Why America's Teens Are Worried

Most adults wonder what teenagers think. Now we have an opportunity to find out.

For the past couple of months, thousands of students across the nation have spent time in the classroom thinking about this country's political and social issues and then writing their ideas down in the Letters to the Next President project sponsored by the National Writing Project and Google. These letters have just been published this weekend and now everyone can see what the next generation thinks. Below is a three-minute video now is up that shows students around the country talking about the issues that are most important to them.

To help users search the Letters to the Next President website has a built in search bar that enables users to search by geographical region and by topic.

Kids loved the project because it helped them feel connected to the political process. It also helped that their letters were also going to have a national audience. They wrote the letters using the collaborative features of Google Docs which enabled them to work with peers and get quick online feedback from their teachers.

Check out the letters. You will be surprised to hear what students think.

Disclaimer: I am a long time high school journalism teacher at Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, CA, but I also have children who are either employed by or otherwise have a financial interest in Google. I am not employed by Google and own no Google stock.