The Constitution and Its Consequences

IN THE CLASSROOMS of history teachers Jazzmin Cox-Cáceres and Erika Carlson, 8th grade students are examining the societal impact of key Constitutional issues as they deepen their understanding of what it means to be an active and responsible citizen. 

The Constitutional Issues Project allows each student to explore the concepts of liberty, justice, and equality by analyzing one of the following topics or “tracks”: the Second Amendment, access to education, criminal justice, economic inequality, environmental justice, freedom of speech, immigration, and reproductive rights.

For the better part of the school year, the students study their chosen issues in the classroom and the real world. They delve into research and meet with lawmakers, journalists, and activists to produce a paper that stakes out a policy position based on what they have learned.

“That’s the citizenship skill we’re trying to build,” Jazzmin said. “As they get closer to voting age, we want them to start thinking about being fully engaged citizens in a global community.” 

While the project was initially designed to expose students to both sides of an issue, Erika said the focus has recently shifted to encourage a search for common ground and a more nuanced understanding of divisive issues.

“For instance, you can argue the right to bear arms from the perspective of the [National Rifle Association],” Erika added. “But you can also argue that from the perspective of the Black Panthers, and they have very different thoughts.”

More than “just a paper”

The project begins in September when students explore library resources, learn the finer points of digging for information, and start writing the first portion of a research paper based on the facts they’ve gathered. The process helps them prepare for the next stage: meetings with experts in the field.

In February, they embark on “Hill Day,” an off-campus experience during which students fan out across Washington to meet with Capitol Hill lawmakers, nonprofit groups, and federal officials to gather as many perspectives as possible on the issue they’re studying. The outing, arranged by the Community Engagement and Experiential Learning (CEEL) office, enables them to flesh out their research paper, form a policy position, and defend it in writing.

A lot of preparation goes into Hill Day. Journalists speak to the 8th graders about how to ask probing questions in a respectful manner. GDS High School students who have previously taken part in Hill Day talk to their younger peers about the experience. And teachers discuss the historical context of the issues that the students are exploring leading up to the Hill Day visits, which dovetails with the U.S. History curriculum.

“It’s a really long process,” Jazzmin said. “That’s why I say it’s not just a paper.” 

Digging into issues

For each track, students typically pursue a broad topic that appeals to them and then refine it as they learn more. Last year, one of Erika’s students wrote a paper on whether the federal government should raise the minimum wage as part of the economic inequality track. This year, some students are writing about fracking as part of the climate justice track. 

When she was in 8th grade, Emma Renigar ’26 chose to explore the reproductive justice track, specifically sex education. Initially, she focused on which states require sex education and found that the requirements varied wildly in states that offered a curriculum. “I dove into more detailed content of what was taught, and explored the question of how effective is sex education if it’s not complete,” Emma said.

Anjali Martin-Shanker ’26 wrote a paper during her 8th grade year proposing that the federal government enact a national sex education curriculum instead of having each state adopt its own courses piecemeal. Now that she's taking the American Government class in 11th grade, she recognizes that the Constitutional Issues Project was a valuable building block in her education. 

“I took a ton away from it,” Anjali said. “I think it laid a really interesting foundation for what I would be learning later.”