Contact: Sammy McDavid
STARKVILLE, Miss.--May 13 is the application deadline for teachers desiring to attend the 2005 Mississippi State institute on the United States Constitution's history and principles.
Titled "We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution," the training program takes place June 13-17 on the university campus.
Enrollment is limited to 25 teachers selected from the upper elementary, middle and high school levels of public and private schools. Instructors of grade five U.S. studies, grade eight U.S. history and grade 12 American government are being especially encouraged to apply.
Unless desiring graduate school credit, those chosen will attend at no cost. Upon completion, participants will be expected to conduct a simulated congressional hearing in their classrooms.
Enacted by Congress and funded through the U.S. Department of Education, "We the People" is administered by the national Center for Civic Education. The Mississippi "We the People" is based in MSU's department of curriculum and instruction and directed by associate professor Susie Burroughs.
"'We the People' is an intense program with a mission to help Mississippi students better understand the Constitution and Bill of Rights," Burroughs said. "During their week here, the teachers will participate in scholarly lectures, large-group discussions and small-group activities that support content in the Mississippi social studies curriculum framework."
Mentor teachers also will be available to help participants prepare for the required simulated congressional hearing, she added.
For information on the application process, contact Burroughs at sburroughs@colled.msstate.edu or administrative assistant Jennifer Robinson at jdr71@msstate.edu. The telephone numbers are (662) 325-3747 and 325-9489.