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America’s Legislators Back to School Week
   Hello! Today we will introduce to you America’s Legislators Back to School Week. (1)In the United States, the third week of September is the observance of what is called America’s Legislators Back to School Week. This is a time for state lawmakers across the country to visit schools in the areas they represent. A main goal of the week is to help students understand how a democratic society makes laws. America’s legislators reach oat to students in an effort to increase public knowledge of and respect for the legislative process.
   What would lead a legislator to devote time to such an activity? Why is it important to answer the simple questions of youngsters? Because these kids are at risk of becoming the cynical and distrustful.
   There are many important reasons, says Moore, for state legislators to visit schools. And "state legislators are especially qualified to help students understand their roles and responsibilities as citizens. " Besides their lack of interest in voting, students are less than proficient.
   (2)The America’s Legislators Back to School Program was founded in 1999 to educate students about our system of representative democracy.  Each year, more than 1,200 state lawmakers visit classrooms all across the country to talk about the legislative process and bring civics to life. The National Conference of State Legislatures, NCSL, provides educational materials about representative democracy for legislators’ use in their presentations to K-12 classes. NCSL also provides training, promotional strategies and organizational support for state coordinators and legislators.
   (3)NCSL contracted with Turcotte Public Administration Consulting and Training, LLC (TPACT) to design and implement a controlled study of the program’s impact. NCSL selected the state of Louisiana as the site of the study’s first phase. NCSL subsequently expanded the study to include Wyoming. (4)The purpose of the study was to evaluate the impact of the America’s Legislators Back to School Program on participating students’ understanding and appreciation of representative democracy.
   Results show that the Back to School Program strengthened students’ understanding and appreciation of representative democracy.
   The observance of America’s Legislators Back to School Week started in six states in 1999. At that time, it took place on one day. Now all fifty states and Puerto Rico observe the event for a full week. Legislators say it lets them observe and build connections with schools.
   (5)Another purpose is to get young people to take part in the political process. The National Conference of State Legislatures says that in 1972,almost half of young people ages eighteen to twenty-four voted. But it says only thirty-three percent voted in the two-thousand elections.
   The evaluators also developed an observation form for use by classroom monitors accompanying legislators on classroom visits. The observation form was used to collect information on the context of each visit, the amount of time spent on various activity types, the duration of the visit, the extent to which the legislator implemented certain standard program activities, levels of students’ attention and participation, legislators’ main points, and questions asked by students.
   During their school visits, legislators tell about the pressures they face while deciding on issues. (6) They explain how they negotiate and debate. They tell about how they must often compromise to pass legislation. Teaching materials for the visits contain suggestions for talking about the democratic process.  (7)The materials say that young people’s ideas can influence the legislative process.
   Special events take place during the back-to-school week.  One event last year was a ceremony for students in Pasadena, Maryland. Students at the George Fox Middle School were honored for a report they put together. (8)It dealt with a state project that they argued would harm the environment. Legislators who took part in the ceremony said the report influenced the state to change the project.
   Teachers like Herb Schaunaman in South Dakota have praise for the America’s Legislators Back to School Week. (9)He said his class learned a lot about making laws from a visit by a state lawmaker. He said they learned far more than they would have from a book and lecture.
   (10)This evaluation of the America’s Legislators Back to School Program shows that the program, when implemented by legislators and teachers who use the recommended lesson types and materials and address the intended program objectives, results in significantly higher levels of understanding and appreciation of representative democracy among middle school students. The program’s long-term impact on students’ knowledge and perceptions of representative democracy may warrant attention in future studies.
   Teachers that have participated in Back to School Week activities in the past had the following comments about the program:
   "A few of my students may look into becoming a page after the senator explained their role in government." ment.
   "I think this will be a long-lasting, meaningful experience for my students. "
   "The senator gave an interesting presentation about how people work together to make decisions in government. "
   America’s Legislators Back to School Program is sponsored by the National Conference of State Legislatures and the Warner Institute for Education in Democracy.