The Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University explores state and national politics through research, education, and public service, linking the study of politics with its day-to-day practice. The Institute focuses attention on how contemporary political systems work, how they change, and how they might work better. Eagleton's faculty, centers and programs specialize in the study of: state legislatures; public opinion polling and survey research; women's participation in politics; race and politics; campaigns, elections and political parties; civic education and political engagement; and New Jersey politics. The Institute includes the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) and the Center for Public Interest Polling (CPIP), both established in the early 1970's. A primary goal of the Institute is to increase citizen participation in politics and public affairs. Much of the Institute's work in this area is conducted through Eagleton's Civic Engagement and Political Participation Program. The various projects that constitute the program focus on increasing participation among all citizens, but particularly among the young.

Assisting and overseeing a large part of this work is The New Jersey Civic Education Consortium, a statewide partnership of educators, schools, nonprofit organizations, corporations, and political leaders committed to expanding and strengthening civic education and political participation in New Jersey.

The Consortium seeks to promote partnerships among schools, community organizations, and public servants to educate and encourage a citizenry informed about and engaged in the practice of a democratic society.

Specific projects of the Institute include the Newark Student Voices Project, which is part of a national initiative of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania funded by the Annenberg Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts, and a Classroom Toolkit for Public Officials intended to help increase the frequency and effectiveness of interactions between politicians and students. We hope to decrease cynicism about the political process while teaching young people how to become informed and active citizens.

We encourage students to engage with the issues they care about not only through individual acts of volunteerism, but by gaining the information they need to act on a more systemic level. We believe civic education should encourage young people to value public service as well as community service by providing them with an appreciation for the democratic process.