- Students enrolled in diverse schools did not report having more civic learning opportunities or stronger civic attitudes than students in segregated non-White schools.
- A simple categorization of diversity (either diverse or not) revealed no significant differences between students’ political and civic learning opportunities and attitudes. But when the authors include data about the different types of racial groups present in these schools the data tell a different story.
- Across all three outcomes, students in Black/White/Latino schools were significantly less likely than students in four-group schools to report positive citizenship, even after controlling for individual and school characteristics.
- Students in Black/Latino/Asian schools were significantly more likely to report that their teachers encouraged civic behavior than students in four-group schools.
- Although students in Latino/White schools did not have significantly different attitudes about civic responsibility than students in four-group schools, they were less likely to report positive civic learning opportunities for knowledge and skills and less likely to report that their teachers encouraged citizenship activities.
- Students in White/Latino/Asian schools were more likely to report that they believed it was their own and others’ responsibility to be concerned about political and civic issues than the four-group reference group.
- Students in segregated Black and in segregated Latino schools were less likely to report learning opportunities for civic knowledge and skills than students in four-group schools.
- Students in schools with four racial group are more likely to report civic learning opportunities and positive civic attitudes than students in schools with fewer than four groups.
- Students in all other schools were less likely to report civic learning opportunities or positive civic attitudes than students in stably diverse schools none of the school context variables reach statistical significance.