Program: Street Law
What is Street Law?
Street Law brings law students into high school classrooms, where they teach practical law lessons using interactive methodology. Street Law began over 35 years ago at Georgetown University Law Center, and has since grown and evolved into various programs all over the country. In the Portland Metro area, Civics Learning Project and Lewis & Clark Law School collaborate to train law students in teaching methodology in a semester-long seminar, and concurrently apply those methods while teaching in area high schools. Law students are placed in classrooms representing a wide variety of subjects, including Government, History, Sociology, Economics, Psychology, and Law electives, where they show how the law impacts our lives in many ways.
Impact: In 2019, 18 teachers had law students placed in their classrooms, impacting about 700 students. Participating school districts included Portland Public, Beaverton, Gaston Union, Colton, David Douglas, and Reynolds, along with independent schools.
In their own words:
«[A student told me] it was refreshing to see someone in law school who looked similar to her. I can definitely appreciate the power of seeing someone who looks like you, or reminds you of yourself, accomplishing things that you are curious about. [My classroom teacher] made clear to me that there are not many young female lawyers of South Asian descent in Oregon, and that I hold great power in offering young students of various backgrounds access to a different image of success.» — Street Law Student Teacher, Spring 2019
Interested in bringing a Street Law student into your classroom this spring? Contact Jessica Gallagher for more information!