Renew New York High School Convention – “Considering New York’s Structures and Challenges”
On Oct. 28, 2010 at Hofstra University, Renew New York and its founders, Newsday, Hofstra and News 12, will host a High School Convention - “Considering New York’s Structure and Challenges”. The full-day event at Hofstra will be an opportunity for high school students to debate and discuss important reform and structure issues debated in Albany and statehouses across America, and present their proposed solutions to a panel of political experts.
The student teams, each led by a teacher/mentor from their school, spent the summer digging into five major issues, conducting independent research and interviews to develop issue briefs on each. The issues are: Bi-cameral vs. Unicameral Legislature, Legislative redistricting process, State funding of education, Election Day, the Judicial system: Appointments and compensation. Each brief contains policy analysis that will be used to guide discussion at the High School Convention.
The teams were given full access to Hofstra University’s libraries, participated in an evening speaker series that featured experts on each of the five issues, and received mentoring and guidance from Hofstra faculty – program coordinators Michael D’Innocenzo, Andrea S. Libresco and Bernard Stein, and from interns at Hofstra’s Center for Civic Engagement. The students also received leadership training, to help them moderate issue forms in their schools in September and October, and as preparation for the convention.
The participating high schools represent a diverse mix of students from both Nassau and Suffolk counties. In several cases, teams chose to work together on issue briefs, forging new partnerships across school district lines. The participating schools are: Floral Park Memorial High School, West Babylon High School, Bethpage High School, Hicksville High School, Malverne High School, West Islip High School, Uniondale High School, The Wheatley School, H. Frank Carey High School, and Westbury High School.
The issue briefs prepared by each team are available below:
1. Bicameral vs. Unicameral Legislature:
Bicameral, Unicameral Legislatures and Political Partisanship - H. Frank Carey High School and Hicksville High School
2. Election Process:
“Improving Democracy: Changes in Election Practices and Election Day(s)” - West Babylon High School
3. The Judicial System: Appointments and Compensation:
“The Judicial System – Third Branch of Government: New Directions Ahead?” - Malverne High School & Westbury High School
4. Legislative Redistricting Process:
“Drawing the Line in New York State: In Search of Equitable Redistricting” - Uniondale High School and The Wheatley School
5. State Funding of Education:
“Adequate Funding: Saving Money or Ruining Education?” - West Islip High School
“What Are the Best Ways to Fund and Support Public Schools?” - Floral Park Memorial High School