Strengthening Teaching About Civics, Law, and Government

In October, Street Law provided professional development for 25 Baltimore City and County teachers in strategies and content to teach for civic engagement. Together, we explored current, contested issues in civics, law, and government and practiced pedagogy that builds students’ civic and critical thinking skills.

Here’s what some participants had to say:

• “[The Seminar] is extremely useful and will help to engage students more with material that may have been a little dry before.”
• “Fantastic job simulating activities as if they were really happening in your classroom.”
• “It was a great experience and I’m so glad I attended. Resources were relevant!!”

Street Law is excited to announce that we will bring this program to teachers in Prince George’s County, Maryland, in November, and to San Diego, CA, and St. Louis, MO, in February!

At each Seminar, teachers will engage with fundamental, yet exciting issues like immigration, guns, religious freedom, free speech, search and seizure, “fake news,” and more. With Street Law’s accomplished staff and guest legal experts, teachers will explore ways to use these issues to teach about core government, law, and history themes. The seminars are highly interactive, and teachers leave with classroom-ready resources and ongoing support from Street Law.

To Sign Up

The Prince George’s County Public Schools Seminar began on Nov. 9 and was open to high school government teachers in that school system.

The San Diego Seminar was held in early February and was open to SDUSD middle and high school social studies teachers

The Missouri Federal Courts and Constitutional Controversies Seminar was held on Feb. 12 and 13, and was open to teachers throughout Missouri. For more information, contact Becky Libbert at the Missouri Bar.

If you’re interested in bringing this Seminar to your district, city, or state, please contact Jen Wheeler for more information.

Generous funding for Street Law’s Teaching for Civic Engagement Seminars has been provided by the Coca-Cola Foundation (Baltimore); the Herb Block Foundation (Prince George’s County, MD); the Missouri Bar, the Judicial Learning Center in St. Louis, and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri (St. Louis); and by McGraw Hill Education.