VIRGINIA — The Association for Supervision and CurriculumDevelopment, an international group of professional educators,and the First Amendment Center, an independent affiliate of theFreedom Forum, have launched the First Amendment Schools project.The joint initiative is "designed to transform how schoolsmodel and teach the rights and responsibilities of citizenshipthat frame civic life in democracy."
The multi-year project has four primary goals:
- To create consensus guidelines and guiding principles for all schools interested in creating and sustaining First Amendment principles in their school;
- To establish project schools, in every region of the nation, where First Amendment principles are understood and applied throughout the school community;
- To encourage and develop curriculum reforms that reinvigorate and deepen teaching about the First Amendment across the curriculum;
- To educate school leaders, teachers, school board members and attorneys, and other key stakeholders about the meaning and significance of First Amendment principles and ideals.
A nationwide search for project schools is currently takingplace. Any school from K-12, public or private is eligible toapply for one of the 10 grants for $12,000. Interested applicantsshould visit www.firstamendmentschools.org,or contact either the ASCD’s Mike Wildasin at (703) 575-5475,or the First Amendment Center’s Sam Chaltain at (703) 284-2808.