| Beginning with the question "To what extent do civic attitudes, knowledge, and skills explain current civic behaviors in Colorado high school Latino/a students? " this dissertation explores the historical, political, and social interactions Latinos have had with the public school system and the impact this interaction has or has not had on the development of their civic-mindedness. As the fastest growing racial/ethnic group in this country, Latinos are poised to become the future social-political leaders and decision makers for the nation. The quality of the investment made by our public schools in this group will have a profound impact on the future of our democracy. Data collection was through a survey design administered to 12th grade Latino/a students throughout Colorado capturing information of the students' civic attitudes, knowledge, skills, behaviors, connectedness to school, family engagement, and level of acculturation.;Of the school related factors measured by this study---coursework in civics, government, and history, participation in extracurricular activities, Advanced Placement courses, and connectedness to school---only participation in extracurricular activities and Advanced Placement courses had a significant relationship to a student's civic behaviors. While most school-related factors were not significant contributors to a student's civic behavior, family engagement proved to be statistically significant in positively impacting civic behaviors. These findings point to the need for schools to remove institutional barriers to programs that promote positive civic behaviors such as Advanced Placement courses and extracurricular activities as well as opening avenues to increased parent-school partnerships. |
