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Teachers Can Help With the U.S. Census

In 2010 it will be time once again for everyone in the U.S. to stand up and be counted as part of the national census. The U.S. Census Bureau has prepared lesson plans, resources, and teaching kits for educators to use as part of its Census in Schools program. The program aims to get students and teachers involved in this national event, which is held every ten years. The theme for the 2010 census is “Census in Schools – It’s about us.”

Renée Jefferson-Copeland

Renée Jefferson-Copeland, chief of the Census Bureau’s Census in Schools branch, talked with Education World about the resources the bureau has for schools and how teachers can use them in the classroom.

Education World:What are some of the misconceptions about the U.S. census?

Renée Jefferson-Copeland: Some people believe the information they provide has no impact on them or their communities. In fact, census data are used to distribute Congressional seats to states; make decisions about what services communities provide, including schools; and distribute $300 billion in federal funds to local, state, and tribal governments each year.

Another misconception is that people are concerned that their information will be shared with others. By law, the Census Bureau cannot share respondents’ answers with the FBI; the CIA; Welfare or Immigration and Naturalization Services; or any other government agency. No court of law, not even the President of the United States, can find out respondents’ answers. The same law prevents the Census Bureau from selling or giving away addresses. In addition, Census workers can face a $250,000 fine and jail time if they release confidential information. The Census Bureau workforce understands that safeguarding confidential data -- a core part of what we call “data stewardship” -- is central to our ability to serve as the leading source of quality data about the nation’s people and economy.

In addition, often people are unsure who in their household should be included on their census form. The Census Bureau’s public information campaign, together with the efforts of the Census in Schools lessons and information, will inform people about who should be included on the form. Specific lessons that include role-playing, Readers’ Theaters, and classroom census simulations will help students understand that the census counts everyone in their household, regardless of their age or citizenship status. It is our hope that students will share information with their families and, in many cases, be a resource to household adults.

The Census in Schools program is part of a comprehensive communications effort by the Census Bureau to increase awareness and overall public response for the 2010 Census. The program provides educators with materials to teach students and, by extension, their households about the importance of participating in the census.

Jefferson-Copeland: Starting with the 1950 census, the Census Bureau has reached out to students and the educational community by preparing books and articles for publication and by distributing to schools flyers and buttons that promote the importance of the census. In 2000, the Census Bureau created a formal Census in Schools program for schools in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The Census Bureau is building on the Census 2000 efforts as it launches the 2010 Census in Schools program. This time around, the theme is “Census in Schools – It’s about us.” The program includes online and printed lessons for kindergarten through 12th-grade students. In addition, the program will include stateside kindergarten through eighth-grade English Language Learner and Adult English as a Second Language programs.

With both print and online components, Census in Schools is launching its first wide-use application of technology, enabling it to reach the home-schooling network and individual interested teachers, parents, students, and the public. Additionally, a monthly newsletter for educators sent electronically during the school year highlights current Census Bureau information and ideas for classroom teaching.

EW:Why is it important to involve schools in the census program?

Jefferson-Copeland: Educators are respected members of their communities and can be powerful advocates for the 2010 Census. Children are convincing voices and can help deliver the 2010 census message in their homes. Often students act as an informational resource for parents who are busy, who do not speak English in their home, or who are not informed about the correlation between their census response and the impact on their communities. The Census in Schools products include take-home materials that invite participation in activities by parents and their children.

Local officials and school boards make many decisions based on information they learn from census data; therefore, educators and the students’ households benefit from cooperating with the census.

EW: What kinds of kick-off programs has the Census Bureau held for students?

Jefferson-Copeland: In the past, the Census in Schools participants have been a part of public awareness programs that highlight their local Congresspersons and other elected officials. During Census 2000, the program representatives appeared on children’s television with Sesame Street’s The Count and Big Bird, both of whom endorsed the program.

As some schools did in 2000, school systems and individual schools may hold kick-off programs for their own 2010 Census in Schools activities. These programs focus on the civic responsibility of census participation and on the local communities and their needs. The Census Bureau’s regional partnership staff members will be available to help plan and stage the events. In addition, the Census Bureau will produce five 15-minute lessons for schools to use during a self-designated Census in Schools week sometime between January and March 2010. Our hope is that Census in Schools Week will alert the students and their households about the March 2010 arrival of the 2010 Census questionnaire in their homes.

Jefferson-Copeland: Teachers are extremely creative people. In the past, they have enthusiastically embraced a role as partners to ensure every child and household is counted. During Census 2000, in one school, teachers led students to produce a large-scale billboard in their town advertising the census. Students planned and executed the project from beginning to end. Other schools’ students have had census fairs, conducted puppet shows, developed posters that were placed in community locations, appeared on radio and television shows, and participated in a variety of civic activities to promote the census.

EW: What lessons does the Census Bureau most want students to take with them from the program?

Jefferson-Copeland: The Census Bureau wants students to learn that it is important, easy, and safe to participate in the 2010 Census and also encourage everyone at home to participate. After learning about the census, students will understand that by completing their census form, households are helping themselves and their communities. They will understand that as students, advocates, and stakeholders, they really count and that as members of a larger society, they can have an impact. Students are not only our nation’s future; they also are collaborators and resources of information.

EW: How can teachers use the materials from the Census Bureau at times other than a census year?

Jefferson-Copeland: The Census in Schools materials enrich and enliven existing curriculum. In addition to bringing the census to life, the lessons help students develop important skills. As evidenced in a matrix chart that accompanies the classroom materials, all lessons are directly connected to professional national standards in reading, math, civics, geography, and history.

All of the lessons include a scope and sequence chart that is built around the educational strands Mapping; Data and the Census; About the Census; Why You Count; and Take a Census. Teachers will find cross-curricular units with reproducible student worksheets, printable assessment activities. and skill pages that link to lessons. Additionally, teaching tools include a page of census facts and teaching tips.

Teachers and students will find that these materials are useful throughout the school year, especially for applications in civic involvement. The math, geography, and history lessons are timeless and offer useful applications for current data.

This e-interview with Renée Jefferson-Copeland is part of the Education World Wire Side Chat series. Click here to see other articles in the series.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Making Census 2000 Count for Kids