ASCD Joins Nation's Largest Bipartisan Legislative Event to Take State Lawmakers 'Back to School'

Alexandria, Va. (9/9/03)— The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) has joined in collaboration with the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) to promote America's Legislators Back to School Week, September 15–19. The program, now in its fifth year, gives U.S. elected officials the opportunity to meet personally with their school-age constituents to create a greater understanding of the legislative processes necessary for developing effective public policy.

The program provides state legislators with classroom tools and exercises to bring representative democracy to life and let the nation's students know that their ideas matter. More than 250,000 students from Maine to California will meet with their state lawmakers in the third week of September for the nation's largest bipartisan civic education outreach.

ASCD members and affiliates interested in participating should contact their state coordinator. The state coordinator roster is available at http://www.ncsl.org/public/trust/contacts_bsw.htm. ASCD members and affiliates who are hosting a local event should contact Christy Guilfoyle, cguilfoyle@ascd.org, to have their event featured on the ASCD Web site.

For more information on America's Legislators Back to School Week, visit the collaboration's Web site at http://www.ncsl.org/public/backsch.htm.

NCSL introduced the America's Legislators Back to School program in 1999 to provide a contemporary approach for engaging the American student population in understanding the value of democracy. Seventeen other education and public service organizations are also part of the collaboration.

Contact Information
Barbara Gleason, public information director, at bgleason@ascd.org or 1-703-575-5610.
Christy Guilfoyle, public relations specialist, at cguilfoyle@ascd.org or 1-703-575-5608.

Florida
David WolfsonHouse of Representative321 The Capitol402 S. Monroe StreetTallahassee, FL 32399(850) 922-0742fax (850) 413-0422wolfson.david@myfloridahouse.com
Christine FuhrmanEducation AnalystSenate Majority330 Senate Office Building404 S. Monroe StreetTallahassee, Florida 32399-1100(850) 487-5184fax (850) 487-5842fuhrman.christine@flsenate.gov
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Note to Florida teacher by Jack Bovee explaining the advantage that would accrue from continued use of this event.

Amy --
It used to come out from the National Conference of State Legislators. (see below) Generally, it's a poorly planned program and news of it is sporadic -- generally no contacts with persons such as Anne Roycroft or myself is ever made. Regardless, it's a strategy that adds powerful 'natural' connections to our social studies advocacy efforts!

Please consider it -- and even an ECON class has possible benefits -- witness our controversial Homestead Exemption Amendment, the economic need for a Florida stimulus package similar to what Congress is proposing, the expensive need for Road maintenance, how to attract the 'right' kind of business, let alone the crazy nature of all the ungodly and unfair tax loopholes that the legislature provides to 'approved' businesses. Just asking for the list of companies that receive such tax breaks on Florida's corporate tax laws might prove very revealing to your students! (Many years ago I think Hertz paid no corporate tax, but Avis 'did' -- or vice versa. That's crazy, but in the attempt to attract 'high quality' business corporate offices to Florida, these are the kinds of exemptions that sometimes happen!

Jason Caros, who has some powerful legislators in Volusia County and whom I think may have targeted some of his social studies teachers to maintain this sort of annual relationship, might be able to shed some additional light on this topic. Jason, do you care to weigh in? We're talking about the value of using the "Take A Legislator to School" campaign to our advantage with one of the teachers in Escambia County! (If you've not been able to do this in Volusia, can you target one or more of your folk to invite in Evelyn Lynn and some of your other powerful legislators?)

Best wishes,

Jack