Testimonials - ProCon.org

We have highlighted some of the testimonials ProCon.org has received over the years in our Teachers’ Comments, Students’ Comments and Readers’ Comments, pages as well as in the VIPs’ comments below.

California Superintendent of Education Encourages Use of ProCon.org
	“As someone who uses procon.org personally, I see the great value it can bring to California’s students, teachers, and librarians. This free educational resource helps students develop vital 21st century skills such as critical thinking and civics education. It also helps them learn about important issues, and is consistent with Common Core and the findings of my Education Technology Task Force.” June 11, 2013 – Tom Torlakson, MA, State Superintendent of Public Instruction
National Conversation Expert Says “the Work of ProCon.org Is Essential”
	“My mission is to help people communicate more civilly, more respectfully, and more empathically. This aligns perfectly with ProCon.org’s work, as learning about the beliefs and perspectives of others is an effective way to increase empathy. ProCon.org offers, in a non-confrontational way, information about issues from multiple perspectives. I wish everyone checked in at ProCon before posting on social media; we might see a lot fewer arguments among families and friends. In a world in which research shows we are increasingly isolated ideologically, in which we mostly associate and socialize with those who agree with us, the work of ProCon is essential to help us see outside our narrow beliefs and opinions.” June 12, 2018 – Celeste Headlee, Public radio host and speaker; author of We Need to Talk: How to Have Conversations That Matter

New York Times Praises ProCon.org

Fox News Finds ProCon.org Unbiased

“The most comprehensive tool for researching the candidate’s stance on issues is the nonpartisan nonprofit ProCon.org.”

Sep. 5, 2012 – “Great Free Websites for Teaching
Election 2012” in “The Learning Network” feature
of the New York Times

“ProCon.org is a great site for unbiased information. Allowing my listeners to form their own opinions is important. That is why I enjoy interviewing the people of ProCon.org on my program. They are the best at describing both sides of a debate”

Aug. 17, 2010 – Peter Dunn, Fox News Radio, Indianapolis

MSNBC Political Analyst and former Chair of the Republican National Committee

CNN Political Commentator and former Deputy Chief of Staff at the Department of Housing and Urban Development

“I truly appreciate what ProCon is doing in creating a space for smart conversation, debate and information.”

Aug. 22, 2017 – Michael Steele, JD, former Chair of the Republican National Committee

Shermichael Singelton “The mission of ProCon.org, which is critical thinking, education, and informed citizenship, was on full display as Kamy moderated the panel [“Building Beliefs – How We Form Our Political Views,” at Politicon, July 30, 2017] with a command of the topics and a clear depth of knowledge and understanding. He is truly one of the best examples of ProCon.org at work, and it was a great pleasure being part of such a necessary conversation with him.”

Aug. 5, 2017 – Shermichael Singelton, CNN Political Commentator, former Deputy Chief of Staff at the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development

NPR Chairman (and Journalism Professor) Uses ProCon.org

Head of Nation’s Largest Social Studies Group Calls ProCon.org “Unbiased” and an “Amazing Resource”

“I use procon.org in my college level journalism class. It helps me illustrate to my students how there are multiple points of view on every issue and the importance of including them in every story they write.”

Apr. 20, 2011 – Dave Edwards, Adjunct Journalism
Professor at Alverno College (and Chairman of the
National Public Radio (NPR) Board of Directors)

Susan Griffin “ProCon.org demonstrates with great clarity Dimension Three – ‘evaluating sources and using evidence’ — of the Inquiry Arc, the pedagogical pillar of the NCSS College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards.

I found myself going from issue to issue, so intrigued by what I was learning and how my assumptions were challenged by what I read. I was struck by the integrity of sources, the Pro and Con arguments, and the unbiased presentation of facts. ProCon.org prompts so much deep critical thinking.

This is an amazing resource for the classroom, and I think it has much to offer anyone who is examining public policy issues.”

Apr. 24, 2015 – Susan Griffin, MA, Executive Director, National Council for the Social Studies

Congressman Rob Andrews Honors ProCon.org in the US House of Representatives and Congressional Record

Junior Statesmen of America CEO Recommends ProCon.org

“It is my distinct pleasure to honor the staff of ProCon.org and wish them continued successes in their service to the American public. Their unbiased and truthful presentation makes a tremendous contribution to the political system.”

July 6, 2011 – Rob Andrews, JD

“ProCon.org is a fantastic resource for our JSA student members that has improved the quality of our debates and discussions. I recommend it for anyone looking for information on current events and controversial issues.”

July 7, 2015 – Jeff Harris, CEO of the Junior
Statesmen of America Foundation

Dr. Jonathan Haidt calls ProCon.org the “best antidote” to bias

“Remarkably Transparent” Says Former Annenberg Foundation Director of Programs and Operations About ProCon.org

“Among the biggest obstacles to good thinking is what we psychologists call ‘the confirmation bias.’ It’s the tendency to seek out only information that confirms your existing beliefs. ProCon.org is the best antidote to this bias that I have seen. It’s not just that it puts disconfirming information right there on the page, where it can’t be missed. It’s that ProCon.org models open-mindedness, respect for the complexity of truth, and respect for the sincerity of people on both sides of controversial issues. ProCon.org is a boon to our ailing civic culture.”

Oct. 21, 2012 – Jonathan Haidt, PhD, author of
The Righteous Mind and famous TED speaker

“ProCon.org is remarkably transparent.”

Sep. 18, 2013 – Sylia Obagi, MBA, Former Director of Programs and Operations for The Annenberg Foundation

Best-selling Education Author Lauds ProCon.org

Navy Admiral and Former Congressman Joe Sestak Calls ProCon.org “Objective and Well Researched”

“ProCon.org is an excellent, free source for any teacher…[It] provides students with abundant opportunities to learn essential content, read closely to make inferences, synthesize competing claims, analyze arguments, and reach conclusions. I highly recommend this resource.”

2011 – Mike Schmoker, best-selling author of Focus
and Results Now

“Objective information is hard to come by in the media markets of today. ProCon.org provides objective and well researched information and analysis on some of America’s most pertinent, often controversial, issues. It has been a wealth of knowledge for me and a source of valuable information for my staff. It serves pragmatic solutions well.”

Oct. 24, 2011 – Joe Sestak

Johns Hopkins Professor Lauds ProCon.org

“Our democracy depends on an informed electorate and ProCon.org plays a vital role educating citizens in a balanced way about a vast number of challenging issues for our nation. As an educator, I am impressed with the reach ProCon.org already has to over 25 million people each year and believe the organization plays a critical role in civic education which is more important now than ever for the country.” July 12, 2018 – Kathy Wagner Hill, PhD, Director of the Center for Advanced Governmental Studies at Johns Hopkins University and ProCon.org Ambassador

Civics Leader Peter Levine Says ProCon.org Is “Fantastic”

“Encouraging students to discuss controversial, current issues is an essential component of social studies education, but it’s hard to make classroom discussions balanced and informed. ProCon.org is a fantastic resource for teachers to facilitate meaningful classroom discussions and stimulate unbiased civic learning.” June 3, 2013 – Peter Levine, PhD, Professor of Citizenship & Public Affairs, PhD, Tufts University, Director of CIRCLE: The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement

Past President of AASL Finds ProCon.org “Incredibly Practical and Effective”

“ProCon.org is an incredibly practical and effective website for teaching and learning. The well-researched pro/con issues provide much non-biased information for students and staff researching contemporary topics.” July 15, 2010 – Harriet Selverstone, Past President of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL

Ken McClenton, host of The Exceptional Conservative on American Conservative Nation radio

“ProCon.org is THE best resource for political information and analysis. Before you read the Washington Post or turn on Fox News, go to ProCon.org. Every conservative policy wonk should donate to Procon.Org, a 501(c)3. We need to strengthen resources that are committed to truth and no nonsense presentation of facts. ProCon.org is one of those resources!” Nov. 28, 2011

Jeff Schweitzer, PhD, former science adviser to the White House, and author of Beyond Cosmic Dice: Moral Life in a Random World

“We live in a world of hyper-partisanship in which polite dialogue has become a distant memory. But that need not be our permanent condition. At the forefront of the battle to reintroduce reason and thoughtful analysis into our national debate about the future of our country stands ProCon.org. By fairly presenting opposing viewpoints on critical issues ProCon.org creates an atmosphere of mutual respect that allows for a real exchange of ideas — and the exploration of viable solutions to our most pressing problems. ProCon.org is the place to go to understand today’s most controversial issues.” Nov. 5, 2011

Michael Klein, investment banker and former part-owner of the San Diego Chargers

“I have always had a keen interest in fair public policy, and to the extent that ProCon.org helps to create an accurate and fair understanding of many issues, it makes me proud to be a supporter.” Nov. 2, 2010

Michael Wermers, President of the Torrance Unified School District Board

“ProCon.org prides itself at providing a level and unbiased perspective of both sides of an issue. They address some of today’s most pressing and controversial discussions with intelligence and respect these issues deserve. It is refreshing in today’s toxic environment of partisan politics and short sound bites to have a subject covered in such detail. I’ve also had the pleasure of meeting several of the employees of ProCon.org and they are as intelligent and introspective as their site suggests. I strongly recommend ProCon.org for your consideration.” Aug. 11. 2018

Larry Sanger, Co-Founder of Wikipedia

“The whole project looks wonderful, from the point of view both of a researcher and of someone who loves neutrality in educational resources. My compliments also to whoever designed the site and its software. It is remarkably well-laid-out…

I am also impressed by the apparent care and thought that went into making the resource as a whole both neutral and open. They seem to have really thought out just what you would have to do in order to create a neutral debate site, and have gone far above and beyond the approach that most newspapers or encyclopedias take. Among other things, I am glad that they both let partisans state their own views as forcefully as possible, and give amazingly full information about the partisans and their affiliations. In short, I am heartened that – it seems – there might be somebody out there who believes as much as I do in the possibility and beneficiality of neutrality.” Oct. 12, 2018

1. Teaching Critical Thinking
2. Add My School

3. How Educators Use ProCon.org
4. Lesson Planning with ProCon.org
5. Back to Teacher’s Corner