Shaping Law-Related Education: The Inaugural Cohort of Street Law’s Teacher Amicus Group
May 9, 2024
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What unites a teacher at the country’s only National Park-based high school, a law school graduate, a retired police detective, a Ph.D. in education, and a diversity and inclusion coordinator? They have all been handpicked by Street Law, Inc. to form the inaugural cohort of its newly established teacher advisory group.
This esteemed group—known as the Teacher Amicus Group—kicked off this spring with an important mission: to provide input and feedback to help ensure Street Law, Inc.’s curricular materials and programs cater to the needs of teachers and their students.
The group’s name is inspired by an amicus curiae or “friend of the court”—someone who is not a party to a case but submits a brief to the Supreme Court to express their opinions on the direction they think the Court should take on a case important to them.
The Purpose
Street Law adopts a comprehensive approach to curriculum development, incorporating a multi-tiered review process to ensure quality and relevance. Teachers are integral to this process, playing a pivotal role in shaping the curriculum by field testing it in their classrooms and providing actionable feedback.
“In the spirit of inviting expert opinions to guide our work, we are excited to assemble our inaugural Street Law Teacher Amicus Group to advise Street Law,” said Cathy Ruffing, Sr. Director of Teacher Professional Development and Curriculum, who oversees the Teacher Amicus Group. “We value teacher input and will weigh the expert opinions of our Teacher Amicus Group seriously when making decisions about the subject matter and approach of our materials.”
A key objective of this founding cohort is to pilot new materials on Native American legal history developed by Street Law for its LegalTimelines.org website. The cohort includes teachers from schools with large Native American student populations, as well as teachers with knowledge, experience, and interests in Native American law, history, and culture.
The Cohort
The group’s members hail from schools across the United States, bringing a wealth of experience from teaching a wide range of social studies courses across grades 6–12.
This cohort will serve for a six-month term, during which they will use and provide critical feedback on Street Law teaching resources, share information on Street Law’s resources to colleagues, and participate in Street Law-led focus groups.
Street Law extends gratitude to the members of the Teacher Amicus Group for volunteering their time and talent to help Street Law better serve young people and the education community.
- Juan Armijo, Mayfield High School, Las Cruces, New Mexico
- Daniel Bachman, Massapequa High School, Massapequa, New York
- Mary Barnett, Bosworth R-V School, Bosworth, Missouri
- Russell Beckman, Minoka-Hill School, Green Bay, Wisconsin
- Spencer Burrows, Pacific Ridge School, Carlsbad, California
- Stephanie Carlisle, McDermitt Combined Schools, McDermitt, Nevada
- Maria Chacon, Central High School, Phoenix, Arizona
- Jon Frost, Los Alamos High School, Los Alamos, New Mexico
- Tiffany Green, Pass Christian Middle School, Pass Christian, Mississippi
- Kailey Hubler, O’Fallon Township High School, O’Fallon, Illinois
- Brittany Knauer, Montgomery Junior High School, Montgomery, Texas
- Ted Mauro, Greenville Senior High School Academy of Law, Finance and Business, Greenville, South Carolina
- Rebekkah Morrow, Westmoore High School, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Adam Pinkerton, Arcata High School, Arcata, California
- Janna Radarian, Grand Canyon School, Grand Canyon, Arizona
- Jen Reidel, Bellingham High School, Bellingham, Washington
- Patricia Robblee, Lejeune High School, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina
- Beth Seabreeze, Rockville High School, Rockville, Maryland
- Michael Simzak, Green Acres School, North Bethesda, Maryland
- Dina Violante, Union County Vocational Technical School, Scotch Plains, New Jersey
Juan Armijo teaches 12th grade at Mayfield High School in Las Cruces, New Mexico. He currently teaches AP U.S. Government & Politics and grade-level U.S. Government.
Juan was drawn to the Teacher Amicus Group opportunity out of a desire to contribute to the future of social studies education. As a resident of New Mexico, home to several Native American communities, Juan is interested in ensuring access to high-quality, relevant instructional materials on topics related to Indigenous groups.
Juan was recently involved in the development of New Mexico’s social studies standards and served on the state’s review team for social studies textbook adoption. He also serves on a district-level team that develops and scopes civics and government courses. Previously, Juan has piloted materials for Street Law’s LegalTimelines.org. He also serves as an AP Exam Reader.
Daniel Bachman teaches 10th, 11th, and 12th grades at Massapequa High School in Massapequa, New York. He currently teaches AP U.S. Government & Politics, AP Comparative Government, and multiple law electives.
Daniel was drawn to the Teacher Amicus Group opportunity because of his previous experience with Street Law’s materials, which he used to establish three different high school law elective courses. Daniel’s interest is also piqued by a local controversy in Massapequa around the use of Native American iconography.
Daniel’s experience with Street Law, Inc. runs deep. He attended the 2017 Supreme Court Summer Institute and served as a consultant on the development of curricular content for LandmarkCases.org, Classroom Guide to Mock Trials, and Classroom Guide to Moot Courts. Daniel regularly serves as a judge to select Street Law’s annual Classroom Champion and participates in the organization’s Leadership Circle.
Mary Barnett teaches grades 6–11 at Bosworth R-V School in Bosworth, Missouri. She currently teaches American History, Government, Current Events, and World History.
Mary regularly uses Street Law materials in class and was drawn to the Teacher Amicus Group opportunity because of her previous involvement in Street Law programming with the Missouri Federal Courts.
Mary studied Native American history as part of her graduate work and has taught a high school-level elective course on the topic.
Russell Beckman teaches grades 8–12 at Minoka-Hill School in Green Bay, Wisconsin. He currently teaches American History, Sociology, Law, and Native American History.
As a user of the Street Law textbook, teacher of Native American history, and person committed to learning about and connecting with Native communities, Russell was drawn to the work of the Teacher Amicus Group.
His school district has a substantial number of Native students and resides on land from the Oneida Nation. Russell is currently advocating that a course in Native American studies be added to the district curriculum.
Russell is a retired police detective with a lengthy career in law enforcement, which allows him to bring deep experience and knowledge of law and criminal justice into the classroom.
Spencer Burrows teaches 11th and 12th grades at Pacific Ridge School in Carlsbad, California. He currently teaches U.S. History and U.S. Government and Politics.
Spencer was drawn to the Teacher Amicus Group because it presents an opportunity to contribute to the development of high-quality materials on the topic of Native American history, a curricular category he finds to be lacking.
Spencer first participated in Street Law programming as a law student at UC Hastings when he taught Street Law to San Francisco high school students. As a law student, Spencer also studied Native American history from a legal perspective.
Stephanie Carlisle teaches 7th, 8th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grades at McDermitt Combined School in McDermitt, Nevada. She currently teaches Geography, World History, U.S. History, American Government, and Economics.
Stephanie teaches at a rural school whose population is 95% Native American and was drawn to the Teacher Amicus Group out of a desire to better serve her students.
Stephanie is an alumnus of Street Law’s 2020 Supreme Court Summer Institute and has previously piloted materials for Street Law’s LegalTimelines.org.
Maria Chacon teaches 9th, 11th, and 12th grades at Central High School in Phoenix, Arizona. Maria currently teaches U.S. History from the Native American Perspective, Navajo Government, and Freshman Connections.
Maria was drawn to the Teacher Amicus Group opportunity because of its focus on educating about Native American legal issues.
In two of Maria’s courses, the majority of the students are Native American. Maria also serves as the advisor for the school’s Native American Youth Council.
Maria’s family roots are Rarámuri, which is a Northern Mexican tribe. Maria brings deep knowledge of Indigenous rights movements in Abya Yala and across the globe.
Jon Frost teaches grades 10–12 at Los Alamos High School in Los Alamos, New Mexico. He currently teaches AP U.S. Government & Politics and U.S. History.
As a frequent user of Street Law materials, Jon was drawn to the Teacher Amicus Group opportunity as a way to give back to the organization.
Jon participated as a curriculum writer for the New Mexico Public Education Department Indian Education Curriculum Initiative in 2018.
Tiffany Green teaches 7th and 8th grades at Pass Christian Middle School in Pass Christian, Mississippi. She currently teaches English Language Arts.
Tiffany was drawn to the Teacher Amicus Group as an opportunity to leverage her unique content knowledge in political science and criminal justice and to contribute to Street Law’s curriculum development efforts.
Previously, Tiffany piloted materials for Street Law’s LegalTimelines.org.
Kailey Hubler teaches grades 10–12 at O’Fallon Township High School in O’Fallon, Illinois. She currently teaches U.S. History and Diversity & Growth in America.
Kailey was drawn to the Teacher Amicus Group as an opportunity to build the curriculum of the Diversity & Growth in America course. The course focuses on the histories, struggles, and contributions of marginalized communities in the United States—and includes exploring and understanding Native American history and legal issues.
Brittany Knauer teaches 7th and 8th grades at Montgomery Junior High School in Montgomery, Texas. She currently teaches Advanced Texas History and Advanced U.S. History.
Brittany was drawn to the Teacher Amicus Group as an opportunity to deepen her knowledge about Native American history and legal issues, collaborate with and learn from fellow educators, and to inspire critical thinking and civic engagement in her students.
Ted Mauro teaches grades 9–12 at the Academy of Law, Finance, and Business at Greenville Senior High School in Greenville, South Carolina. He currently teaches Law Education, Criminal Law, Family Law, and AP African American Studies.
Ted was drawn to the Teacher Amicus Group due to its alignment with his belief in the importance of civic and law-related education.
Ted is the head law teacher at his school, a seasoned mock trial coach, and holds a Ph.D. in education focused on curriculum and instruction.
Rebekkah Morrow teaches 12th grade at Westmoore High School in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She currently teaches American Government, Ethnic Studies, and Oklahoma History.
Rebekkah was drawn to the Teacher Amicus Group because it presents an opportunity for her students to have early access to high-quality curricular materials.
Also, Native American legal history is wrapped up in Oklahoma’s state history, and Rebekkah teaches Native American culture, history, and legal impact in every course.
Rebekkah’s master’s degree focused on the importance of law-related education. She is an alumnus of Street Law’s Supreme Court Summer Institute for Teachers.
Adam Pinkerton teaches 12th grade at Arcata High School in Arcata, California.Heteaches AP U.S. Government & Politics, CP American Government & Economics, and AP Macroeconomics.
As a fan of Street Law materials, Adam was drawn to the Teacher Amicus Group as a way to help other teachers through curriculum development. Additionally, Adam’s school has a large Native American student body.
Adam is an alumnus of Street Law’s 2021 Supreme Court Summer Institute.
Janna Radarian teaches 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, and 12th grades at Grand Canyon School in Grand Canyon, Arizona. She currently teaches World History, U.S. History, Government, and Economics.
Janna is eager to grow as an educator and was drawn to the Teacher Amicus Group opportunity out of a desire to improve her teaching of Native American legal history.
Native Americans comprise the largest group in her school’s student population; 11 Indigenous tribes are native to her school’s location in Grand Canyon National Park.
Janna is an alumnus of Street Law’s Supreme Court Summer Institute and Street Law’s work with the Arizona Department of Education. Janna has previously piloted middle school-level curricular materials for Street Law.
Jen Reidel teaches 9th, 11th, and 12th grades at Bellingham High School in Bellingham, Washington. She currently teaches English 101, Civics, and AP U.S. Government & Politics.
Jen has been using Street Law’s materials and pedagogy for more than 20 years. She was drawn to the Teacher Amicus Group as a way of giving back to an organization that has supported her teaching over the years.
Additionally, students in Washington state are required to learn about tribal government, structure, and treaty history in the graduation-required Civics course.
Jen attended the 1999 Street Law Supreme Court Summer Institute. Jen was Street Law’s 2022 Classroom Champion.
Patricia Robblee teaches 10th, 11th, and 12th grades at Lejeune High School in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. She currently teaches AP U.S. Government & Politics, AP Comparative Government, Government, Street Law, Economics, and U.S. History.
Patricia has a longstanding interest in Native American history and legal topics, and she has sought out opportunities to build knowledge on the topic throughout college, law school, and her teaching career.
Patricia’s first two years of teaching were on the Navajo Nation. Patricia’s attraction to the Teacher Amicus Group stems from a commitment to ensuring Native American history is accurately taught.
Patricia is an alumnus of Street Law’s Supreme Court Summer Institute and the DODEA Street Law training. She has previously piloted materials for Street Law’s LegalTimelines.org.
Beth Seabreeze teaches 10th grade at Rockville High School in Rockville, MD. She currently teaches AP U.S. Government & Politics and Law.
Beth was drawn to the Teacher Amicus Group as a way to incorporate Native American legal history into her law course.
Beth has been involved in myriad Street Law trainings and programs, including the Supreme Court Summer Institute and the Legal Diversity Pipeline Program.
Michael Simzak teaches grades 6–8 at Green Acres School in North Bethesda, Maryland. He currently teaches Ancient History, Non-Western History, and American History.
Michael was drawn to the Teacher Amicus Group because it presents an opportunity to assist a respected organization with curriculum development.
Also, as the school’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion coordinator, Michael is actively looking for more ways to incorporate Native American topics into the curriculum.Michael is an alumnus of Street Law’s Supreme Court Summer Institute.
Dina Violante teaches grades 9–12 at Union County Vocational-Technical High School in Scotch Plains, New Jersey. She currently teaches Introduction to Law, 21st Century Policing, Crime Scene Investigation, Law and Procedure, Corrections, Juvenile Delinquency, and U.S. History through Crime.
Street Law is Dina’s go-to source for curricular materials. She was drawn to the Teacher Amicus Group because it provides an opportunity to give back by helping to develop learning tools.
Additionally, Dina’s U.S. History through Crime course includes a study of colonization, relevant Supreme Court cases, and the ongoing struggles for sovereignty and recognition of Native Americans.
Dina is an alumnus of the Supreme Court Summer Institute and served as a content reviewer for the forthcoming 11th edition of Street Law: A Course in Practical Law.
