Preparing Students with Disabilities for Civic Engagement

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 and a curriculum intervention based on We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution adapted for SWDs, in producing positive civic outcomes for middle and high school students. The study employs a randomized controlled trial 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 those in the control condition.