FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Annie Stone, 703-217-1169 [email protected]
Merissa Blum, 215-370-0387 [email protected]
NATIONAL CONSTITUTION CENTER TO OFFER FREE CLASSES FOR STUDENTS, TEACHERS AND PARENTS, BRINGING CONSTITUTIONAL EDUCATION TO COMMUNITIES ACROSS AMERICA
2020-2021 slate of classes to focus on constitutional topics such as the Electoral College, free speech and freedom of religion, federalism, the Second Amendment, and more
Justice Neil M. Gorsuch to appear as guest scholar September 17, Constitution Day
Philadelphia, PA (August 4, 2020) –Today, the National Constitution Center announced a full schedule of 2020-2021 live classes on the Constitution and other course offerings for middle school, high school, and college students. The remote learning initiative featuring synchronous and asynchronous classes will include guest scholars such as Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, and will allow the Center to engage learners of all ages in the text, meaning, and history of the U.S. Constitution wherever learning takes place.
“As students, teachers, and parents prepare for remote learning in the fall, the National Constitution Center is thrilled to offer free, live classes on the Constitution and nonpartisan online education materials that can support middle school, high school, and college students across America,” said National Constitution Center president and CEO Jeffrey Rosen. “Our classes last spring reached more than 30,000 students and helped make the Center the fourth most visited museum website in America. We hope teachers and students of all ages, including those in underserved communities, will join us online to engage in civil dialogue around the constitutional issues at the heart of American life.”
Full details, including weekly schedules and topics, and registration, are available here.
The full year of free live interactive classes will be led by Jeffrey Rosen, Kerry Sautner, the Center’s chief learning officer, and other National Constitution Center scholars and special guests. Classes will be offered Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from August 31, 2020, to May 28, 2021. The classes will support classroom instruction with accessible, standards-aligned topics—including the preamble, federalism, Constitution 101, the Constitutional Convention, and founding documents—and timely topics—including the Electoral College, the executive branch, voting rights, and reviews of cases at the Supreme Court. These open-source classes will be publicly available on Zoom for students, teachers, and parents. Additionally, private opportunities between students and a scholar designed to fit the needs of classrooms will be available, as will the Classroom Exchanges, which connect students of different backgrounds in civil dialogue around current issues facing America.
Since launching new remote learning opportunities on March 19 in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic, the National Constitution Center reached over 32,000 middle school, high school, and college students across America who participated in live classes on the Constitution. Special guests for the free programs included documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, journalist Emily Bazelon, and historian Eric Foner. In addition, thousands of lifelong learners have joined the Center’s online Town Hall programs on topics ranging from policing and the Constitution and Supreme Court oral argument reviews to the constitutional legacy of George Washington and the Warren Court. The Center has also seen a surge in traffic to its Interactive Constitution, podcasts, and other online resources, resulting in a 45% increase in the Center’s online visitors and a 62% increase in time spent on the website in comparison to July 2019.
Educational resources for the classes are hosted on the Center’s acclaimed Interactive Constitution, which has received over 30 million views since it launched in 2015. The free online platform offers extensive primary and secondary sources and a content-rich media library with videos, podcasts, blog posts, and lesson plans, at no cost and available with no login or password required.
This fall, the National Constitution Center will also begin offering its Constitutional Ambassadors program—an immersive experience in constitutional education through a daylong intellectual, social, and skills-based educational experience—as a virtual field trip; remote professional development opportunities for educators; and a virtual presentation of the Center’s onsite museum experience.
The National Constitution Center announced on Wednesday, July 29, that it will reopen to the public on August 5, 2020. The Center will offer free admission for all visitors, made possible in part thanks to support from PECO, through September 5, 2020. Additional information about the Center’s multi-phased reopening and safety protocols can be found at constitutioncenter.org/safely-reopening.
###
About the National Constitution Center
The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia brings together people of all ages and perspectives, across America and around the world, to learn about, debate, and celebrate the greatest vision of human freedom in history, the U.S. Constitution. A private, nonprofit organization, the Center serves as America’s leading platform for constitutional education and debate, fulfilling its congressional charter “to disseminate information about the U.S. Constitution on a nonpartisan basis.” As the Museum of We the People, the Center brings the Constitution to life for visitors of all ages through interactive programs and exhibits. As America’s Town Hall, the Center brings the leading conservative and liberal thought leaders together to debate the Constitution on all media platforms. As a Headquarters for Civic Education, the Center delivers the best educational programs and online resources that inspire citizens and engage all Americans in learning about the U.S. Constitution. For more information, call 215-409-6700 or visit constitutioncenter.org.
###
About the National Constitution Center
The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia brings together people of all ages and perspectives, across America and around the world, to learn about, debate, and celebrate the greatest vision of human freedom in history, the U.S. Constitution. A private, nonprofit organization, the Center serves as America’s leading platform for constitutional education and debate, fulfilling its congressional charter “to disseminate information about the U.S. Constitution on a nonpartisan basis.” As the Museum of We the People, the Center brings the Constitution to life for visitors of all ages through interactive programs and exhibits. As America’s Town Hall, the Center brings the leading conservative and liberal thought leaders together to debate the Constitution on all media platforms. As a Headquarters for Civic Education, the Center delivers the best educational programs and online resources that inspire citizens and engage all Americans in learning about the U.S. Constitution. For more information, call 215-409-6700 or visit constitutioncenter.org.
