Program areas at Discovering Justice
Children Discovering Justice curriculum for grades k-4 provides educators with tools and resources to teach young students about fairness, community, rights and responsibilities, and other big ideas connected to Justice. Through this standards-based curriculum, students deepen their understanding of Justice both in their own lives and in the world around them. They learn through inquiry, case study examples, and discourse that the struggle for Justice is ongoing, complex, and involves multiple perspectives. This curriculum is open sourced and available online to all interested teachers and school systems. More than 49 school districts use this curriculum including the boston, cambridge, and springfield Public school systems.
The mock appeal program, offered in the spring, transforms middle school students into appellate lawyers. Working after school with a team of volunteer attorneys for ten weeks, students delve into the bill of rights, explore how constitutional protections apply in Public schools, and deliver their oral arguments in real courtrooms before appellate panels composed of judges and experienced attorneys. In fiscal year 2024, 379 students on 32 mock trial teams participated from: boston, brockton, brookline, cambridge, douglas, framingham, lowell, new bedford, pittsfield, springfield, west springfield, waltham, and worcester.
The mock trial program, offered in the fall, is a ten-week, after-school experiential learning program which invites middle school students to become trial lawyers. With the support of legal mentors, students tackle age-appropriate legal issues, engage in legal analysis, and ultimately try cases in real courtrooms before federal or state judges and juries made up of community members. In fiscal year 2024, 302 students on 29 mock appeal teams participated from: boston, brockton, brookline, cambridge, framingham, lowell, medford, new bedford, springfield, waltham, west springfield, and worcester.