With the growing size of the “Millennial Generation” and its potential impact on
American democracy, the civic education of this cohort deserves study. Using news
media and discussion of politics at home and in the classroom at four public high
schools in New Jersey, we conducted an experiment to measure changes in media use,
political knowledge, and political efficacy. Although the experiment generated
useful substantive findings, we also learned important lessons about the challenges
associated with conducting research in high schools. We present suggestions to aid
in studying a crucial segment of the population: adolescents who are on the cusp of
entering the electorate.