a Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) grant from the U.S. Department of Education. One-page Summary | Research Brief |
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| Educating High-Need Students for Engagement in the Digital Age | |
| Dr. Diana Owen, Georgetown University | |
| November 2016 | |
| The civic education of high-need students is often shortchanged, contributing to a “civic empowerment gap.” This paper by Diana Owen of Georgetown University examines differences in pedagogies used by teachers of high-need and non–high-need students, focusing on the extent to which they employ techniques that will prepare students for citizenship in the age of digital politics. Students in high-need schools are not receiving civics instruction that keeps pace with the requirements of engaged citizenship. This paper was prepared for presentation at the 42nd Annual Conference of the Association for Moral Education, Panel K3.2: Social Media, Activism, and Marginality, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA, December 8-11, 2016. | |
| High School Students’ Acquisition of Civic Dispositions: The Impact of We the People | |
| Dr. Diana Owen, Georgetown University | |
| July 2015 | |
| This research is the second of five reports of the results of an intensive, quasi-experimental designed study of the effects of the We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution professional development and curricular programs on classroom instruction and student outcomes. The findings indicate that civics instruction is positively related to students’ development of civic dispositions essential for democratic character formation and the maintenance of constitutional democracy. Students whose teachers have We the People professional development, especially those who took a We the People class, scored significantly higher than students in the comparison group on all six types of dispositions, namely, 1) respect for the rule of law; 2) political attentiveness; 3) civic duty; 4) community involvement; 5) commitment to government service; and 6) the norms of political efficacy and political tolerance. | |
| High School Students’ Acquisition of Civic Knowledge: The Impact of We the People | |
| Dr. Diana Owen, Georgetown University | |
| May 2015 | |
| This research is the first of four reports on the results of an intensive quasi-experimental design study of the effects of the We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution professional development and curricular programs on classroom instruction and student outcomes. It demonstrates that We the People teacher professional development and, to a somewhat lesser extent, class type positively impacts students’ acquisition of political knowledge at statistically significant levels. Students of teachers who have participated in We the People professional development scored higher on tests of their knowledge of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, political parties and elections, and race and politics than students in the comparison group. | |
| Active Learning and the Acquisition of Civic Knowledge, Skills, and Dispositions: An Evaluation of We the People Professional Development | |
| Dr. Diana Owen, Georgetown University | |
| April 2015 | |
| We The People and Political Knowledge | |
| Dr. Diana Owen, Georgetown University | |
| August 2011 | |
| In a 2011 study, Dr. Diana Owen finds that We the People: The Citizen and Constitution students and alumni know significantly more about American government than the general public, including those who have taken a basic civics course. We the People program alumni, some of whom have been out of high school for more than two decades, retain knowledge about government, and exhibit higher levels of knowledge than the general public. | |
| We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution 2010 National Finalists’ Knowledge of and Support for American Democratic Institutions and Processes | |
| David Eschrich | |
| November 2010 | |
| A recent study of We the People 2010 National Finalists revealed participating students possess significantly greater knowledge of American democratic institutions and processes than the average American citizen. They also report greater interest in keeping track of political affairs, influencing the political structure, and participating in community leadership. | |
| We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution Professional Development Evaluation | |
| Dr. Thomas Vontz, Kansas State University | |
| August, 2010 | |
| One Page Summary Full Report |
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| The Center for Civic Education contracted with Dr. Thomas Vontz, associate professor at Kansas State University, to conduct a two-phase evaluation of week-long We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution summer institutes during 2009. Results from the study show that participation in a We the People summer institute had a positive and statistically significant effect on teachers’ civic knowledge across civic concepts. Also, participating in an institute lasting five to seven days significantly increased elementary- and middle-school teachers’ knowledge of civil society and representative democracy. | |
| Center for Civic Education Research Report | |
| Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin & Associates | |
| March, 2009 | |
| This study conducted by the polling firm Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin & Associates found that We the People Summer Institutes were rated as highly effective by participants. Further, 85% of teachers surveyed, who had never used the Representative in Democracy (RDA) materials, would like to receive instruction on the curricula. Teachers would also appreciate website content that provides plans for specific topics, such as Election Day, the Inauguration, or a Presidential Birthday, as well as additional resources to supplement the We the People textbook. | |
| We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution Evaluation Report Conducted by RMC Research Corporation [ | |
| RMC Research Corporation | |
| December, 2007 | |
| Four Page Summary One Page Summary |
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| In a new study, conducted by RMC Research Corporation, We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution students made greater gains than comparison students in overall civic knowledge and in the areas of (1) core values and principles of democracy, (2) constitutional limits on governmental institutions, and (3) rights and responsibilities of citizens. | |
| We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution Survey Results: 2009 National Finalists’ Knowledge and Support of American Democratic Institutions and Processes | |
| Matthew Dubin | |
| September 2009 | |
| Youth Turnout in the 2008 Presidential Election; Delving Deeper with Data from the We the People Civic Education Alumni Network | |
| Suzanne Soule, Jennifer Nairne Paper prepared for the Midwestern Political Science Association Meeting 2009 |
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| April, 2009 | |
| Civic Education and Youth Turnout in the 2008 Presidential Election: Data from Engaged Citizens, We the People Alumni | |
| Suzanne Soule, Jennifer Nairne Paper prepared for the Southern Political Science Association Meeting 2009 |
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| March, 2009 | |
| An Evaluation of Center for Civic Education-Sponsored Professional Development for College and University Faculty | |
| Elizabeth Yeager Washington, University of Florida Thomas Vontz, Kansas State University |
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| October 15, 2008 | |
| Full report One-page summary |
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| The data from this evaluation suggest that Center-sponsored professional development has had a positive effect on the attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors of university faculty and has increased their understanding of civic education, the pedagogies associated with civic learning, and the ways in which they make civic education a prominent theme in their courses, institutions, and states. | |
| Translating Professional Development into Experience: An Evaluation of We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution Summer Institutes | |
| Jennifer Nairne | |
| Program Coordinator, Research and Evaluation | |
| Center for Civic Education | |
| October 2006 | |
| Touching History: Evaluating a Birmingham Seminar on Teaching Civics and the Struggle for Civil Rights through Teacher Partnerships | |
| Sharareh Frouzesh Bennett, Suzanne Soule | |
| Center for Civic Education | |
| Paper presented at the Fifth Annual R. Freeman Butts Institute | |
| May 2005 | |
| Voting and Political Participation of We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution Alumni in the 2004 Presidential Election | |
| Suzanne Soule | |
| Director, Research and Evaluation | |
| Center for Civic Education | |
| May 2005 | |
| [Executive Summary] | |
| We the People Curriculum: Results of Pilot Test | |
| MPR Associates, Inc. | |
| July 2004 | |
| [Executive Summary] | |
| A report to the Center for Civic Education | |
| "Secondary Education and Political Attitudes: Examining the Effects on Political Tolerance of the We the People... Curriculum" | |
| Richard A. Brody | |
| Department of Political Science, Stanford University | |
| 1994 | |
| Based on a survey of 1,351 high school students from across the US, this report demonstrates that students in high school civics, government, and U.S. history classes display more political tolerance than the average citizen. The study also establishes that students in classes using all or part of the We the People curriculum are more tolerant than students following other curricula. Additionally, We the People fosters increased tolerance because it promotes higher levels of self-confidence and the perception of fewer limits on students' own political freedom. | |
| A Report on a Study of the Affective Impact of We the People:The Citizen and the Constitution | |
| Council on Basic Education | |
| 1994 | |
| [Executive Summary] | |
| An Evaluation of the Instructional Effects of the We the People...The Citizen and the Constitution Program Using "With Liberty and Justice for All" | |
| Robert S. Leming | |
| Social Studies Development Center of Indiana University | |
| Bloomington, Indiana | |
| December 1993 | |
| Testing and Learning: How New Approaches to Evaluation Can Improve American Schools (Excerpt) | |
| Ruth Mitchell | |
| Council on Basic Education | |
| 1992 | |
| Published Volume: The Free Press, 1992 | |
| A Comparison of the Impact of the We the People Curricular Materials on High School Students Compared to University Students | |
| ETS: Educational Testing Service | |
| January 1991 | |
| [Executive Summary] | |
| An Evaluation of the Instructional Effects of the National Bicentennial Competition on the Constitution and Bill of Rights | |
| ETS: Educational Testing Service | |
| May 1988 | |
| [Executive Summary] | |
