Civic engagement broadly encompasses many forms of political and civic activities. These include registering to vote, voting, attending community meetings, working with others to improve one's community, discussing politics and paying attention to public affairs. All of these activities build both political and social capital for individuals, their communities, and the states they live in. The composite measure of these is an indication of the state's civic health.

THE GOOD NEWS
Californians seem to be mirroring the national average in many areas of civic engagement. We turned out in 2008 to vote at nearly the same percentage seen nationally (63.4% and 63.6%, respectively), and at the midterm elections (47.8% in California and nationally). Californians also volunteer close to the national percentage (24.6% and 26.8%, respectively) and work with their neighbors to solve community problems (8.3% in California and 8.8% nationally). In examining how Californians compare to the nation, it is important to also look at other states with similar size and similar demographics. Compared with Texas and New York, Californians exceeded their averages on every area of civic engagement measured.

California ranked 33rd in voter turnout for the November 2008 election, with the rate of 63.4% for citizens age 18 and over. Although the ranking is low, the 2008 turnout nearly matched the national average of 63.6%. Since 2000, voter turnout in California has increased from 57.9% in 2000, to 61.9% in 2004 and to 63.4% in 2008. Midterm voter turnout similarly shows an upward trend after 2002, with 47.8% of California voters going to the polls in 2006.

Community collaboration and discussion of politics are also important areas to consider in the assessment of civic engagement. Access to news and political discussion builds social capital; those who report high news consumption and high political discussion are far more likely to volunteer than those who report low news consumption and low political discussions. Similarly, access to information also predicts whether people x something in the community with neighbors. Those who keep up with news and discuss politics are more likely to donate money than those who do not.

In 2009, 8.3% of Californians worked with neighbors to x a problem, up from 5.7% in 2006 and just below the national average of 8.8%. Attention to and discussion of politics are also areas that should be reviewed. Rates of news consumption and discussion in California are somewhat below the national average. Thirty–three percent of Californians discussed politics with friends and family at least a few times a week, ranking 46th in the nation. Younger Californians are more disengaged from news, with 48.1% neither consuming nor discussing the news (about six percentage points difference from the national average), whereas older Californians are somewhat more connected to news than their contemporaries nationally.

THE BAD NEWS
Although Californians are keeping up with the national average on most of the areas of civic engagement under review, the percentages remain well below ideal. California ranked 42nd among all states in voter–registration rate. While California saw a turnout of 68.2% of eligible voters, the national voter registration rate for all eligible citizens in 2008 was 71.0%. Voting trends are on the rise in California, again mirroring the national average.

However, all Californians need to be encouraged to engage with the news and to discuss politics, particularly younger Californians. Better–informed citizens participate more, including working to improve community problems, taking on a leadership role in one's community, and donating money to campaigns.

Recent studies have demonstrated that those with less money and less education, and are a minority, are less likely to participate in the political process. In a 2004 report, the American Political Science Association Task Force on Inequality and American Democracy concluded that:

The privileged participate more than others and are increasingly well organized to press their demands on government. Public ofcials, in turn, are much more responsive to the privileged than to average citizens and the least afuent. Citizens with low or moderate incomes speak with a whisper that is lost on the ears of inattentive government, while the advantaged roar with the clarity and consistency that policymakers readily heed (p. 1).

Americans 25 years of age and older who have no college experience are far less likely (21.5%) to access information and engage in political conversation than those who have college experience (37.0%). This translates into political action; those who discuss politics with others are more likely to engage civically in a wide array of behaviors, including voicing political opinions, voting, volunteering, and working to improve the community with neighbors. 9

Approximately 20% of Californians in 2008 did not graduate from high school. Large urban areas in California are of special concern. Using data obtained from the 2003–04 academic year, The Editorial Projects in Education Research Center demonstrated that urban students graduate at a rate of 15 percentage points lower than their suburban peers. 10 On the national level, nearly one–quarter of all students who fail to graduate high school with a diploma live in one of the 50 largest cities. 11 Repeated studies have shown that level of education is strongly related to political participation. While 57% of U.S. citizens aged 18–29 attended college, they represented 70% of young voters. 12 Meanwhile, only 6% of youth with less than a high school diploma voted. This group comprises 14% of the young population. Further, of the 29% of the population with only a high school diploma, 24% voted. 13

Although California's population of more than 36 million residents is increasing in diversity, those participating in the political process are not representing that diversity. Growing diversity increases the importance of providing interactive civic education to all students. Civic education is essential to providing Californians with needed opportunities to engage in discussion of current events and to garner the knowledge and skills to effectively participate in the political process. The current requirement of one semester–long government course at grade 12 may be too little and too late, both for those who drop out of school or who arrive as adults.

CIVIC EDUCATION FOUND TO PROMOTE CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
Several studies over the last two decades have afrmed that civic education can have a signicant effect on a student's political knowledge and engagement. 14 More recent research has specied certain interactive and high–quality classroom techniques that are essential to creating an enlightened and engaged citizenry. 15 In a 2010 study, Dr. Diana Owen of Georgetown University found that Americans who reported having participated in a civic–education class that included an interactive component were more politically knowledgeable and more civically engaged. 16

In a 2009 Department of Education publication on the achievement gap in California, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction stated that “The state can no longer ignore the fact that major segments of the next generation continue to fall short of their potential. Quite simply, the achievement gap among student subgroups is a threat to their future and to the future economic health and security of California and of this nation.” 17 Increasing interactive civic–education programs may narrow the gap in the educational divide. A recent study by Joseph Kahne at Mills College found that classroom civic learning opportunities can offset impact of neighborhood and home contexts. In other words, participating in a high–quality, interactive civic–education program can compensate and narrow the gap. 18 Similarly, in Campbell's paper “Voice in the Classroom: How an Open Classroom Climate Fosters Political Engagement Among Adolescents,” 19 he nds that quality civic–education practices had the largest impact on California low–income/high–needs students. Additionally, ndings from a new longitudinal study on interactive civic education programs in California support that high–quality and engaging civic–learning opportunities promote civic and political engagement outside the classroom. Dr. Kahne demonstrated content–learning promoted interest in politics, interest in diverse opinions, a commitment to participatory citizenship and voting. Experience–centered learning promoted volunteerism, political action and expression, a commitment to participatory citizenship, and confidence in one's civic skills. 20 These studies provide strong evidence of the impact that civic education (or the lack thereof) can have on our children.