PA STUDENTS LEARN ABOUT CIVIC DUTY AT ADVOCACY FORUM HOSTED BY FIRST LADY MARJORIE O. RENDELL, PENNCORD

HARRISBURG – Students and teachers from 16 Pennsylvania schools and the Pennsylvania Association of Student Councils got a hands-on civics lesson from First Lady Marjorie O. Rendell and PennCORD members this week at a student advocacy forum.

"As First Lady, I am working to teach young adults that they have a responsibility to their communities to know not only what the United States Constitution says, but to understand what it means to their everyday lives," said Judge Rendell at the forum, which was held at the Governor's Residence in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Coalition for Representative Democracy, or PennCORD. "The success and protection of our democracy rests with our children."

Eighty students and teachers joined PennCORD members to learn how to advocate for greater civic education throughout all schools in the commonwealth. Media representatives, school administrators and successful civic educators worked with Judge Rendell in urging attendees to do more than just learn about civics, but instead make their voices heard as participatory citizens.

"For too long children have benefited solely from the three R's: reading, writing and arithmetic. We must rethink and redefine those basics to include the 5 R's: reading, writing, arithmetic, AND civic rights and responsibilities," said Judge Rendell. "The preoccupation with raising academic performance cannot overshadow the importance of educating children to become engaged and informed American citizens."

At the forum, each participating high school was asked to prepare an action plan so their classmates can have the opportunity to expand their civic horizons. Each school will also present a draft proclamation to their respective school boards asking for the commitment to teach students about the need to be well informed and fully prepared for the responsibilities, opportunities and duties of citizenship.

PennCORD is a unique union of educational, advocacy and governmental organizations committed to improving civic learning for students in grades K-12. The strength of America's representative democracy depends on the active participation of an informed citizenry. However, recent studies have shown that many students and graduates do not possess or exhibit the basic citizenship skills necessary to fulfill their responsibilities as citizens.

The coalition is led by the Office of the First Lady of Pennsylvania, The National Constitution Center, the Pennsylvania Bar Association and the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

The Rendell Administration is committed to creating a first-rate public education system, protecting our most vulnerable citizens and continuing economic investment to support our communities and businesses. To find out more about Governor Rendell's initiatives and to sign up for his weekly newsletter, visit his Web site at: www.governor.state.pa.us.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Following is a list of the high schools that participated in the forum: