Teachers Go To Court – To Learn

Educators around the country are spending more time in court—but not because they're involved in litigation. Instead, following the kick-off in fall 2000 of the Federal Courts Teachers Institute, at more than a dozen courthouses across the country, teachers already have spent a day learning about judicial issues.

At the Institutes hosted by federal courts, high school teachers of law-related classes serve as judges on a hypothetical case in which drugs were found in a student's backpack during a school search.

They watch a video that includes local community reaction to the case, a fictionalized newscast and other media reports on the case, and a case analysis. Finally, in a mock hearing, educators announce their rulings, voting either to grant or deny a motion to suppress evidence.

The goal is to present teachers with challenges similar to those encountered by judges when making impartial, difficult, and sometimes unpopular decisions. It is also intended to generate discussion between teachers, the court's hosting judge, and other representatives of the local legal community who may be invited. Teachers are provided with curriculum materials and a pre-recorded videotape program to take back to their classrooms.

For more information on the Federal Courts Teachers Institute and the Federal Courts' Educational Outreach Program visit the Judiciary's website at www.uscourts.gov/outreach/index.html, or contact Rebecca Fanning, AO Office of Public Affairs. E-mail: rebecca_fanning@uscourts.gov.