First Amendment Schools: Educating for Freedom and Responsibility

14CHAPTER 14
First Amendment
Schools: Educating
for Freedom and
Responsibility
FIRST AMENDMENT TO THE
UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION

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Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free
exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech,
or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably
to assemble, and to petition the Government for a
redress of grievances.
—First Amendment to the
United States Constitution

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First Amendment Schools
FIRST AMENDMENT SCHOOLS:
EDUCATING FOR FREEDOM
AND RESPONSIBILITY
What is the First Amendment Schools Project?
First Amendment Schools: Educating for Freedom and Responsibility, co-sponsored by the
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) and the First
Amendment Center, is a nationwide initiative designed to help schools model and teach the
rights and responsibilities that flow from the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
The project has four goals:
1. Provide guidelines for applying the First Amendment principles in schools.
2. Establish project schools in every region of the nation.
3. Promote curriculum reforms that deepen teaching about the First Amendment.
4. Educate school leaders, teachers, parents, students, community members and school
board members about the meaning and significance of First Amendment principles
and ideals.
The First Amendment Schools project serves as a national resource for all schools—K-12,
public and private—interested in affirming First Amendment principles and putting them
into action in their school communities.
The project offers schools the following resources:
• Grants to schools selected as project schools.
• Answers to frequently asked questions about First Amendment issues in schools.
• Lesson plans for teaching the First Amendment in classrooms.
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• Model policies for creating schools that value First Amendment principles.
• News and commentaries on First Amendment issues.
• First Amendment publications.
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Finding Common Ground: A Guide to Religious Liberty in Public Schools
To find out more about these and the other project resources, visit
www.firstamendmentschools.org, or contact ASCD’s Mike Wildasin (703-575-5475,
mwildasi@ascd.org) or the First Amendment Center’s Sam Chaltain (703-284-2808,
schaltain@freedomforum.org).
VISION STATEMENT
THE CHALLENGE
First Amendment Schools are built on the conviction that the five freedoms protected by the
First Amendment are a cornerstone of American democracy and essential for citizenship in a
diverse society.
For more than 200 years, the First Amendment has been at the heart of history’s boldest and
most successful experiment in liberty. We readily acknowledge that the United States failed to
live up to its founding principles in
1791, and that the nation still has a
distance to go in the 21st century. But
the history of our nation is the story
of the ongoing struggle to extend the
promise of freedom more fully and
fairly to each and every citizen.
Today the need to sustain and expand
our experiment in liberty is made
more urgent by the challenge of
living with our deepest differences in
a diverse and complex society. The
need to commit ourselves as a people
to the rights and responsibilities that
flow from the First Amendment has never been more vital—or more difficult. At a time in
our history when we most need to reaffirm what we share as citizens across our differences,
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the ignorance and contention now surrounding the First Amendment threaten to divide the
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nation and undermine our freedom.
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First Amendment Schools
The key place to address this challenge is in our schools, the institutions most responsible
for transmitting civic principles and virtues to each succeeding generation. Schools must
not only teach the First Amendment; they must also find ways to model and apply the
democratic first principles that they are charged with teaching. The rights and
responsibilities of the First Amendment provide a much-needed civic framework for
reaffirming and renewing the civic aims of education.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
We envision First Amendment Schools as places where all members of the school
community practice the civic habits of the heart necessary to sustain a free people that
would remain free. Schools may carry out this mission in ways that vary greatly, depending
on the age of the students, the size of the school, the needs of the local community and
whether the school is public or private. What unites First Amendment Schools is not one
view of democratic education or the First Amendment, but rather an abiding commitment
to teach and model the rights and responsibilities that undergird the First Amendment.
We propose the following four principles as foundational for creating and sustaining a
First Amendment School:
I.Create Laboratories of Democratic Freedom
The future of the American Republic depends upon instilling in young citizens an abiding
commitment to the democratic first principles that sustain our experiment in liberty.
First Amendment Schools educate for freedom by
providing students and all members of the school
community with substantial opportunities to practice
democracy. Knowledge of our framing documents and the
structure and functions of government is important, but
preparation for citizenship also requires virtues and skills
acquired through participation in decision-making. By
practicing democracy, students confront the challenges of
self-government, including the difficult task of balancing a
commitment to individual rights with a concern for the
common good.
First Amendment Schools create organizational structures,
allocate time and resources, and develop policies and
curricula designed to support and promote democratic
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learning communities. Pedagogical decisions, including
instructional and assessment practices, extend
opportunities for authentic learning that inform a citizen’s
understanding of the world beyond the classroom.
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First Amendment Schools include
administrators, teachers, staff,
students, parents and community
members when making decisions
about organization, governance and
curricula. When everyone is given a
meaningful voice in shaping the life
of the school, all have a real stake in
creating and sustaining safe and
caring learning communities. All
members of the school community
should have opportunities to
exercise leadership, negotiate
differences, propose solutions to
shared problems, and practice other
skills essential to thoughtful and
effective participation in civic life.
II.Commit to Inalienable
Rights and Civic
Responsibility
Freedom of religion, speech, press,
assembly, and petition are
fundamental and inalienable rights.
All Americans have a civic
responsibility to guard these rights for
every citizen.
First Amendment Schools are dedicated to educating for citizenship by teaching and
modeling the democratic principles of the Constitution of the United States. Schools
take this mission seriously by providing all members of the school community with
daily opportunities to exercise their constitutional rights with responsibility.
First Amendment Schools uphold the principles of freedom and democracy when they
protect religious liberty rights, encourage freedom of expression, promote academic
freedom, ensure a free student press and support broad-based involvement in school
governance. Acting responsibly, students, teachers, administrators, staff, parents and
community members can do much to uphold the rights of every citizen.
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First Amendment Schools
III.Include all Stakeholders
The First Amendment provides the civic framework of rights
and responsibilities that enables Americans to work together for
the common good in schools and communities.
First Amendment Schools affirm the importance of modeling
the democratic process and upholding individual rights in
the development of policies and curricula. Decisions are
made after appropriate involvement of those affected by the
decision and with due consideration for the rights of those
holding dissenting views.
First Amendment Schools recognize that parents have the
primary responsibility for the upbringing and education of
their children. All Americans, however, share an important
stake in educating students for responsible citizenship in a
free society. Students and schools benefit greatly when
parents, students, educators and community members work
closely together to promote a shared vision of the First
Amendment throughout the school culture and across the community.
IV. Translate Civic Education into Community Engagement
A society committed to freedom and justice for all requires citizens with the knowledge,
virtues, and skills needed for active engagement in public life.
First Amendment Schools encourage active citizenship by giving students opportunities
to translate civic education into community engagement. Active citizens are willing to
participate in public life by addressing problems and issues in their communities, our
nation, and the world.
First Amendment Schools provide
opportunities for students to learn civic virtue
and moral character throughout the school
culture and across the curriculum. Students
are encouraged to demonstrate an active
concern for the welfare of others through
service learning and civic problem-solving.
First Amendment rights are best guarded and
civic responsibilities best exercised when
citizens are actively engaged in building a
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more just and free society.
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Finding Common Ground: A Guide to Religious Liberty in Public Schools
A SHARED VISION
These guiding principles are offered as a shared vision for schools seeking to fulfill the
promise of freedom under the First Amendment.
Learning about freedom and justice, however important, can never be enough; educating
for democratic citizenship must be more than an academic exercise. If we are to sustain and
expand the American experiment in liberty, young citizens must acquire the civic skills and
virtues needed to exercise their freedom with responsibility.
We invite all schools and every citizen to join us in affirming these principles and putting
them into action. The time has come for all Americans to work together to renew our
shared commitment to the civic principles and virtues vital to democracy, freedom, and the
common good.
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