Student Voices
Student Voices is a non-partisan civic education program designed to improve the dialogue of democracy among our nation’s youth and encourage their civic engagement. Student Voices, created in 1999 by the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania, provides high school teachers with a unique set of resources to complement and enrich their existing civics curricula. Working with local organizations to implement the project in school districts around the country, Student Voices helps young people learn about current policy issues in city governments and elections.
Since its launch in 1999, Student Voices has been implemented in high school classes in thirteen cities. Active project sites for 2004-2005 are Chicago, Denver, Greater Pittsburgh, Newark, North Texas, Philadelphia, Seattle, Tulsa and Washington, D.C. For the first time this year, Student Voices is being implemented statewide in Pennsylvania, reaching more than 350 teachers from cities, suburbs, small towns and rural areas in 165 schools in 42 counties. Evaluation of the Student Voices model shows that Student Voices participants expanded their knowledge of state and local politics through increased use of newspapers, television, radio and internet for gaining political information; and enhanced their ability to form an informed opinion about candidates and local issues. Finally, research shows that Student Voices decreases students’ level of cynicism about the political process.
Mission
Student Voices is designed to inform, inspire, and educate high school students about local government and elections to help them become the well-informed citizens critical to a modern democracy.
Achievements
Student Voices improves civic education by:
Training high school civics, government, and history teachers in the innovative Student Voices Curriculum, which fosters students’ direct experiences with current issues in government and elections, working to develop reading and writing as well as civic capacities
Complementing the curriculum with the use of technology through the Student Voices Website , which helps students follow local news and public affairs, find information about their local government and elections, and engage in online discussions about local policy issues
Bringing civics to life through Student Voices Forums with public officials, policymakers and candidates, enabling young people to raise youth concerns, gain respect for government institutions, and develop vital communication and leadership skills
Establishing Student Voices Local Media Partnerships with newspapers, television and radio that provide students with opportunities to develop their abilities to communicate opinions and ideas in real-world settings.
Student Voices hopes to expand to additional locations, training more teachers each year. In existing cities, our goal is to institutionalize Student Voices as part of the required social studies/government curriculum.
Contact Information
Phyllis Kaniss
National Director
Student Voices
The Annenberg Public Policy Center
3535 Market Street, Suite 200
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Phone: (215) 898-9400
Fax: (215) 573-7116
Email: Pkaniss@Asc.Upenn.Edu
Website: www.student-voices.org