News
More Than 125,000 Florida Students Vote in Mock Election; Obama Wins State, Nation
ORLANDO, Oct. 30, 2008 -- More than 125,000 Florida students in grades K through 12 learned about making democratic choices this week by casting their votes for president during the National Student/Parent Mock Election.
Students from all grades participated, and nearly half of the voters were in grades six through eight. The election in Florida was coordinated by the Florida Joint Center for Citizenship, a partnership between the University of Central Florida's Lou Frey Institute of Politics and Government and the Bob Graham Center for Public Service at the University of Florida.
In Florida, students overwhelmingly voted for the Obama/Biden ticket over McCain/Palin by a margin of 63 to 31 percent. Nationally, more than 2.5 million students cast ballots, and they favored Obama by a margin of 62 to 34 percent.
Reflecting the current crisis facing the nation, 60 percent of students in Florida said that it is absolutely critical that the next administration focus on the economy. Other issues drew substantially fewer votes including: the war in Iraq (43 percent), global climate change and the environment (43 percent), national security (40 percent), the high cost of energy (39 percent), the cost and quality of health care (39 percent), and the educational system (38 percent). The war in Afghanistan anchored the bottom of the issues list with only 35 percent saying that it is critical that the next administration focus on it over the next four years.
Students from many schools also cast their ballots in congressional races and expressed their opinion on key issues - such as health care, the economy, and Iraq that have been a central part of the presidential campaign.
Some schools organized large-scale events around the election. At Space Coast Jr./Sr. High School, for example, about two thousand students voted in the school's media center, two students dressed up as senators John McCain and Barack Obama and greeted their fellow students as they were headed to vote.
"Democracy is not something that we are born understanding," said former Congressman Lou Frey, the founder of the Lou Frey Institute. "It is something that must be taught to each new generation. There is no better way to learn than by doing. The National Student/Parent Mock Election is a wonderful example of how we should be working to engage the next generation of young people."
Former Senator Bob Graham agreed. "Too often," he said, "we teach civics as if it were a spectator sport. It's not. You have to learn how to do democracy." The Mock Election helps students learn the skills that they will need to be active and engaged citizens.
Major national partners for the National Student/Parent Mock Election include Google, Pearson Education, School Perceptions, and USA Today. The effort also received support from a number of other organizations, including the National Parent Teachers Association, the National School Boards Association, the National Council for the Social Studies, the American Association of School Administrators, the National Association of Elementary School Principals, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, the National Association of Secretaries of State, and the Council of the Great City Schools. The Election Assistance Commission and the Kaplan Foundation provide ongoing funding for the Mock Election.
- For full voting results, please click here (.doc)
LFI's John Phillips to Moderate Middle East Talkspace on October 23rd
Posted on 10/13/2008 at 4:41 pm
The Lou Frey Institute's Program Manager, John Phillips, will be moderating a discussion between College Democrats and College Republicans on Thursday October 23rd at 7 PM. Organized by Central Florida Hillel, the topics will include USA-Israel alliance history, the Iranian threat, Hamas & Fatah, the American role in peace, and American foreign aid. To be held in UCF's Health and Public Affairs building, College Democrats and College Republicans will be discussing each candidates positions and solutions. Check back for more information.
Civics Academy Summer 2008 Professional Development for Florida Middle School Teachers
The Florida Joint Center for Citizenship, in partnership with the Florida Law Related Education Association (FLREA) and with support from the Helios Education Foundation, provided eight, week-long professional development programs for civics teachers across the state during the summer of 2008.
To help strengthen the civic health of Florida's public schools and prepare teachers for the state wide middle school civics mandate, the training curriculum was designed around two premier civics education programs from the Center for Civic Education, We the People: the citizen and the Constitution and Project Citizen. During the training teachers participated in a balance of academic and clinical experiences and engaged with scholars from throughout the country. Each day was built around a topical theme, such as: the rights and responsibilities of citizens, judicial review, the First Amendment and public policy. Teachers were trained in this content through scholarly presentations, discussion, grade level applications, mentoring experiences, and simulations.
Teachers who completed the program received free classroom sets of the two textbooks, a copy of John Patrick's book The Supreme Court of the United States A Student Companion, 34 recertification inservice hours, and various other resources. At the end of the trainings teachers often commented on feeling empowered and excited to begin the school year. They appreciated the engagement with scholars and the balance of content knowledge with practical strategies for the classroom.
Institute Launches Pilot of Internet Video Project
The Lou Frey Institute is partnering with the United States Association of Former Members of Congress, Presidential Classroom, and several area high schools to launch an internet video initiative that will engage former members of Congress as high schools civics teachers. Video programs will focus on issues that are on the congressional agenda and will also provide an inside look at what citizens have to do to make the system work. Students will be able to hold live questions and answer sessions with former members. AP American Government teachers from Winter Park High School and University High School in Orlando and Bartram Trail High School in Jacksonville will pilot the programs in their classes this fall. They have also developed curriculum support materials for classroom use.
Joint Center Partners with National Conference on Citizenship
The National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC) has led the effort to establish a Civic Health Index that measures trends in the level of civic engagement for the nation. Their most recent (2007) report found that civic engagement was down, but also found a core of American who are committed to the civic health of their communities and the nation. The Lou Frey Institute and the Bob Graham Center are partnering with NCoC to collect survey data that will serve as the basis for building an index of Florida's Civic Health. Initial results are expected to be released in October.
Civic Leadership Academy Students Write Op-Eds for Florida Newspapers
As their final task at the 2008 Civic Leadership Academy at the Lou Frey Institute, students wrote and submitted an Op-Ed to their local newspaper. CLA students Kim Bouchard, Sarah Conde, and Zach Zlatev were published.
Kim Bouchard, a senior IB student at Atlantic High School in Boca Raton wrote concerning term limits for the Florida Sun-Sentinel. Arguing against term limits Kim wrote, "Term limits force new legislators into the Legislature, not allowing them the chance to become experienced and fully learn how the legislative process works. In this way, legislators spend the first few years of their terms learning how to pass bills. Therefore, they only are productive with passing legislation and helping their constituents the last year or two before they are term-limited out. Because of term limits, legislators are often unproductive during their first few years in office and never get to make any real change." You can read the article in full here.
Sarah Conde, a recent graduate of Bartram Trail High School and current freshman at the University of Florida was published in the Florida Times-Union. On the topic of students and their political influence, Sarah wrote, "In past elections, young adults, ages 18 to 25, on educational paths have not fully proved themselves at the polls… It is time for students to start fighting the stereotypes and step up. Although the student voting population has never been an unstoppable force, they are enlarging their role. In the future, including the 2008 presidential election, students will progressively impact the political process." For the entire article, click here.
Zach Zlatev, a junior at Atlantic High School in Boca Raton had his Op-Ed published in the Florida Sun-Sentinel. Concerning the building of a new power plant in Palm Beach County Zach argued, "FPL's West County Energy Center is a power plant that, for the future of Palm Beach County's sustainability, cannot be built. There is already enough power in the county to meet the public's demands. So why do we need a 16 percent rate increase in our monthly power bill to pay for this new power plant during these trying economic times? Easy. The West County Energy Center is necessary to power new development in western Palm Beach County — development we don't need and shouldn't have."To read Zach's entire Op-Ed, click here.
Bundestag Members to Speak at University High School and to UCF Political Science Students on October 23rd.
This October, the Lou Frey Institute will join with the United States Association of Former Members of Congress to host a delegation of sitting members of the German Bundestag. Party leaders will travel to Florida to observe the state's congressional elections and to gain a better understanding of the issues that will shape the outcomes of the November election. The delegation will visit Miami and Tampa before coming to Orlando. They will meet with candidates, campaign advisors, and issue specialists from around the state. On Thursday, October 23 at 9 AM delegation members will speak to students at University High School students about their time in Florida. At 9:30 AM the delegation will move over to UCF to speak to several Political Science classes, offering an international perspective on American Politics.
2008 CLA Graduate Robert Enslen runs for UCF SGA Senate
Putting his experience to good use, 2008 Civic Leadership Academy graduate and University of Central Florida freshman Robert Enslen threw his hat into the race for a seat on the Student Government Association Senate. An Engineering student, Robert campaigned on the slogan "Experience, Excellence, Enslen" by focusing on Facebook and canvassing the UCF campus. His platform included, according to his Facebook group, more funding for Engineering clubs, a reduction of unnecessary spending, as well as incentives for carpool parking. Mr. Enslen is freshman studying Information Technology, a member of the LEAD Scholars Program, and Vice President of the Lake Claire Area Council.