Sen. Brock and Rep. Coates to speak at RCCC Monday

Thursday, September 10, 2009 3:00 AM |

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As part of the "American Legislators Back to School" program, N.C. Sen. Andrew Brock and N.C. Rep. Lorene Coates will speak to GED students at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College.

At 11 a.m. on Monday, Brock, a Republican representing Davie and Rowan, will talk to students about the N.C. General Assembly and answer questions. Coates, a Democrat representing Rowan, will discuss the importance of civic engagement and voting on Thursday, Sept. 24, at 9 a.m.

Both class sessions will be held in Room 108 of Building 100 on Rowan-Cabarrus' North Campus in Salisbury.

Each year, state legislators from across the country visit classrooms and bring civics to life in the America's Legislators Back to School program. As the program approaches its 10th year, a new study indicates legislators who visit classrooms improve students' knowledge and appreciation of American democracy.

A new study commissioned by the National Conference of State Legislatures and conducted by Turcotte Public Administration Consulting and Training examined the impact of the America's Legislators Back to School program on participating students' understanding and appreciation of representative democracy. Evaluators tested middle school students in Louisiana in the fall of 2007 and Wyoming in the spring of 2008.

In both states, students who participated in the program scored significantly higher than students who did not have a classroom visit on concepts such as appreciation of the right of every citizen to be heard by his or her representatives; the procedures a state legislature uses to resolve differences about public policy including debate, negotiation, and compromise; and representative democracy is a system in which individuals vote to elect representatives to an assembly that represents the people in deciding issues.

The visits by Brock and Coates are being coordinated by Beth Bowman, a basic skills instructor at the college. RCCC's GED students are studying government and civics in preparation for the legislators' sessions.

For more information about RCCC's GED program, contact Gary Connor at 704-216-3510 or 704-216-3723 or by e-mail at connorg@rowancabarrus.edu.

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