National Constitution Center offers free classes for students, teachers

The upcoming school year is going to be unconventional—that much is obvious. 

But as Philadelphia students and their families brace for an unprecedented educational experience, The National Constitution Center is doing its part to help spread knowledge to parents, teachers and students throughout the city and nation. 

Beginning at the end of the month, the National Constitution Center is offering free classes that focus on constitutional topics like the Electoral College, freedom of speech, the Second Amendment and more. The remote learning experience is available to middle school, high school and college students and will be offered on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays beginning on Aug. 31. 

The classes will be free of charge and held live, so students are able to interact with scholars and special guests. Upcoming areas of focus include Constitutional Conversations and Civil Dialogue (week of Aug. 31); Foundations of American Democracy (week of Sept. 7); Constitution 101: The Constitutional Convention (week of Sept. 14); Constitution Day: Virtual Student Town Hall with Justice Neil M. Gorsuch (Sept. 17); and Ratification Debates (week of Sept. 21) to name a few. Classes will be held through May 28, 2021. 

“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 in a statement. “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.”

The open-source classes are publicly available via Zoom and include a lecture portion as well as time allotted for an open discussion on the subject matter. There are also private classes offered as well, allowing students to review lessons one-on-one; and peer-to-peer classroom exchanges, where classes are able to interact with other classes digitally. 

According to a release, “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.”

The National Constitution Center will reopen to the public on Wednesday, Aug. 5 and offer free admission for all visitors through Sept. 5. For additional information on The Constitution Center’s reopening plan, or to learn more and register for upcoming virtual classes, visit constitutioncenter.org