VOL. 23, NO. 24	JUNE 12, 1998

irls are more likely than boys to tolerate extreme viewpoints, volunteer in their communities and feel patriotic, according to a Columbia study of democratic values among eighth graders in New York City schools.

  The findings emerged in a study of the factors that help young people develop democratic values like political tolerance and community involvement. Eighth graders in public, private secular and religious schools participated in the study carried out by graduate students at the School of International and Public Affairs under the direction of Professor Patrick Wolf.

  Wolf said girls held stronger positions on every measure of democratic values, particularly in tolerance for viewpoints on the fringes of American social and political life, such as atheists, religious fundamentalists or neo-Nazi groups.

  “While this finding is interesting in its own right, we find it even more intriguing because previous studies indicate that by the time students reach college age, men tend to be more tolerant than women,” Wolf said.

  The Columbia researchers found that public school students are more patriotic than their private and parochial school counterparts but that students at private secular schools are more tolerant of extremist viewpoints. Students at religious schools were more likely to volunteer than students in other schools.

  “The findings illustrate that public, private and parochial schools each have unique strengths,” Wolf said. “Our data show that students with a combination of both private and public schooling exhibit the highest levels of democratic values.”

  Wolf said that while certain schools may promote one indicator of democratic values, such as patriotism, they may detract from another, such as tolerance.

  School policies that encouraged student and community participation in school affairs resulted in higher levels of democratic values among students, the study found. Schools that expose students to community leaders through assemblies or workshops produced more tolerant students. Similarly, students who discuss politics with friends and family are more tolerant than those who do not. Students who attend schools that encourage participation in school meetings were more tolerant and willing to volunteer more often. Students allowed to participate in school curriculum development were more likely to volunteer in the community.

  “Clearly, schools can make a big difference in promoting democratic values,” Wolf said. “Our results indicate that in order to produce a higher level of civic values in students, the students themselves must become involved and participate in the learning process.”

  The research was completed in Wolf’s Workshop in Applied Policy Analysis, taken by students in the Master’s of Public Administration program.

  “Our study confirms that certain identifiable characteristics of students significantly influence their levels of tolerance, patriotism, and volunteerism,” Wolf said. “More importantly, we have determined that schools can make a difference in promoting democratic values. We expect schools to produce well-educated students who can contribute to society through productive employment.

  “We also should expect our schools to produce good citizens who will contribute to the successful functioning of our democracy. As John Dewey claimed nearly a century ago, it takes a successful school to raise a good citizen.”

  The graduate students administered surveys and conducted interviews with 590 students in three public schools in Brooklyn, the Bronx and Staten Island, 136 students in six private secular schools, all in Manhattan, and 197 students in eight private religious schools in Manhattan, Staten Island and Brooklyn.