First Lady Rendell Launches Twitter Page

First Lady Rendell First Lady Judge Marjorie O. Rendell today joined the likes of Ashton Kutcher, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Oprah Winfrey on the social networking site Twitter and asked teachers, students and anyone interested in civics education to follow her at www.twitter.com/CivicsFirst.

“Social networking sites like Twitter bring people together from all over the world to discuss problems, formulate solutions, and generate powerful action,” Judge Rendell said. “We are reaching out to teachers to create an online community around the topic of civics education, inspire students to connect with their elected officials, and persuade superintendents to incorporate model programs into their curriculum.”

With the new school year under way and Constitution Day approaching on Sept. 17, Judge Rendell is sharing free, Internet-based resources for teaching civics with educators across the state and showing administrators the many programs available that are aligned with Pennsylvania’s academic standards.

“Our entire system of government is dependent on a well-informed and engaged citizenry, which is why we must promote civics education for every child,” said Judge Rendell. “Some teachers and administrators may be unsure of how best to incorporate civics education into their curricula. I would like to use the Twitter site to start a dialogue about how educators can achieve this goal.”

Judge Rendell has been active in promoting citizenship learning through her initiative, the Pennsylvania Coalition for Representative Democracy, or PennCORD, which is a unique union of educational, advocacy and governmental organizations that are committed to improving civics education for students in grades K-12. For more information about PennCORD, visit www.penncord.org.

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The Rendell administration is committed to creating a first-rate public education system, protecting our most vulnerable citizens and continuing economic investment to support our communities and businesses. To find out more about Governor Rendell’s initiatives and to sign up for his newsletter, visit www.governor.state.pa.us.