Need for First Amendment Education

Kathleen writes “Judge Marjorie O. Rendell, First Lady of Pennsylvania has stated, “The only way to hold on to our freedom is to give it away — and liberally — to those who come after us. In your own sphere of influence, in your own way, I invite you to join with me and give back meaning to the word “citizen.” Concerned by a recent study that demonstrates a decline in understandidng of the First Amendment, Judge Rendell advocates citizenship education.

“The Future of the First Amendment,â€? found that educators are failing to give high school students an appreciation of the First Amendment’s guarantees of free speech and a free press. The study by researchers from the University of Connecticut questioned more than 100,000 high school students, nearly 8,000 teachers, and more than 500 administrators and principals.”