Keystone Programs

These programs develop civic engagement in the student body and reinvigorate the civic mission of schools. They provide curricular materials that are aligned with Pennsylvania Standards and Assessment and employ the six promising approaches to civic education, as defined by The Civic Mission of Schools. The programs are designed to be easily adopted and replicated by schools and districts, offering support such as teacher training at little or no cost. These programs do not create an additional programming requirement, but instead can be integrated into curricula to support schools in meeting existing requirements for civic education.

26: STUDENT ADVOCACY KIT
The 26th amendment to the U.S. Constitution gave eighteen year olds the right to vote. 26 gives students the tools they need to become active citizens. Written for students by students, this interactive handbook empowers young people to become change agents for their schools and communities. The Pennsylvania Coalition for Representative Democracy (PennCORD) designed 26 to illustrate what active citizenship looks like, to enable students to use the numerous tools of advocacy available and to recognize the work students already do as active citizens. 26 can be used in a variety of ways in secondary schools: as a toolkit for student organizations, such as a service club, student government or school newspaper; as a starting point for classroom discussion and group work activities; or as a how-to guide for student leaders.
Materials: PennCORD provides two free class sets (30 books in a set) to each of its partner schools. Other interested schools can purchase copies at $1 each via order form.

WE THE PEOPLE: THE CITIZEN AND THE CONSTITUTION
The primary goal of We the People is to promote civic competence and responsibility among the nation’s elementary and secondary students. What makes the program so successful is the design of its instructional program, including its innovative culminating activity. The instructional program enhances students’ understanding of the institutions of American constitutional democracy. At the same time, students discover the contemporary relevance of the Constitution and Bill of Rights. The culminating activity is a simulated congressional hearing in which students "testify" before a panel of judges. Students demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of constitutional principles and have opportunities to evaluate, take, and defend positions on relevant historical and contemporary issues.
Materials: Free classroom sets are available on a limited basis in each congressional district in the nation. Classroom sets include 30 student books, a teacher’s guide, and an instructional packet. Contact Jason Raia at the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge (jraia@ffvf.org) for materials or request an examination copy of the text.

PROJECT CITIZEN
Project Citizen is a curricular program for middle, secondary, and post-secondary students, youth organizations, and adult groups that promotes competent and responsible participation in local and state government. The program helps participants learn how to monitor and influence public policy. In the process, they develop support for democratic values and principles, tolerance, and feelings of political efficacy. Entire classes of students or members of youth or adult organizations work cooperatively to identify a public policy problem in their community. They then research the problem, evaluate alternative solutions, develop their own solution in the form of a public policy, and create a political action plan to enlist local or state authorities to adopt their proposed policy. Participants develop a portfolio of their work and present their project in a public hearing showcase before a panel of civic-minded community members.
Materials: The Center provides a limited number of free sets of materials to teachers wishing to participate in the program.

LAW DAY
Each year, the nation observes Law Day during the month of May. Law Day is designed to educate people of all ages about the legal system and to celebrate the American heritage of liberty, justice and equality. Pennsylvania takes a slightly different approach to observing Law Day by focusing on children. Through classroom visits by lawyers and judges and an outstanding set of free law-related lesson plans prepared for K-College classrooms, the Pennsylvania Bar Association and county bar associations across the commonwealth work with schools to educate children about their legal rights and responsibilities in the new millennium. Law Day provides Pennsylvania lawyers and judges with a wonderful opportunity to become involved in their local communities. This program is made possible with support from the Pennsylvania Bar Foundation.
Materials: The free lessons and materials are designed to be informative and fun for all kids. The American Bar Association's Law Day Planning Guide includes further materials and resources.

CONSTITUTION DAY
Constitution Day is an American federal holiday that recognizes the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. It is observed on September 17, the day the U.S. Constitutional Convention signed the Constitution in 1787. The law establishing the holiday was enacted in 2004 and mandates that all publicly funded educational institutions provide educational programming on the history of the American Constitution on that day.
Materials: The National Constitution Center’s website currently features more than 30 partners' resources for organizing events to commemorate the holiday. Educators are provided with lesson plans and teaching tools to increase the presence of the Constitution in students’ everyday lives.

PROJECT PEACE
Project PEACE (Peaceful Endings through Attorneys, Children and Educators) is a peer mediation training program. Project PEACE combines conflict resolution education and bullying prevention training to provide educators with materials and strategies to equip their students with the problem solving skills necessary for positive civic participation in our schools and the community beyond. The program introduces dispute resolution techniques to students of all ages throughout Pennsylvania, though the primary focus of Project PEACE generally has been at the elementary school level where students first learn how to deal with each other. Project PEACE is a joint program of the Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) and the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office supported in part with funds from the Pennsylvania Bar Foundation.
Materials: For more information contact David Keller Trevaskis in the PBA Pro Bono Office at david.trevaskis@pabar.org or 1-800-932-0311, Ext.2236.

MOCK TRIAL
One of the largest in the nation, the Pennsylvania Bar Association/Young Lawyers Division Mock Trial Competition gives over 290 high school student teams from across the state the opportunity to act as lawyers and witnesses in simulated civil trials before actual judges and panels of juries. Lawyers volunteer to assist students as team advisors, scorekeepers and regional coordinators. Each year, the winning team goes on to represent Pennsylvania in the national competition. But mock trial is more than just the high school competition. There are mock trials at every grade level – fairy tale mock trials, trials based on historic events, and even actual Teen Courts where real-life cases are handled as alternatives to the traditional juvenile justice system.
Materials: Download materials here. For more information, contact Maria Engles at the PBA (1-800-932-0311 ext. 2223; maria.engles@pabar.org).

STUDENT VOICES
Student Voices encourages the civic engagement of young people by bringing the study of local government, policy issues and political campaigns into secondary level classrooms. The curricular resources for Student Voices and Annenberg Classroom are free and available online. The website contains research tools, discussions and news that students can use in conjunction with the Student Voices program or with their school’s own civics curriculum. Student Voices provides teachers with lesson plans and handouts for two curricular units, Local Government and Elections and Campaigns; web-based activities, research links, a press kit, local area resources, and ideas for projects.
Materials: Available at the Student Voices website.