We the people, in order to form a more perfect education, do hereby promise to celebrate Sept. 17 as "Constitution Day."
This year will mark the first time that all educational institutions receiving federal aid will be required by law to offer an educational program centering on the U.S. Constitution.
The programs are to take place on or around Sept. 17, a date many groups already celebrate as "Constitution Day," to commemorate the day which the Constitution was signed by the delegates at the Convention.
This year, the celebration has expanded as schools across the country, ranging from the elementary to collegiate level, worked to develop programs, lectures and discussions in order to comply with the new mandate.
The legislation was added into the 2005 federal spending bill by Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., who is considered by many to be the Senate's foremost Constitution scholar, according to Lea Brown, director of instruction for Youth Leadership Initiative at the University's Center for Politics.
The legislation was then finalized Dec. 8 of last year when President Bush signed it into law. To offer more flexibility, the Education Department has decided to use the honor system to enforce the mandate rather than making each school report the programs they will be offering.
"Philosophically, I have always been opposed to congressional or state legislative mandates about college curriculum, no matter how well- intentioned," Politics Prof. Larry J. Sabato said. "But this is a fait accompli, and we need to comply along with everyone else."
Brown said she agrees with Sabato's view, especially because the legislation does not carry with it any additional funding to help defray the costs, and the guidelines for the programs are very open-ended. Still, she said she believes the legislation has good intentions.
"I think that is important that kids understand the constitution," Brown said. "Not just what it says, but that, though it was written over 200 years ago, the interpretation of the Constitution affects every part of our lives."
The Youth Leadership Initiative at the Center for Politics is doing its part to help teachers comply with this new regulation by funding and providing resources for use in the classroom. Around 20,000 teachers nationwide have signed up for their program to gain use of tools such as Power Point presentations, day planners complete with significant historical events and lesson plans intended to engage students from elementary to high school, said Ken Stroupe, Youth Leadership Initiative Director.
Stroupe said it is left to the discretion of each teacher to decide how to incorporate Constitution Day into their lesson plans. For example, Stroupe said Sabato will center his lectures on the Constitution during the week prior to Constitution Day, and the Center for Politics will distribute pocket-sized versions of the Constitution to students.
Sabato said he is "delighted" the Center could play a critical role in helping schools across the country comply with the new law and teach about the Constitution.
"Knowledge about even the basics of the Constitution among Americans is pitifully low," Sabato said. "That needs to change, and it is part of our mission as a Center to be part of the change, both here at U.Va. and across the nation. Surely, Thomas Jefferson would approve of our efforts, though he might have looked critically at the law."
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