Sponsors:
Mark Davy Family
MSU Foundation
Wells-Fargo
PA Forum
2006-2007
2005-2006
2004-2005
2003-2004
2002-2003
2001-2002
2000-2001
1999-2000
1998-99
1997-98
Beginning in October, PA teams meet every Thursday afternoon.About 180 of the 600 students at the school choose to be in PA instead of study hall. Team meetings are about 40 minutes long. One university student serves as a coach for each team.
From August to May university students meet as a class with their professor to discuss readings on democracy and political activism, and to help each other serve as Public Achievement coaches.The class enrolls thirty students, mostly social studies majors.
In September 7th and 8th grade students hold assemblies in which students suggest issues or problems they think should be addresses by Public Achievement teams. Students are formed into teams giving them their first or second choice issue.
PUBLIC ACHIEVEMENT
is a school elective that helps students learn citizenship by forming small democratic groups to work on public problems or issues. It is also a way university students learn by serving as citizenship coaches for the teams at Dakota Meadows Middle School. This will be our eighth year of Mankato Public Achievement. About 200 students out of the approximately 600 students at Dakota Meadows choose to be in PA. Thirty university student will be serving as PA coaches. Eight other students who coached last year serve as coach-mentors.
GOALS!
1. Motivation and Civic Responsibility
Participants become more motivated to be involved and feel more responsibility for public life.
2. Empowerment
Participants feel more effective, empowered., and optimistic about their ability to influence events.
3. Skills
Participants learn political skills through experience: How to run meetings, act as in groups, and learn how to affect decision makers and solve problems.
4. Understanding
Participants better understand ideas like democracy, citizenship, power, democracy, diversity and interest.
Not all PA teams accomplish their goal or complete a major project. Everyone takes actions to learn and influence others. Many teams do sponsor assemblies, fundraising events, publish brochures, websites or take direct action to improve the community.
Students in PA begin by discussing and refocusing their issue. Research and interviewing is a must. They do team building activities and learn basics of small group democracy. They write agendas, practice roles, keep minutes, evaluate, debate and vote. Most teams write a mission statements, and plan actions or projects.
After developing a mission statement and action plan teams often neet to discuss their ideas with adults in positions of authority. This can be frustrating but gives real world experience in the process of putting ideas into practice.
Students Working Together
University students in Dr.Joe Kunkel's Citizenship course serve as "coaches" for the teams. These students meet with Dr. Joseph Kunkel in a class on Tuesday to bring together learning from reading about democracy and their experiences at Dakota Meadows.They also meet in debriefing meetings after Thursday PA teams. A Mentor Council made up former coaches and our school coordinator (an Americorps member) advise Dr. Kunkel and help plan training and debriefing activities. Each mentor works with a cluster of coaches; observing, advising and trying to help.