Constitutional Democracy Project

What If Your Students Were Supreme Court Justices for a Day? - https://mailchi.mp/illinoistech/what-if-your-students-were-supreme-court-justices-for-a-day-17663280

I have been thinking a lot about the death of Alex Pretti and how to have those hard conversations with students.

As educators, we tell students that democracy depends on accountability, due process, and the rule of law.

Moments like this test whether we believe that—or just teach it.

When someone dies at the hands of government agents, the question is not “Which side are you on?”
The question is how a democracy responds when power takes a life.

Teaching civic literacy means helping students wrestle with uncomfortable realities:
• government authority
• use of force
• transparency
• public trust

Avoiding these conversations doesn’t protect students.
It leaves them unprepared for citizenship.

If we don’t model how to ask hard questions, who will?

What If Your Students Were Supreme Court Justices for a Day? - https://mailchi.mp/illinoistech/what-if-your-students-were-supreme-court-justices-for-a-day-17663072

What if your students were Supreme Court Justices for one day? - https://mailchi.mp/illinoistech/what-if-your-students-were-supreme-court-justices-for-a-day

🎉 Congratulations to Our Wisconsin & Illinois We the People Teams! 🎉

Today’s Wisconsin and Illinois We the People Hearings showcased the hard work, dedication, and constitutional knowledge of some truly outstanding students and educators.

In Wisconsin, two teams represented Wauwatosa with distinction. Wauwatosa West earned first place, while Wauwatosa East delivered an impressive performance and secured a wild card berth—a testament to the strength of civic education in the district.

In Illinois, competition was fierce among Maine South High School, St. Joseph-Ogden High School, J. Sterling Morton High School, and William Howard Taft High School, with Illiana Christian High School participating as an exhibition team. Maine South High School claimed first place, St. Joseph-Ogden finished second and earned a wild card spot, followed by Taft High School in third and J. Sterling Morton in fourth.

We are incredibly proud of all the students, teachers, judges, and volunteers who made today’s hearings such a success. Your commitment to civic learning and constitutional understanding gives us great hope for the future of our democracy.

We the People Needs Judges! - https://mailchi.mp/illinoistech/fall-events-17662176

We the People Needs Judges! - https://mailchi.mp/illinoistech/fall-events-17661872

Guardians of Democracy: Teachers - https://mailchi.mp/illinoistech/summer-pd-constitution-17661631

REGISTER NOW - Equal Justice Under Law - https://mailchi.mp/illinoistech/is-denying-gender-affirming-care-to-minors-a-violation-of-equal-protection-rights-17660955

Exciting news! Our Project Director, Dee Runaas, has been honored with the Darlene Ruscitti Civic Champion Award for her commitment to civic education. This award celebrates those who help prepare young people to be informed, engaged citizens—and Dee is a true champion of that mission!

Youth Summit Tackles Social Media Access - https://mailchi.mp/kentlaw/discussion-student-events-17657145

Dr. Diana Hess to Speak at Annual Conference 2024 - https://mailchi.mp/kentlaw/fall-events-17653933