NACo Takes County Government to the Classroom By Brian Namey, Chief Public Affairs Officer, NACo
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he practice of democracy is not passed down in the gene pool. It must be taught and learned anew by each generation of citizens,” said retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. The National Association of Counties (NACo) agrees. That’s why we partnered with iCivics, founded by Justice O’Connor, to create civic education resources for America’s youth. Together, we created a full suite of materials, including a curriculum and online game to educate students grades six through 12 about the important role and functions of county government. These materials assist teachers with preparing lessons on county government. The County Solutions classroom curriculum, aligned with state standards, includes middle and high school lessons. Available free of charge, the curriculum guides students through the basics of county government and encourages them to engage in local solutions to challenges they identify. Students also learn and practice research, analysis and advocacy skills as they develop a plan to have impact on their chosen issues. The Counties Work online educational game allows students to simulate the roles of elected county leaders responsible for balancing budgets, services and citizen requests. It's a fastpaced game that challenges students to adjust quickly when a community crisis strikes and see how citizens react to their decisions. The game is compatible across iOS and Android tablets. The My County Works activity book is designed for younger students, because it’s never too early to teach children that counties matter. Since its launch, the curriculum and activity book has been downloaded more than 10,400 times, reaching half a million students. The online educational game has been played more than 1.7 million times.
NACo makes it easy for county leaders to reach students. We created a classroom discussion guide and presentation template to facilitate classroom activities. One idea is to introduce students to the Counties Work game and host a friendly competition with students. It would be fun to see if they can score higher than you! Because these tools are designed for a national audience and every county is unique, we encourage you to tailor your discussions specifically for your county. NACo’s County Explorer online interactive data tool and NACo’s Counties Matter campaign can help you localize information for each classroom. County Explorer provides the latest available data on each of the nation’s 3,069 counties. It has hundreds of data points on every county as well as printable PDF versions of county and state profiles. Counties Matter is a visually engaging way to walk through the many aspects of county governments, with a listing of services and interesting facts and figures. This can be a launch point for explaining how your county is similar to or different from counties nationwide. Many county leaders engage young people and help to elevate awareness of county government and encourage civic participation. Helping students understand the nuances of county roles and responsibilities while they are young sets them up for lifelong understanding of how counties affect their lives. And perhaps more importantly, these resources aim to help the next generation of Americans become more engaged in local government – seizing opportunities and overcoming challenges our communities face. All of these resources are available at www.naco.org/icivics.
One of the most common questions county leaders receive is, “What does a county do?” These tools help students (and adults!) understand how county government impacts people’s lives. NYSAC News | www.nysac.org
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