This pamphlet is designed to aid law students as they participate in the "Street Law" seminar that pairs law students and educators in the high school classroom. The clinical program places future lawyers in the classroom to help instruct in areas such as how the law affects daily lives, the meaning of the Constitution, dispute…

It's unsettling to hear of credentialed school teachers who--ignorant of our principles and of so much more--are seduced by, and pass on, ludicrous and even subversive accounts of our history. Sandra Stotsky tells of curricula that equate white Americans with Nazis and of officials who discredit the Constitution as a license for slavery. She…

A constitutional analysis is presented of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of Senate Bill 550, the Packwood-Moynihan proposal for federal tuition tax credits for parents who pay tuition in order to send their children to a nonpublic school. The Supreme Court has developed a three-part standard under the Establishment Clause: the…

Presented is a list of resources on the U.S. Constitution for elementary and secondary schools. Listed alphabetically and topically, the resources include organizations which provide classroom materials, teacher training, and other services. Included are special sections on the cultural and political contexts of the bicentennial, women and the…

This textbook on the separation of church and state continues the "Exploring the Constitution Series," which introduces important areas of constitutional law. Intended to serve either as a reference work, a supplement to a standard textbook, or as the textbook for a course, this volume covers the constitutional issues of prayer in public…

Though the framers of the United States Constitution recognized the value of an independent judicial system, they knew that to provide justice the courts must have some accountability to the government. They knew that the system must be transparent to the public. Though the basic framework of checks and balances in the U.S. Constitution clearly…

It is widely believed that the judiciary can maintain the rule of law and guarantee fundamental rights only if it is independent from political and other pressures. Most countries have provisions in their constitutions guaranteeing an independent judiciary. Usually, this independence has two faces: institutional measures that separate the…

The O. J. Simpson trials taught much of the United States a basic lesson in the difference between criminal law and civil law. Many students learn in their government classes that a person cannot be tried twice for the same crime. A person found innocent in a criminal trial, however, can be sued under civil law procedures for damages. It is…

One of the most important ways that individual citizens become involved in the federal judicial process is by serving on a jury. Jury service is one of the few legal responsibilities citizens in the United States have to their government. Though some people complain about the imposition of serving on a jury, many find that their service gives them…

Every year the Supreme Court hears dozens of cases related to key constitutional issues. These cases can be used to teach enduring concepts in government and law. With this lesson plan, students learn about important concepts in Fourth Amendment law and stage a mock Supreme Court oral argument in small groups on a case decided in the 1999-2000…

Asserts that the representative form of government and the public schools in the United States are not supportive of democracy. Argues that the democratic features of representative government envisioned by the writers of the Constitution were undermined by the growth of the nation's population. Recommends some political and educational…

Twenty-eight lesson plans developed by California teachers who attended a summer institute on Congress and the Constitution are presented in this document. Sample lesson plan titles are: (1) "Geopolitics and the Constitution," (2) "Judicial Review," (3) "Electoral College and the Constitution," (4) "First…

The Unites States Constitution and the Bill of Rights set forth the basic principles of the U.S. democratic constitutional order. It is from these documents that the fundamental political concepts of the United States are derived. The program presented here was developed for junior high school students and is intended to combat the apathy toward…

Provides a list of 23 activities which demonstrate how constitutional issues and law are manifested in current events. Maintains that the activities help students gain a working knowledge of the U.S. Constitution in addition to seeing it as a relevant, living document which inspires critical and creative thinking. (JDH)

This guide demonstrates the many ways in which social studies departments can use microcomputers to teach U.S. history. Computers can be used to enhance the learning process by assisting students in recording and categorizing data, formulating conclusions, and establishing concepts. This guide is intended as a supplement to existing curriculum…