Students offered those ideas and others at a town hall meeting where Pennsylvania’s First Lady and the state Secretary of Education engaged them in a dialogue about democracy and how well they believe they’re being prepared for civic responsibilities. With support from The Grable Foundation and the Heinz Endowments, The Consortium for Public Education organized the meeting, which drew nearly 1,000 high school students from 34 districts in six counties across the region. The event kicked off a statewide bus tour during which U.S. Third Circuit Court Judge Marjorie O. Rendell is promoting greater emphasis on civics education and experiences that make democracy “come alive” for students. The Allegheny Intermediate Unit co-hosted the meeting and a luncheon that followed for administrators from participating for districts.

“The format gave kids a chance to do exactly what Judge Rendell is encouraging,” said The Consortium’s Associate Executive Director, Steve Seliy, who orchestrated the event. “They were thoroughly engaged and they rose to the challenge with some really good ideas.”

“It is open dialogue on which democracy is based,” Judge Rendell told the students at the outset of the discussion, which she guided along with State Secretary of Education, Gerald Zahorchak. Among the questions she raised was what changes in their schools and civics learning might increase student involvement.

Kris Hawkins, a student from South Allegheny, speaks out at the 'town hall' meeting

“We don’t have enough debate,” one Baldwin-Whitehall High School student offered. “We’re spoon fed too much.”

A number said they felt schools didn’t solicit student input enough or permit young adults to make enough of their own decisions. Among the most topical examples came from a student who questioned why districts, communities or even parents should have determined whether it was appropriate for him or his peers to watch a presidential address when they’re almost, if not already, voting age. He was referring to the decision in some districts not to air President Obama’s recent televised talk about education because of political messages they thought it might convey. Judge Rendell encouraged the student to make his views known in a time-honored democratic way: by writing an Op-Ed for a local newspaper or a letter to the editor.

Some students also said they faced too many restrictions in school. Others countered that view, including a young woman from Allegheny Valley School District’s Springdale High School who suggested that staying within boundaries that schools set is practice for living in a democracy. “I feel so blessed to have the rights we do,” she said. “We can’t just go out into the world and have no rules. That would be chaos. We need rules too.”

Nor was Judge Rendell’s give-and-take with students confined to criticism or defense of their learning experiences. Among other highpoints, she shared a personal reflection on the moment in her judicial career that impassioned her about promoting civics education and invited students to relate turning points in their own views of democracy. For Judge Rendell, the profound meaning of the freedoms our country enjoys came when she presided over a naturalization ceremony for immigrants, some of whom had no doubt fled oppression.

One Ringgold High School student said he’d taken no interest in civic learning or engagement until last year’s presidential race. “When Obama was elected, it pushed me to make that step. It made me proud to be a black American,” he said.

A young man from Moon Area High School said, "It was actually coming here today, hearing other students, that I realized my opinion matters."

Newspapers capture student views at
The Consortium’s town hall meeting with Judge Rendell
Few things bring home the potential influence of a civic dialogue more than seeing the exchange appear in print. Students speaking at the town hall meeting that The Consortium for Public Education hosted saw their thoughts captured in several newspapers and online. Their discussion with Pennsylvania’s First Lady and the state Secretary of Education also drew television coverage. To read some of the stories, follow these links:

WPXI's video coverage

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article

Tribune Review article

McKeesport Daily New article

Pittsburgh Urban Media article