1. "The St. Louis Young Citizenship Study"
Principal Investigator: Lester K. Spence, Washington University, St. Louis

"The St. Louis Young Citizenship Study"

Principal Investigator: Lester K. Spence, Washington University, St. Louis

Does bringing students of different backgrounds together in a desegregated educational setting influence their political attitudes? Does it impact their political efficacy? No one has grappled with these questions. Given the political nature of the desegregation movement itself, this is somewhat surprising. Learning about the ways that contexts of segregation influence the political attitudes of young students can help schools further understand the formative role they play in shaping attitudes about government and about citizenship. It also highlights the importance of policies that bring together people of different backgrounds.

Looking specifically at African American youth (a population deemed "at risk" by many) understanding intra-racial differences among this segment of the population can help scholars understand the ways that civic attitudes are differentially shaped by forces in and outside of the school. How does the efficacy of poorer black students change when they are placed in wealthier school contexts? Do black students in suburban schools have significantly different political attitudes than their urban counterparts?