Visit:
www.ourcourts.orgSandra Day O'Connor is retired from the courts, but is still trying to
do a lot for the courts and government. Most notably on the education
front, where the lack of it in certain areas is driving Sandra Day
O'Connor to go on the Web and television to talk about it.
On Sandra Day O'Connor's "Our Courts" Website to Bring Civics Back both
Good Morning America and The Daily Show, Sandra Day O'Connor has gone
around to talk about her experiences as a "swing justice" and her hopes
to get others to join into participatory government.
Sandra Day O'Connor is trying to reach people on the Web with "Our
Courts" a new website stressing the need for civics in schools. Our
Courts offers resources for teachers to bring civics back into a school
curriculum.
O'Connor has been promoting Our Courts with some recent poll numbers
that stress her desire to reach kids with civics. She told Good Morning
America and Jon Stewart that only one-third of Americans know that the
executive, legislative and judicial branches are the three branches of
government.
In contrast, 75% of American kids know who Simon, Paula, Randy and maybe
even Kara are on American Idol.
O'Connor blames this statistics on the lack of civics courses and
activities, particularly in the No Child Left Behind era that stresses
math and science tests. Our Courts is a web-based civics program that
picks up where the schools left off.
While teachers are getting new material for civics classes, Our Courts
also promises to put up online games in the summer of 2009. Interactive
features, lesson plans and case arguments will be part of this series.
O'Connor heads the Board of Directors of Our Courts, with assistance
from NYC School System Deputy Chancellor Christopher Cerf, Georgetown
law professors Julie Rose O'Sullivan and James Foreman, and Arizona
State professor James Gee.
O'Connor has also made the rounds answering questions about her time on
the Supreme Court and her working relationships with her fellow justices
during that time. She is focused additionally on speaking about
Alzheimer, which her husband suffers from.
Sources
Our Courts-
www.ourcourts.orgArticle by Robert Dougherty
