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 25 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 2023, 296 students on 26 mock appeal teams participated from boston, brockton, brookline, framingham, lawrence, lowell, rehoboth, somerville, springfield, waltham, and worcester.

The mock trial program, offered in the fall, is an 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 2023, 381 students from 29 mock trial teams participated from boston, brockton, brookline, douglas, framingham, lowell, medford, new bedford, pittsfield, rehoboth, south hadley, springfield, waltham, and worcester.

Led by Discovering Justice staff and volunteer docents, courthouse tours welcome the Public into the john joseph moakley u.s. Courthouse and provide a unique look at the history and structure of this award-winning landmark central to the judicial landscape of boston. In addition to the in-person tours, the virtual tour of the moakley courthouse explores the connections between the architectural designs of the moakley courthouse, and the civic ideals they represent. It features conversations held with staff of the courthouse community from judges to probation officers and attorneys to courthouse reporters. All integral to the working of the Justice system, the staff explore their work and share their thoughts on the civic ideals of our Justice system. Courthouse field trips bring students from grade 1 to law school into the courthouse to explore the workings of the courthouse as well as the themes and ideals of Justice and democracy. While on a guided tour curated for the needs of each teacher and age group, students are encouraged to view, analyze, and discuss key features of the courthouse and the operations of the Justice system. High school and college field trips often include q&a sessions with federal judges, and/or opportunities to observe trials and other judicial proceedings. In fiscal year 2023, Discovering Justice hosted 66 field trips for 2,576 students. Courthouse events - Discovering Justice hosted three Public hybrid events that drew more than 500 attendees both in person and online. Panels made up of legal experts and federal judges tackled the issues of restorative Justice, how the media covers Court trials, and the work of courthouse sketch artists.