Assessing Civic Knowledge, Civic Engagement, and Civic Identity in Recent North Carolina High School Graduates

High school is the last opportunity a state institution can ensure its next generation has a solid grasp of their country's past and present, its core principles, and obligations of responsible citizenship. The 2022-2023 school year will be the second year NC students are taking the Founding Principles of the United States and North Carolina: Civic Literacy classes and high school graduates will be a mixture of those who have taken the new civics course and those who will be able to graduate without taking it as a requirement. This study is important because it is attempting to assess the current knowledge, attitudes, and feeling of recent NC high school graduates who have a range of civic education opportunities. Teachers also provide an important perspective as they are end users of many policy decisions and are at the heart of providing civic education to high school students.