New CERL Research on Civic Education for Students with Disabilities

Posted in James Madison Legacy Project Expansion News

The James Madison Legacy Project Expansion (JMLPE), a program of CERL and the Center for Civic Education, focuses on civic education for students with disabilities, emerging multilingual learners, and students of color. For the JMLPE’s first study, the Center provided professional development (PD) to teachers who instructed their students in a version of the longstanding We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution for students with disabilities. CERL researched the effectiveness of the PD program and the curriculum intervention. Dr. Diana Owen, Director of CERL, authored a paper on the findings entitled “Preparing Students with Disabilities for Civic Engagement” for presentation at the Civic Learning on Campus: Bringing Political Science In Mini-Conference Panel on Countering Democratic Backsliding through Civic Education for All Students at the American Political Science Association Annual Meeting in Philadelphia this Thursday, September 5, 2024.


Research Abstract: The vast disparities in the availability and quality of civic education for students with disabilities (SWDs) denies them the preparation to become competent, responsible, and impactful citizens. This study examines the effectiveness of the Center for Civic Education’s James Madison Legacy Project Expansion, which provides teacher professional development (PD) and a curriculum intervention based on We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution (WTP) adapted for SWDs, in producing positive civic outcomes for middle and high school students. The study employs a randomized controlled trial (RCT) design that compares students in classes with high percentages of SWDs who received the adapted WTP curriculum to those who took a standard civics class. The findings indicated that SWDs can successfully navigate an adapted civic education curriculum and significantly increase their civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions. Students who received the WTP curriculum intervention had greater gains in all three domains than students in the control condition.

Table shows WTP students were more likely than students in the comparison group to report that they understood more about American government after taking their class.
The table above (see Table 3 in paper) shows WTP students were more likely than students in the comparison group to report that they understood more about American government after taking their class. The findings were especially pronounced for middle school students. Eighty percent of middle schoolers who were taught the WTP curriculum agreed that they understood more about American government compared to 63% in the control group—a difference of 17 points.