Research and Evaluation - Project Citizen

Project Citizen Research Program Key Findings
     Dr. Diana Owen, Civic Education Research Lab, Georgetown University
     March 2024
    

This executive summary explains the key findings from the evaluation of the Project Citizen Research Program (PCRP) conducted by Dr. Diana Owens and her team at the Civic Education Research Lab at Georgetown University. The evaluation assessed the effectiveness of the Center for Civic Education’s Project Citizen teacher professional development and curriculum over the course of three academic years from 2020-23. Teachers attended a summer institute and followup professional development sessions throughout the academic year and instructed the Project Citizen curriculum. Middle and high school students work as a class to research and develop proposals for solving a policy problem in their school or community which they present to stakeholders. PCRP was funded by a grant from the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education.

Project Citizen Research Program Final Report
     Dr. Diana Owen, Civic Education Research Lab, Georgetown University
     March 2024
    

Dr. Diana Owen and the Civic Education Research Lab at Georgetown University evaluated the Center’s Project Citizen teacher professional development (PD) program and curriculum impact in the middle and high school grades over the course of three academic years (2020-2023). For teachers, the PD program included a summer institute and academic-year PD sessions, and for students, the PC curriculum had them work as a class to conduct research, develop policy solutions, and present their findings regarding a policy problem in their school or community.

Project Citizen Interim Report: Year Two
     Dr. Diana Owen, Civic Education Research Lab, Georgetown University
     October 2023
     Teachers and students gained substantial benefits from their participation in the PCRP. Their knowledge of American government and the public policy process increased significantly. Teachers acquired active pedagogies through the PC PD program which they used regularly when implementing the PC intervention in their classrooms. Students made significant gains in civic skills, civic dispositions, and SEL competencies. They used STEM skills, especially in math and science, to address the problems they identified in their communities and schools. These gains were made during the COVID-19 pandemic, a period of extensive upheaval and stress in delivering middle and high school education.
Project Citizen Preliminary Report: Year One
     Dr. Diana Owen, Civic Education Research Lab, Georgetown University
     May 2022
     The research on the first cohort of teachers and students in the Project Citizen Research Program demonstrates significant increases in teacher knowledge and use of Project Citizen pedagogies conducive to building student social and emotional learning (SEL). Middle and high school students from diverse backgrounds made significant gains in content knowledge, civic skills, and attention to public policy issues. Project Citizen students made connections with their math and science coursework and were more likely to report that they engaged in STEM activities in their civics classes in comparison to the control group.
We the PeopleProject Citizen Evaluation One Page Summary
     RMC Research Corporation
     November, 2007
     A 2007 study conducted by RMC Research Corporation of We the People: Project Citizen students found statistically significantly greater gains among participants than comparison students in their knowledge of public policy. Project Citizen participants also demonstrated superior writing ability in articulating, researching, and advocating policy solutions in essays addressing public policy problems. For the full report, please click here.
Evaluation of We the PeopleProject Citizen Summer Institutes: How Professional Development Translates into Classroom Instruction
     Jennifer Nairne
     Center for Civic Education
     February, 2008
The Impacts of Project Citizen on U.S. Middle and High School Students: A 2005-2006 Study
     Sue Root & Judy Northup
     RMC Research Corporation
     Powerpoint presented at the San Francisco Conference
     October 2007
     Research findings on middle and high school students.
Are Girls Checking Out? Gender and Political Socialization in Transitioning Democracies
     Suzanne Soule & Jennifer Nairne
     Center for Civic Education
     October 2006
A Programmatic Evaluation of Civitas: An International Civic Education Exchange Program 2004-2005 (Executive Summary)
     Gary Marx
     Center for Public Outreach
     2006
     Request Full Copy of Report
[2003-2004 Executive Summary] 
[2002-2003 Executive Summary]
     A report to the Center for Civic Education
Civitas Latin America: A Civic Education Exchange Program Annual Evaluation Report, Year 2
     WestEd
     2005
     [2004 Report]
     A report to the Center for Civic Education
Monitoring the Effectiveness of Youth Participation in Project Citizen A Civitas-Russia Evaluation Project Summary of Preliminary Findings
     Charles White
     Associate Professor Curriculum & Teaching
     Boston University
     2005
     For further information about the Russian-American project “Monitoring Effectiveness of Youth Participation in Project Citizen”contact Professor Charles White at Boston University (cswhite@bu.edu).
     A report to the Center for Civic Education
Civic Education in Divided Societies: Using Civic Education Materials to Build a Democratic Political Culture
     Sharareh Frouzesh Bennett
     Center for Civic Education
     April 2005
     [Participant List]
A Rising Tide in Indonesia: Attempting to Create a Cohort Committed to Democracy Through Education
     Suzanne Soule
     Director, Research and Evaluation
     Center for Civic Education
     Paper presented at the Annual MPSA Conference
     April 14-17, 2004
An Independent Evaluation of Civic Education Programs In Jordan, Egypt, and West Bank, 2002-2003
     Glaser Consulting Group
     2004
     A report to the Center for Civic Education
Unity Through Diversity? Data from a New Civic Education Program in Indonesia
     Suzanne Soule
     Director, Research and Evaluation
     Center for Civic Education
     Paper presented at the Int.Conference on Civic Ed. Research
     November 14-18, 2003
Projek Warga: Project for Schools in Penang
     Evaluation Directed by Lim Hong Hai
     School of Social Sciences
     Universiti Sains Malaysia
     June-September 2003
Experiential Civic Learning by Using "Projekt: Aktive Bürger"
     Klaus Koopmann
     Published in the JSSE - Journal of Social Science Education
     February 1, 2003
Learning to Live Together: An Evaluation of Civic-Link
     Work Research Co-operative
     2003
     [Executive Summary]
Creating a Cohort Committed to Democracy? Civic Education in Bosnia and Herzegovina
     Suzanne Soule
     Director, Research and Evaluation
     Center for Civic Education
     Paper presented at the Annual APSA Conference
     August 29-September 1, 2002
Beyond Communism and War: The Effect of Civic Education on the Democratic Attitudes and Behavior of Bosnian and Herzegovinian Youth
     Suzanne Soule
     Director, Research and Evaluation
     Center for Civic Education
     October 2000
     [Executive Summary]
Project Citizen and the Civic Development of Adolescent Students in Indiana, Latvia, and Lithuania
     Thomas S. Vontz, Kim K. Metcalf, John J. Patrick
     Indiana University
     2000
     [Executive Summary]
     Published Volume: The ERIC Clearinghouse, 2000
We the PeopleProject Citizen
     Herbert M. Atherton
     2000
     Chapter 8 in Education for Civic Engagement in Democracy: Service Learning and Other Promising Practices
Sheilah Mann and John J. Patrick, Eds. 
Published: ERIC Clearninghouse, 2000.
Civic Education Assessment--Stage II. Civic Education Programming Since 1990--A Case Study Analysis
     Franca Brilliant
     2000
     A report for the U.S. Agency for International Development
An Assessment of We the People:Project Citizen: Promoting Citizenship in Classrooms and Communities
     Kenneth W. Tolo
     Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs
     University of Texas at Austin
     1998
     [Executive Summary]
     Policy Research Project Report No. 129

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