University of Colorado Law School launches a new teaching and learning partnership with public schools in Boulder, Denver and Adams Counties.
Boulder -- Starting this week, 19 University of Colorado Law School students will begin teaching the U.S. Constitution to high school students in schools across the metro area. The Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project is designed to give law students a valuable opportunity to deepen their knowledge of constitutional law and education while they assist professional teachers in engaging high school students in analysis and understanding of the Constitution.
“Participating in this Project is a step toward fulfilling the core mission of the Byron White Center at Colorado Law – to expand conversations about and understanding of the Constitution,” said White Center Director Melissa Hart. “It is also a wonderful opportunity for the University of Colorado Law School to teach in and learn from other communities in Colorado, which is an essential role of our university.”
The class will run throughout the academic year. In addition to learning about constitutional law, some high school students will compete in a local moot court competition, coached by the law students. The winning Colorado team will travel to Washington, D.C., to compete in the National Marshall-Brennan High School Moot Court Competition.
The Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project began in the fall of 1999 at the American University Washington College of Law in honor of the late United States Supreme Court Justices Thurgood Marshall and William J. Brennan, Jr. The project mobilizes talented second and third-year law students to teach courses on Constitutional law and juvenile justice in public high schools and has licensed chapters in law schools across the country.
In this inaugural year, the University of Colorado Law School has partnered with public schools in Denver, Mapleton and St. Vrain School Districts. Colorado Law will expand to partner with other school districts in subsequent years. Colorado Law’s Byron R. White Center for the Study of American Constitutional Law coordinates this effort, interviews each law student applicant, and requires each law student to commit to teaching throughout the entire school year.
Contact:
Melissa Hart
Associate Professor of Law
Director, Byron R. White Center for the Study of American Constitutional Law
University of Colorado Law School
425 Wolf Law Building
401 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309-0401
Phone: (303) 735-6344
E-mail: melissa.hart@colorado.edu
About University of Colorado Law School
Established in 1892, the University of Colorado Law School (www.colorado.edu/law) is a top 25 public law school located at the base of the inspiring Rocky Mountains. Colorado Law’s 500 students, selected from among the statistically best applicants in the nation, represent 100 undergraduate institutions with a variety of diverse backgrounds. The school has dual degree programs in business, environmental studies, telecommunications, and public affairs. With a low faculty-to-student ratio, its highly published faculty is dedicated to interacting with students inside and outside the classroom. The school’s 8 clinics and 4 centers focus on areas of strength, including natural resources and environmental, American Indian, juvenile and family, telecommunications policy, and sustainable energy law. Colorado Law’s graduates are leaders in their profession and committed to public interest work.
- ColoLaw -