#  **Proposed** 

# **Best Methods and Distribution of Materials**

#  **Census in Schools 2010**

March 2005

This report identifies recommendations for the best strategies, methods,
and timing for developing Census in Schools (CIS) 2010 outreach to
educators. These suggestions result from formal and informal interviews
with leading administrators, supervisors, educational organization
leaders and teachers in language arts, mathematics and social studies; a
review of best practices used by successful public awareness programs;
and an attempt to improve educational outreach while reducing
operational costs.

Everyone interviewed indicated that educating students about the census
is very important, that a variety of methods and materials are critical
to the process, and that the teacher is the essential link in this
educational endeavor. These educators were also delighted and impressed
that CIS is beginning early to solicit ideas and develop potential
strategies because their experience indicates that effective educational
programs require very long-term planning.

It is noteworthy that all persons interviewed were familiar with the CIS
Census 2000 program and regarded it as extremely successful both in
teaching students about the Census Bureau and its activities and in
educating students about the importance of responding positively to the
census and surveys. Furthermore, the educators interviewed indicated
their strong interest in receiving future materials and in cooperating
with CIS efforts in their schools.

**[Promotion vs. Education Program]{.underline}**

Supervisors and teachers who responded to questions regarding the
feasibility of teacher use of a product or a program approach by CIS
decisively answered that a **product** alone would not be used by
teachers because it would not address curricular requirements. Teachers
would be reluctant to use it because they would not view the material as
a resource that integrates well with their established classroom
curriculum. Today, emphasis on state-mandated testing and standards
requires teachers to select only well-developed **programs** consisting
of several elements that strengthen and enrich the established
curriculum. All materials must be able to be easily integrated into the
existing state curricula, address professional standards, and extend
students' test-taking achievement.

## Materials

CIS Census 2000 materials were developed jointly by teacher-contractors
employed by CIS and by a major educational publishing company. The
services of the latter were very expensive. In creating a classroom
program for Census 2010, consideration should be given to the
cost-effective measure of hiring talented individual consultants who
have classroom and curriculum development experience to write the CIS
lessons. Employing educators with varied expertise in specific
curriculum disciplines and at targeted grade levels would enable CIS to
more effectively reach program goals and reduce costs than would the
hiring of a single external contractor.

Materials should be constructed for relevant grade level breakouts and
have a focus of language arts, math, and social studies. Many ideas and
lessons teaching census-related issues used in the past are still
relevant and could be updated and modified to meet current needs.
Additional new lessons, materials, and learning opportunities should be
developed to create a customized program.

Educational materials must be engaging, dynamic, creative and directly
related to curricular standards. Standards in specific disciplines must
be identified; extension activities and opportunities for curriculum
integration should be included. The program must be multi-faceted,
keeping the various target audiences of teachers and students in mind.
Ancillary audiences of administrators, supervisors and other support
persons must also be considered. Materials should include, but not be
limited to, such offerings as teacher resource materials, newsletters,
classroom lesson plans and handouts, tapes, and website information.
Creative use of technology must be explored. Therefore, external
educational experts with rich and varied backgrounds of experience must
conceive and develop the materials.

Relating participation in the census to the responsibility of
citizenship would be timely, inclusive and educationally sound since
students not only influence adults around them, but also adopt attitudes
and patterns to create their own future adult roles.

Several successful public awareness campaigns use a variety of
advertising techniques such as strong surround slogans, colorful
animation, iconic identifiers, and contests. These and other advertising
methods that are age - group appropriate also should be incorporated by
CIS.

Core materials should include grade-level-specific CIS teaching kits (a
Census map and classroom lessons integrating language arts, math and
social studies) sent to teachers, newsletters to school administrators
and teachers, and take-home materials directed toward parents.
Consideration must be given to the development of differentiated and
specific learning materials for very young, adult and immigrant
learners. All materials must reflect a cultural awareness for immigrant
and minority population groups. Continuity of communication with
teachers, supervisors, principals, superintendents and parents is
critical.

Lessons must be pilot-tested in classrooms at several sites in different
geographic and demographic settings. Formal feedback from cooperating
teachers should be incorporated into classroom-tested sample lessons,
resulting in final lessons customized to meet the needs of classroom
educators.

Educators identified the large classroom wall map included in the CIS
Census 2000 classroom kit sent to teachers as an outstanding
contribution. A similar map should be a centerpiece inclusion in CIS
2010 materials, providing both incentive and a recognition and marketing
factor to educators. Public information campaigns often include a media
guide for users of their programs. The development and inclusion of a
simple, easy-to-use guide could stimulate educators to publicize their
CIS classroom activities and programs, thereby providing unpaid media
coverage.

As developed for Census 2000, materials should be available in English
with Spanish translation of selected student worksheets. Communications
with parents made through schools must reflect community demographics.

## Dissemination of Materials

Dissemination of CIS materials during the preparation for Census 2000
was achieved mostly through the direct mailing system of a major
educational publishing company. This method of reaching educators proved
efficient but extremely costly. Educational administrators and
supervisors have indicated that currently, efficient distribution of
materials to teachers would be possible by mailings sent to schools'
middle and high school level department chairpersons and to elementary
school level principals. This method of distribution assumes that state
and local superintendents have developed a perceived value of the
importance of the CIS program and have communicated their own commitment
to its success to their constituent administrators and supervisors. To
insure the welcome arrival, distribution and use of materials,
additional prior contact must be made by CIS with the chairpersons and
principals, both making them aware of the importance of their role as
disseminators and explaining the relevance to their school of the use of
materials. Educational supervisors considered follow-up contact by
Census field representatives to be desirable public relations, but not
essential to successful distribution.

The cooperation of state and local superintendents and supervisors is
vital to the effective market penetration and strategy in reaching
teachers and convincing them to use CIS materials. This cooperation can
be achieved by direct on-going contact with professional organizations
representing these groups, by targeting key persons within
administrative and supervisory educational groups, and by involving them
in the activities of CIS.

## 

## 

## Use of Technology

Utilization of technology needs to be expanded as an alternate means of
information and materials dissemination to teachers. Both supervisors
and teachers indicated that the availability and use of technology
differs in each school; however, teachers who regularly use technology
would make productive use of downloadable materials and other products
created.

An active, creative CIS website with links for teachers, parents and
students is imperative; consideration should also be given to the
creation of an animated "Kids' Page" on the Census website where
children could access interactive, fun-filled informational activities.
Creation of CD's, videotapes and utilization of other technologies
should be considered as cost permits.

Accurate, active email address lists of teachers and administrators are
essential as email becomes a more preferred method of contact. The email
address should be an integral part of every form completed by educators
at conferences and conventions, and teachers could be enlisted to
provide email addresses of colleagues in an "Each One, Reach One"
campaign.

## Conventions and Conferences

Both supervisors and teachers interviewed regarded contacts made during
national conventions and local conferences of professional organizations
vital to the information and dissemination process. These contacts
include CIS program presentations, discussions with CIS representatives
at CIS convention booths, and direct dissemination of CIS materials. A
presence of CIS should exist at all national conventions of the three
core curriculum areas of language arts, math and social studies
beginning in 2006, with an expansion in the intensity of operation and
the numbers of additional educational groups in 2007, 2008, and 2009.
Consideration should be given to the enlistment of teacher
representatives who could form a support network and perform follow-up
activities on the local level. When possible, presentations should be
made at meetings of state superintendents of schools, since they can
provide strong support by directives for cooperation in their individual
local school systems.

## Partnerships

The incorporation of partnerships and alliances with cooperating
educational groups and other government agencies is vital to the success
of the CIS program. It is essential that CIS continue and extend
formerly- established relationships with partners and create additional
alliances. Cooperation with partners should include the inclusion of
articles in the organization's publications, a link to CIS on the
partner's website, presentations of CIS in-service programs and the
dissemination of materials at conferences.

Also, CIS staff members should explore and develop additional
relationships with groups such as foundations, institutions and
educational organizations willing to jointly sponsor educational
programs such as summer workshops for teachers, conferences and other
activities. Such alliances would reduce costs to CIS while increasing
program visibility.

## Special Programs

An exciting, involving activity that would serve as a large, inclusive
media event should be promoted in all schools and programs. Focusing on
civic participation and building student commitment, this "Big Event"
should involve the use of classroom materials and could be a contest or
some other activity that would excite and unite students everywhere. CIS
should seek corporate support and funding for this event.

Public information campaigns utilize a wave- effect operation,
continually projecting their message and punctuating it with specific
focus activities. The following activities could serve to highlight and
culminate the crescendo of the CIS 2010 program:

# 

# An allocated time period should be celebrated in late February, 2010 with special emphasis on teaching lessons, programs, and speakers. Community leaders and members of Congress could be invited to speak and participate in special activities.

A designated prime time in the schools to teach about Census 2010 and
should coincide with the week when questionnaires are delivered to homes
(possibly, March, 2010). This would be an ideal time to finalize the
"Big Event" cited above.

Recognition should be given to schools that manifest a significant
involvement in CIS activities. Specific criteria must be established and
certification given similar to the US Department of Education
recognition of high-achieving schools.

**[Suggested program targets: (U.S., Puerto Rico, Guam, and Island
Areas)]{.underline}**

-Public/Charter/Parochial/Private/Independent Schools -- K-12

# -Teacher training programs at colleges and universities 

-Pre-schools/ Daycare programs/Head Start programs

-GED programs

-Adult literacy programs

-ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) and TESOL (Teachers of
English for Speakers of Other Languages) programs

-U.S. citizen naturalization programs

\- Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts

**[Evaluation]{.underline}**

# Evaluation of classroom and other CIS materials should include teachers' and supervisors' completion of questionnaires/forms disseminated with the materials, distributed at in-service programs and made available in the teacher section of the website. Consideration should also be given to the development of a student evaluation and a web response area. To increase evaluation response participation, CIS could seek corporate sponsorship of prizes that would be distributed to persons cooperating in the evaluation.

### [Addendum]{.underline}

The following contacts provided ideas and input for this report:

Margaret M. Altoff

President- Elect

National Council for the Social Studies

Washington, DC

Kimberly Ash

Vice President of Marketing

The Bill of Rights Institute

Arlington,Va.

Cathy Brown

Mathematics Assessment Specialist

Oregon Department of Education

Salem, OR

Bruce J. Damasio

PDS Coordinator

Towson University

Towson, MD

Jaime de la Isla

Deputy Superintendent

Houston Independent Schools

Houston, TX

Donald J. Gilmore

Denver Regional Director

Colorado Council for the Social Studies

Denver, CO

Tracey Greggs

Social Studies Consultant

Department of Public Instruction

Raleigh, NC

Elise A. Guyette

President,

Vermont Alliance of the Social Studies

Burlington, VT

Penny Hansen

Manager

Curriculum Leadership Unit

California Department of Education

Sacramento, CA

Henry Kranendonk

Math Specialist

Milwaukee Public Schools

Milwaukee, WI

Ken Krehbiel

Director of Communications

National Council of Teachers of Mathematic

Reston VA

Constance Manter

Manter Educational Services

Former President, Council of State Social Studies Supervisors

Boothbay, ME

National Safety Council

Air Bag and Seat Belt Safety Campaign

Washington, DC

Beverly Neitzel

Mathematics Assessment Manager

Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction

Washington State Board of Education

Olympia, WA

Lawrence Paska

Associate in Social Studies Education

New York State Education Department

Albany, NY

Michael Serber

Education Coordinator

The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

NY, NY

Martha Sharma

President,

National Council for Geographic Education

J. Michael Shaughnessy

Professor, Department of Mathematical Sciences

Portland State University

Portland, OR

Marcie Taylor-Thoma

Supervisor of Social Studies

Maryland State Department of Education

Baltimore, MD

United States Department of Agriculture

Forest Service

Conservation Education

Washington, DC

Fred Walk

Social Studies Department Chairperson

Normal Community School

Normal, IL.

Michael J. Weiss

President, Weiss Micromarketing Group

Potomac, MD

Numerous informal conversations with educators at the November, 2004
annual convention of the National Council for Social Studies, Baltimore,
MD