I invite you to tell the U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan what is on your mind. According to The Star-Ledger, Duncan will hold a Twitter chat at 8:30 tonight to get student feedback on college affordability. If you are college-bound or already in college, use the hashtag #stuvoice to participate in the dialogue.
Because of the wonders of Twitter, the ability to directly share your feedback with a high-ranking government official in an efficient, real-time manner is a recent phenomenon. Take advantage of that technology to let your voice be heard.
If you are saying, "But I don't know much about the big issues," take time to do some research on them. Go online and read some current news articles about President Barack Obama's proposed rating system and other policy matters. It's always important to have general background knowledge before you participate in any discussion.
At the same time, do not underestimate the knowledge and opinions you have based on being a student. If you have experienced or witnessed others as they work hard to afford college, you have a valid voice in the conversation.
I know many people who shy away from speaking up because they are not an "expert" on a given topic. Remember that the purpose of this talk tonight is so that the U.S. Secretary could hear directly from the public. If he wanted to hear a researcher's or education leader's opinion, he would have held a separate discussion with them.
He chose tonight to hear from you.
Make sure he does.
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