The E. E. Schattschneider Award is presented annually by the American Political Science Association (APSA) to honor the best doctoral dissertation in the field of American government.
Citation from the Award Committee:
The E. E. Schattschneider Award is proudly presented to Claire Willeck for her outstanding dissertation, “Active Civics: How Civics Education Shapes Political Engagement.” This thoughtful research tackles the vital link between civics education and political engagement, a key element of a healthy democracy. Willeck’s work is notable for its methodological rigor and comprehensive approach. She developed her theory based on a detailed and careful understanding of the historical underpinnings of civic education in the United States. Employing a national field experiment, Willeck used an array of data to assess the impact of active civics education. Her findings demonstrate that active civics, regardless of its implementation, increases students’ cognitive engagement, situational interest, political knowledge, and expressive political participation. Moreover, this dissertation highlights extensive collaborations, including a partnership with iCivics, an educational non-profit, ensuring her findings have practical applications that reach hundreds of thousands of teachers and millions of students. The award committee is convinced that Willeck’s research will have real-world implications; it offers a tangible means for enhancing civics education nationwide, thus providing valuable insights into how to cultivate political engagement among young people. Her work exemplifies exceptional scholarship and contributes meaningfully to the field of political science and the betterment of democratic participation.
Claire Willeck is a visiting Research Collaborator at Princeton University and a Data Scientist at Netflix. She completed her PhD at Princeton University in 2023 with an Honorific Procter Fellowship. Her research focuses on ways education can engage young people with the political system. She lives in New York City, and outside of work, she plays volleyball, runs, swims, bikes, and lifts. She also enjoys walking everywhere in the city, reading- particularly thrillers, listening to podcasts, and lounging with her twin cats.
APSA thanks the committee members for their service: Dr. Nathan J. Kelly (Chair) of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Dr. Daniel M. Shea of Colby College, and Dr. Danielle Thomsen of the University of California, Irvine.