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Can Charter Schools Boost Civic Participation? The Impact of Democracy Prep Public Schools on Voting Behavior
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Can Charter Schools Boost Civic Participation? The Impact of Democracy Prep Public Schools on Voting Behavior

Published: Nov 01, 2020
Publisher: American Political Science Review, vol. 114, issue 4
Human Services Education School Choice and Charters

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Authors

Brian Gill

Emilyn Rubel Whitesell

Sean P. Corcoran

Charles Tilley

Mariel Finucane

Liz Potamites

Key Findings

  • Democracy Prep has large positive effects on civic participation, increasing its students’ voter-registration rates by about 16 percentage points and their voting rates by about 12 percentage points.
  • Given the low registration and voting rates of young adults nationally, these are substantial impacts.
  • They provide new evidence that an education focused on preparing students for citizenship can boost civic participation in adulthood.

This study examines the impact of Democracy Prep on voter registration and participation in the 2016 election.

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