We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution is a program of the Center for Civic Education in Calabasas, CA. It is coordinated in New Jersey by the New Jersey Center for Civic Education.
The instructional program enhances the students' understanding of government and American constitutional democracy. At the same time the students discover the contemporary relevance of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
The culminating activity is a simulated congressional hearing (See below) in which the students demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of constitutional principles. The students have the opportunity to evaluate, take, and defend positions on relevant historical and contemporary issues. The 2024 New Jersey State Finals Hearings will be held on January 24th at the Busch Campus Center.
Independent studies reported that students who use the We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution materials outperform other students on political knowledge and philosophy and were more politically tolerant than students who use traditional textbooks and teaching approaches.
At the 2019-20 annual New Jersey State We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution competition for high schools, East Brunswick High School placed first and represented New Jersey at the National We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution Competition in April.
Montclair High School finished second and Marlboro High School earned third place. Bayonne High School, Hopewell Valley Regional High School, Steinert High School, and West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North received civic education awards.
