Democratic Education: the Associational Life of African-American and White High School Students

The democratic education of African American students was compared to that of White students by exploring the relationship between their participation in high school activities and their levels of civic and political engagement as adults. Focusing on the informal political socialization of students, the study examined the racial differences in the types of activities in which students are involved, such as government and vocational clubs, who is involved in them, and whether these differences are related to adult civic and political activism. The analysis is based on data from surveys of the Senior Class of 1972 by the National Center for Education Statistics. The sample fluctuated between 8,456 and 19,238 adults, depending on the variables included in the analysis. Students from families with high socioeconomic status are far more likely to be white and to find themselves on paths that carry them to the academic track and from there to a rich associational school and community life. But for black students who become involved in their schools, these inequalities are greatly reduced.