How To Do It: A Guide to the National Student/Parent Mock Election As we look to the 21st century, the country will be entering a new era with a new generation of leadership. I encourage you all to be active participants in the National Student/Parent Mock Election.”

A Letter from the National Student/Parent Mock Election . . . . . . . . . . . . .iv A Letter from McGraw-Hill School Division   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vi Evaluation Response Form  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vii Frequently Asked Questions About the National Student/Parent Mock Election   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ix Cooperating Organizations of the Mock Election   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xi How to Use This Guide  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xii Chapter 1: Incorporating the New Civics and Government Standards in All Mock Election Activities   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Chapter 2: Evaluating Mock Election Activities  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Chapter 3: Organizing Mock Press Conferences   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Chapter 4: Involving Print and Electronic Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Chapter 5: Using Newspapers to Teach about the Election . . . . . . . . . .27 Chapter 6: Organizing Local Cable Call-in-Shows   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 Chapter 7: Organizing School Forums on the National Issues to Be Voted On   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 Chapter 8: Organizing Speeches and Debates Before Students and Parents by Local Candidates or Stand-ins for Candidates . .49 Chapter 9: Organizing Speech-Writing Competitions   . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 Chapter 10:  Organizing Quiz Team Competitions    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61 Chapter 11:  Organizing Voter-Turnout Campaigns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69 Chapter 12:  Involving Local Civic, Business, and Religious Organizations  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79 Chapter 13:  Organizing Inaugural Balls  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85 Chapter 14:  Organizing Mock Election Activities at the Building Level  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93 Chapter 15:  Organizing Mock Election Activities at the District Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99 Chapter 16:  Organizing Mock Election Activities Statewide   . . . . . . . .105 Appendix:    Resources    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109 T A B L E   O F   C O N T E N T S

To all Par ticipants in the National Student/Parent Mock Election: Welcome to the 2002 mock election! As we’re going to press with this guide, the excitement leading up to the November election is building. Campaign news is flooding the newspapers, television, and the Internet. It’s a thrilling, important event that touches all of our lives very deeply. That’s why the mock election is such a relevant educational project. It helps make the event real for millions of students, and serves as a catalyst for future generations to become enthusiastic participants in our democracy. After all, that’s what living in a democracy is all about. McGraw-Hill School Division is honored to participate in this effort. As leaders in Social Studies education, we’ve spent countless hours working with educators, researchers, the NCSS, and other experts to determine the most effective ways to make Social Studies come to life for young learners. We’ve learned many things. We’ve learned that when students understand the core principles of democracy, they’re filled with a sense of empowerment. We’ve also learned that hands-on, interactive study is the best way to get students involved in their own learning process. The mock election accomplishes these things, and so much more. It’s an outstanding opportunity to give students a gift of learning that they will remember long after they have left our classrooms. This guide is filled with hundreds of ideas for incorporating the mock election in your school, community, district, and state. All of us at McGraw-Hill School Division wish you the best of luck. And remember—fill out the evaluation form on the next page and mail or fax it to the National Student/Parent Mock Election after the big day. We want to ensure that future participants will benefit from your experiences. 2 Penn Plaza New York, New York  10121 Roger R. Rogalin President

E  V  A  L  U  A  T  I  O  N     R  E  S  P  O  N  S  E     F  O  R  M Name of School School District School Level: Elementary Middle or Junior High Secondary Population of School (Number of Students) Mailing Address of School Name of Teacher Class Level(s)/Grade(s) Number of Students in Class(es) What were the principle ideas and bits of information the students seem to have learned from their participation in the mock election? What were the difficulties? Did the Mock Election have any effect on the voter turnout at the polls in the area the school serves? How do you know?

A description of our mock election project and its results: Please evaluate how useful this guide was to you. Please tell us what you found most and least helpful and, especially, what you would have liked to find but didn’t. of no use of little use of some use very useful extremely useful Comments: We would very much like to hear from you. Please describe your project and the results, at whatever length is necessar y. Use additional paper, if necessar y, and fax it to us at (520) 742- 3553. If you want to mail your result to us, our address is: National Student/Parent Mock Election, P.O. Box 36653, Tucson, Arizona 85704

Some Frequently Asked Questions about the National Student/Parent Mock Election When is Mock Election Day? Mock Election Day falls on November 1 in 2002. Who may participate?   All young Americans, from kindergarten through college, their parents, grandparents, and teachers are invited to participate. You don’t need to be a citizen or registered voter. Is there a charge to participate in the National Student/Parent Mock Election? There is never a charge for participation or for materials. The National Student/Parent Mock Election is funded by the United States Department of Education. Past corporate sponsors have included TIME, Time Warner, CNN, American Happenings, Macmillan/ McGraw-Hill, Electronic Data Systems, and Xerox Corporation. Are there any requirements for participation? The only requirements are that you vote for senators, congressmen, and governors (where there is a race), and on the key national issues that have been selected, and that all votes are forwarded to your “State Election Headquarters” on Mock Election Day, November 1. Schools and community groups are asked to name a school coordinator to collect all the votes from that school or organization before forwarding them into headquarters. We hope that your vote will be the culmination of a more extensive program designed by your school, school district, or organization, but that is up to you.   What kinds of activities does the guide cover? Are you limited to those activities? Must you do them all?   The guide includes lesson plans for “Organizing Mock Press Conferences,” “Involving Print and Electronic Media,” “Organizing Quiz Team Competitions,” and “Organizing Speeches and Debates,” among others. There are no limits and no requirements regarding the voter education activities you undertake. The choices are all yours. We hope you will share your ideas with us! How will we know the results of the vote? They will be on the internet. See the Mock Election website.   How do we know who our state coordinator is? When you complete and fax, mail, or email your enrollment form, the information will be forwarded to your state coordinator who will be in contact with you. The coordinator will provide you with all pertinent contact information. (If you do not hear from your state coordinator, please contact us.) Are there district coordinators as well? Some districts do have their own coordinator and even their own “Election Headquarters”. If your district does have a coordinator, he or she will contact you. We welcome volunteers to serve as school and/or school district coordinators.  

Are any state ballot issues or candidates other than governor (where there is a race) and members of Congress included on the ballot? State coordinators are free to add additional state issues and candidates to the ballot if they wish. If they do, they will notify you. Where do we get the ballots? The issues ballot and the candidate ballot will be on the Mock Election website.   Do we vote for all members of Congress or only those in our district? Generally votes are cast only for the members of Congress from your district. Where a school crosses more than one district, students are permitted to vote for the representative running for their district. The decision is the school’s. Do parents vote in the National Student/Parent Mock Election? Schools are free to encourage parent participation in any area they wish. In some districts parents vote, in others they help with registration (if a district chooses to “register” young voters before they vote), decorations, tallying votes, etc. The National Student/Parent Mock Election encourages parent involvement because research has proved that parents working with their children make a significant difference in school achievement. Once again, the choices are yours.   Has the National Student/Parent Mock Election been proven to work?   The University of Colorado’s formal evaluation of the National Student/Parent Mock Election   found participating students showed increases   in: · political decision-making ability · informed involvement on current issues · the belief that voting is important · the belief that social studies classes are relevant. · the discussion of political and election topics with parents · a reduction in the feeling of powerlessness. The National Student/Parent Mock Election was named semifinalist for the “Innovations in American Government” award from the Ford Foundation and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. How did the National Student/Parent Mock Election begin?   The National Student/Parent Mock Election began as part of another project, the NBC Parent Participation TV Workshop, which sought to use television dramas to open communication between parents and children. We soon discovered that the elections were a huge national drama that could enable parents and children to talk with – and not at – each other. The first National Student/Parent Mock Election, in 1980, was run as part of the Parent Participation TV Workshop Project. In 1982, the National Student/Parent Mock Election was spun off as a separate nonprofit, nonpartisan organization devoted to voter education.   Who endorses the National Student/Parent Mock Election? The National Student/Parent Mock Election has been endorsed by the two national parties and over 50 cooperating educational, civic, religious and business organizations. In 2001, the National Student/Parent Mock Election was the first organization to receive the official endorsement of the National Association of Secretaries of State.

C  O  O  P  E  R  A  T  I  N  G     O  R  G  A  N  I  Z  A  T  I  O  N  S   O  F     T  H  E     M  O  C  K     E  L  E  C  T  I  O  N American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education American Association of Retired Persons/ National Retired Teachers Association American Association of School Administrators American Association of School Librarians American Federation of Teachers American Library Association American Medical Association Alliance Association for Educational Communications and Technology Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America Boy Scouts of America Broadcast Education Association Camp Fire Boys and Girls, Inc. Council of Chief State School Officers Council of Great City Schools Education Commission of the States Evangelical Lutheran Church in America General Federation of Women’s Clubs Girl Scouts, USA International Reading Association Kiwanis International League of United Latin American Citizens League of Women Voters of the United States LCMS Lutheran Schools National Association of Elementary School Principals National Association for Gifted Children National Association of Secondary School Principals National Association of Secretaries of State National Association of State Boards of Education National Association of Student Councils National Coalition of ESEA Chapter I Parents National Community Education Association National Conference of Christians and Jews National Council for Families and Television National Council of La Raza National Council of Teachers of English National Education Association National Parent Teacher Association National School Boards Association National Public School Boards Association National School Public Relations Association National Urban League Rainbow PUSH Coalition Skills USA – Vica Broadcast and Communications Center of the North American Mission Board (Southern Baptist) The Union of American Hebrew Congregations Unitarian Universalist Association United Church of Christ – Division of Higher Education U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress U.S. Chamber of Commerce YMCA of the USA