Join the National Constitution Center and Street Law for a full-day professional development workshop exploring Supreme Court cases involving the First Amendment’s Free Exercise and Establishment clauses and public schools. Using the Center’s nonpartisan Educational Framework and Street Law’s case study and inquiry activities, participants will explore landmark Supreme Court cases to better understand the Court’s interpretation of the First Amendment in schools over time. Participants will also hear from a constitutional scholar and leave the workshop with strategies to confidently engage in civil dialogue about religion’s role in public schools today.
Location: Trust for the National Mall, Washington, D.C.
A light breakfast and lunch will be provided (dietary restrictions will be accommodated).
Participating teachers will receive a $100 stipend. Teachers traveling 50 or more miles will be eligible for an additional $50 travel stipend.
During this workshop, participants will:
- Explore the drafting process of the First Amendment.
- Use the National Constitution Center’s and Street Law’s classroom-ready resources and protocols on Landmark Supreme Court cases like Engel v. Vitale (1962) and Kennedy v. Bremerton (2022).
- Examine Street Law’s Legal Timelines website and inquiry packs.
- Learn from a constitutional scholar about religious liberty and schools.
- Engage with constitutional questions and civil dialogue practices to help students participate thoughtfully on issues surrounding public education and religion.
- Attend an optional tour of the Lincoln Memorial’s Undercroft!
Agenda
8 a.m. – Coffee and registration
8:30 a.m. – Welcome and introductions
9 a.m. – Drafting the First Amendment, Writing Rights, and Digging Deeper
9:45 a.m. – Applying Precedents and Engel v. Vitale (1962)
10:30 a.m. – Scholar conversation
Noon – Lunch
12:45 p.m. – Classifying Arguments, Kennedy v. Bremerton (2022), and Consensogram
1:45 p.m. – Classroom Application and Connections to Today
2:30 p.m. – Resource Sharing and Debrief
3:30 p.m. – Workshop concludes; optional Undercroft tour
