MARSHALL-BRENNAN CONSTITUTIONAL LITERACY PROJECT

About
Professors Michael Avery and Kim McLaurin, along with the Rappaport Center, are proud to announce the 2011-2012 year of the Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project at Suffolk Law. The goals of the Project at Suffolk Law, which is a chapter of a national program based at American University Washington College of Law, are expansive: “to uplift constitutional understanding, advance democratic values, and promote young people’s engagement in politics and government.”

Each year, students accepted into the year-long Project – known as Marshall-Brennan Fellows – have the rare opportunity to study constitutional law and simultaneously teach it to Boston and Cambridge public, charter, and pilot high school students in urban minority population areas.

Marshall-Brennan Fellows enroll in a weekly seminar course, Constitutional Justice in School, taught by Professors Avery and McLaurin. The seminar course covers the intricacies of Constitutional Law as it applies to high school students. Topics include Free Speech for Students, Separation of Church and School, Search and Seizure in School, Equal Protection against Race Discrimination, and Due Process in School. The weekly seminar also affords Fellows the opportunity to explore pedagogical problems in teaching constitutional law.

Coinciding with their coursework, Fellows teach in pairs at local high schools throughout the year.

During the 2011-2012 year, Fellows will teach at the following seven high schools: Another Course to College (Boston); Boston Preparatory Charter Public School (Hyde Park); Brighton High School (Brighton); Cambridge Rindge & Latin School (Cambridge); City on a Hill (Roxbury); Jeremiah E. Burke High School (Dorchester); and Greater Egleston Community High School (Roxbury).

As part of the teaching experience, Fellows also work with high school students to prepare for a regional moot court competition each year. The winners of the regional competition are invited to compete in the National Marshall-Brennan Moot Court Competition in Philadelphia.

In additional to earning course credits in the weekly seminar, Fellows are eligible for credit under the Pro Bono Program for the teaching component of the Project.

For more information, listen to a short podcast of Professor Roberts and Monika Bandyopadhyay, JD ’11, discussing her experience with the Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project in our latest Rappaport Center Public Policy Podcast. Also, check out a recent Boston Globe article about the project!

Missed our Spring 2012 info session? Download the MP3 recording for the presentation and questions from students.

Applicant Eligibility
All Suffolk Law students in good academic standing who are not in their final year are eligible to apply. Due to time constraints, Fellows may not participate in any clinical program while enrolled in the Project. Constitutional Law is a prerequisite.

Important Dates
A Marshall-Brennan Info Session is held at the law school in February to provide students with details of the Project. Applications for the 2012-2013 Project are due in late February. Final selections for Fellows will be made by the beginning of April. Fellows are matched with high schools in August. A mandatory full-day Orientation takes place at the beginning of the Fall Semester.

Download Application (PDF)

Application Deadline: Friday, March 9, 2012

Contact Information
Please direct any inquiries about the Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project to Mia Friedman.