New Online ‘Interactive Constitution’ for Students and Educators

PHILADELPHIA — The College Board today announced a partnership with the National Constitution Center to deliver to educators and students the Interactive Constitution, a new online tool that transforms the U.S. Constitution into a unique interactive educational experience.

The Interactive Constitution will be available starting Thursday at constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution, and it is the only one-stop resource where users can explore the most current debates about the U.S. Constitution and immerse themselves in the words and ideas of the document. Users will be able to click on any provision of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights and read a joint statement from leading conservative and liberal scholars, along with separate statements about areas of disagreement. The Interactive Constitution also includes a Rights Interactive that allows users to click on any provision of the U.S. Bill of Rights, explore its historic antecedents in colonial and revolutionary era constitutions, and then trace its influence around the globe.

"America's Founding Documents, and the Constitution in particular, have inspired a great conversation about freedom, justice, and human dignity that continues to this day. It is a conversation that we need more students to be prepared to join through the careful study of these remarkable documents," said College Board President and CEO David Coleman. "We are delighted to partner with the National Constitution Center to help deliver the Interactive Constitution to students and teachers across the country."

The Interactive Constitution project is part of the College Board's ongoing commitment to providing students and teachers with opportunities to encounter the American Founding Documents. Advanced Placement courses encourage teachers and students to immerse themselves in the Founding Documents.

The College Board has worked with the National Constitution Center to develop lesson plans for the current school year for AP® U.S. Government and Politics and AP Comparative Government and Politics connected to the National Constitution Center's online resources. Together they also are in the process of developing a module for AP U.S. History, as well as one for middle school classrooms, both of which will be completed later this year. Teachers and students across the world can access these high-quality resources for free from the course homepages, regardless of whether they participate in the AP Program or not.

Last year, the College Board announced that every redesigned SAT exam would include a passage from a Founding Document or from the great global conversation they inspired. "The Interactive Constitution is a unique and meaningful educational tool that has the potential to transform constitutional discourse in America," said Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center. "It's exciting to bring together some of the top legal scholars in America to explore areas of agreement and disagreement about the text and history of the Constitution, the one document that unites all Americans in these polarized times."

To create the Interactive Constitution, the National Constitution Center established the Coalition of Freedom, an advisory board co-chaired by leaders of the American Constitution Society and The Federalist Society to commission scholars in America with different legal approaches and views to contribute explanatory material about all provisions of the U.S. Constitution and the Amendments.

"The Constitution continues to have remarkable impacts not only in our country but across the world, where the Bill of Rights has served as a model and touchstone for what "freedom" can mean," Coleman said. "The College Board is proud that the Interactive Constitution and our AP courses encourage students and teachers to immerse themselves in these timeless documents."

About the National Constitution Center

The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia inspires active citizenship as the only place where people across America and around the world can come together to learn about, debate, and celebrate the greatest vision of human freedom in history, the U.S. Constitution. A private, nonprofit organization, the Center serves as America’s leading platform for constitutional education and debate, fulfilling its Congressional charter “to disseminate information about the U.S. Constitution on a non-partisan basis.” As the Museum of We the People, the Center brings the Constitution to life for visitors of all ages through interactive programs and exhibits. As America’s Town Hall, the Center brings the leading conservative and liberal thought leaders together to debate the Constitution on all media platforms. As a center for Civic Education, the Center delivers the best educational programs and online resources that inspire, excite, and engage citizens about the U.S. Constitution. For more information, call 215-409-6700 or visit constitutioncenter.org.