Scholarship programs authored by state legislatures may conflict with a state's constitution. In the case of "Locke v. Davey" 540 U.S. 807 (2003), Joshua Davey challenged the State of Washington's withdrawal of his Promise Scholarship claiming violation of his First Amendment rights under the United States Constitution. This…

The history of the United States Constitution is outlined in this account of the 1787 Constitutional Convention. The document is grouped according to 12 topical headings, which follow a brief account of the participation of George Washington and James Madison. Section 1 deals with the conceptualization and development of the Articles of…

Background: Because of school districts' interest in best serving the health needs of students, many choose to administer surveys addressing controversial topics. Administering such surveys in a voluntary and anonymous manner may help reduce conflict. Methods: This is a review of 2 recent federal court of appeals decisions regarding surveying…

Presents a lesson plan using "Decision at Richmond," a play dramatizing the debate over United States Constitutional ratification, to demonstrate to students the importance of the unique process used to make political decisions in the United States. (Author/AEM)

Offers a lesson plan for teaching grade six about the Supreme Court. The lesson includes several situations in which students decide if laws have been broken. (BSR)

Discusses the project, "First Amendment Schools," by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and the First Amendment Center (Arlington, Virginia). Explains that these schools involve students in the community and in democracy as a means to citizenship education. (CMK)

This package introduces college students to the elements of the Prince System, a widely used system for making political forecasts and developing political strategies. Designed to be completed in two to three weeks, the two exercises enable students to (1) identify political issues that the Prince System can help them understand, (2) determine the…

This teacher's guide is part of a media package that also includes 5 video dramas, a 2 CD-ROM set, and a set of 30 student resource portfolios. The teacher's guide contains a semester of learning activities; the five video dramas use real-life situations to illustrate and teach civic events; the student resource portfolios have more than 40…

Given the role that initiatives and referenda have played in state and local governance, it is interesting that there has never been a national initiative or referendum in the United States. The reason for this is that the Constitution of the United States does not provide for direct citizen initiation of, or direct popular votes on, either…

Describes a four week simulation of the U.S. Constitutional Convention in which ninth grade students use problem-solving and decision-making skills to debate the issues of the convention. Students are assigned identities and interest areas to stimulate the writing of a class constitution which is then compared with the U.S. Constitution. (LS)

A collection of 33 working papers for presentation at a research forum on the Constitution and the independent sector is presented. Thirteen sections cover: (1) the Constitution--"The Metapolitical Role of Voluntary Organizations in the United States" (Hall), "The Evolution of the Law of Nonprofit Organizations" (Hansmann); (2)…

Argues that teaching authentic civic values in schools frequently requires teaching about controversial issues. Asserts that adequate teacher preparation and continued inservice education is essential for effective instruction about contemporary social problems. Includes two model lessons and a list of organizations that offer materials for civic…