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The assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump this past weekend was shocking and disturbing. There is no place for violence in our politics and the Committee of Seventy stands with the overwhelming majority of Americans who share that belief. We strongly condemn the attack on former President Trump and our thoughts are with everyone who was affected by this violence. You can read the Committee of Seventy’s full statement on our website.
We understand there may be a strong urge for schools to disengage from politics completely this fall to avoid conflict or controversy. However, we feel strongly that it is more important than ever for all of us to stand up and set an example of engaged civic leadership for our next generation.
Teachers: when your students return to class in the fall, please know that there are numerous resources available to help your students use the November election as a learning opportunity. One of them is the PA Civics coalition, an initiative of which C70 is a proud founding member. PA Civics is a group of organizations that are focused on improving civics education in the Commonwealth. PA Civics was formed by a bipartisan group of former elected officials and its member organizations are nonpartisan nonprofits that focus on a variety of issues. It’s the perfect distillation of American democracy: many types of people coming together, recognizing their differences, and achieving common goals.
Coalition members offer resources like:
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Lessons and event opportunities to teach productive civil dialogue through the Can We Talk? program. Can We Talk? is available to work with your school in the fall in the lead-up to the election. You can also preview the Nine Ground Rules for Productive Dialogue;
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Lesson plans for the “Perception Gap” to educate students about various misunderstandings and incorrect generalizations of those who identify with and/or tend to vote for another political party, plus a “Similarity Hub” to help people recognize overlaps between political parties;
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An introduction to Decision Education, which encourages students to use inquiry and intellectual humility to approach topics that are often fraught with mis- and disinformation.
We believe, in no uncertain terms, that the United States has the ingenuity and resolve to surmount the challenges posed to our political system at this moment. Our schools can be at the forefront of this effort. The Committee of Seventy and our partners through PA Civics are eager to help. Reach out to us to discuss these resources or any questions you may have on navigating this moment.
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