FAQ for Letters to the Next President: Writing Our Future

Question: I'm having difficulty logging in to the Letters to the Next President Teacher Submission Tool. What am I doing wrong?

Answer: Please remember that you need to use your Google account email address to log in to the site .

When you registered, you gave us your Google account email address, which is also the same address you would be using to log in to Google Docs. Your Google account email address is listed on the confirmation email we sent back to you when you first registered.

If you have forgotten either your Google account email address or your password, please go to docs.google.com , click on the link that says "I cannot access my account," then either click on the link that says "I forgot my password" or "I forgot my username" and follow the instructions. If you still have questions, please don't hesitate to contact us at letters2president@nwp.org.

Question: Is Letters to the Next President: Writing Our Future a competition? Are there winners? Are there prizes?

Answer: No, it's not a competition. We want to give all students who participate a voice, so we will not be judging the letters. All of the letters submitted by teachers will be visible on the Letters to the Next President: Writing Our Future website and will have the same opportunity to be featured on the home page.

Question: Why is this project open only to students 13 and older?

Answer: Letters to the Next President: Writing Our Future is intended for high school students, ages 13–18. We know that young people of all ages want their voices to be heard about the issues that will affect them and their future. We also believe that younger students are fully up to the task of conveying their views in writing and publishing their ideas to public audiences. However, as Letters to the Next President: Writing Our Future requires access to the Internet and a Google Account, it has been designed to comply with Google policies and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Schools that have adopted Google Apps for Education and provided Google Accounts within their domain and with parent permission may be able to include students younger than 14. If this is true for your school, contact letters2president@nwp.org for more information.

Question: What states/regions/locations were eligible to participate?

Answer: All 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Teachers and students in DoDDS schools worldwide as well as American students and teachers abroad were also eligible to participate.

Question: Can teachers ask students to write something other than letters for this project?

Answer: Yes, students may compose persuasive pieces in a variety of formats, including letters, essays, opinion pieces, or editorials.

Question: Will the presidential candidates read my letter?

Answer: We can't guarantee that the presidential candidates will read the letters, but the site will be available to the public, so there's a chance that they may.

Question: What do I do now that I've registered?

Answer: Go to Directions for Participation in Letters to the Next President for step-by-step instructions on what to do next, including accessing and using the project submission template in Google Docs that is required to publish your students' work.

Question: If I have more questions not answered here, whom can I contact?

Answer: Please feel free to send additional questions to letters2president@nwp.org.