ISBA YLD Know Your Constitution Committee
Grant Amount Awarded: $15,000
The Know Your Constitution Program is an annual program that has historically been supported by The Iowa State Bar Foundation.
The Know Your Constitution Program is one of the best and most publicized law-related education projects in Iowa. For 30 years, high school students from across Iowa have competed to learn about the U.S. Constitution through a multiple-choice and essay exam, earning a trip to Des Moines for an awards luncheon and a chance to travel to Washington, D.C.
The Know Your Constitution Program is offered to high school students statewide. Each year approximately 900 students from 40-50 schools participate.
This committee’s sole purpose is to conduct the annual Know Your Constitution program that reaches every high school in the state. Each year, the committee prepares and distributes a 50-question, multiple-choice quiz covering the United States Constitution. The quiz is different every year, with the committee drafting new questions and removing questions that may have proved problematic or confusing. The quiz also includes an essay question, which requires students to analyze a set of facts and apply constitutional principles to arrive at a legal solution. Attempts are made to draft a question with a factual scenario to which students can relate, hoping it will help the students be more reflective in their responses. The essay topic is usually selected to relate to a timely legal issue that appears in the local or national news.
The quiz generally is administered by social studies teachers in grades 9-12, with many teachers making the program part of their curriculum on federal or state constitutions. After the quizzes are returned to the ISBA office, the Know Your Constitution Committee grades the quizzes and selects up to 100 finalists. The committee selects a finalist from each of Iowa’s 100 House of Representatives districts, when possible.
The student finalists and their teachers are then invited to an awards ceremony and luncheon in Des Moines to honor their accomplishments. At the end of the ceremony and luncheon, the names of five students, and their teachers, are drawn at random for a one-week, all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. The trip is organized by Close-Up Foundation, which is America’s largest civic education organization.
During the week in Washington, D.C., the students and teachers participate in seminars and workshops, observe the Supreme Court and Congress in action, meet with legislators, judges, and diplomats, and tour the sites and attractions in the city.
The primary goal of the Know Your Constitution program is to promote and aid in the education of high school students about the United States Constitution. The students are required to both understand the provisions of the Constitution and apply them. The program stimulates interest in the law and creates pride in the high school students who participate. It also encourages critical thinking skills concerning a citizen’s constitutional rights. Finally, it is a valuable learning experience and promotes good citizenship and values.