Renaissance Students Give Feedback

Renaissance Students Give Feedback
Posted on 02/02/2016

Students in Susan Thomas’s 7th grade social studies class at Renaissance Middle School had an opportunity to offer their feedback on important issues to Congressman Donald M. Payne Jr.

District social studies Supervisor Davida Harewood received an email from Congressman Payne, who serves New Jersey’s 10th Congressional District requesting social studies teachers to engage their students in the democratic process.

“This month, we started the second session of the 114th Congress, and I wanted to ask you what you feel we should be working on,” the letter read. “There are many important challenges, from creating new jobs and growing the economy, to enacting meaningful legislation on gun violence prevention, expanding access to health care, and lowering the cost of higher education. What issue(s) represent your top priorities for 2016?

Thomas’s 7th grade class used the Congressman’s list of issues facing our country as a timely resource to support learning and discussion with the students. The civic-minded students discussed, questioned and debated before prioritizing the issues for our Congressman. Using the survey with the students was an innovative strategy to support the NJ CCCS for Social Studies within the framework of Active Citizenship in the 21st Century. This educational standard has the following goal: All students will acquire the skills needed to be active, informed citizens who value diversity and promote cultural understanding by working collaboratively to address the challenges that are inherent in living in an interconnected world.

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