Mission: To educate tomorrow's citizens by bringing the First Amendment into classrooms.

Background:
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation developed the TeachFirstAmendment.org Web site in response to a national survey conducted earlier this year that revealed a lack of understanding among high school students of what the First Amendment means. The site, launched in July, provides teachers with free resources to instruct students about the First Amendment and to meet U.S. Department of Education requirements that teachers at every federally funded school teach about the Constitution this September, to coincide with Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, observed in classrooms on Friday, September 16.

Outstanding Web Features:
TeachFirstAmendment.org provides links to Web sites of organizations offering free materials such as lesson plans and posters, including the Bill of Rights Institute and the Illinois First Amendment Center; resources regarding student media, such as how to start a student newspaper and how to teach broadcast journalism; suggestions for getting civics back into schools; a First Amendment quiz; and a link to the key findings of the Knight survey of students' attitudes about the First Amendment.